Does liposuction actually work for women over 200 lbs? I'm about 224 lbs

Thank you for your question.  Liposuction is a great procedure to help shrink people down inches and most patients will receive some skin retraction.  If you have intra abdominal fat, the only way to lose that will be diet and exercise.  That is fat around the intestines.  Extra skin will reduce slightly depending on how much extra skin one has.  I would suggest seeing a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in person to evaluate you and discuss your options.  Best of luck to you.  

you would ned to loose weight if you are an extremely high BMI or you may not even see a result from one liposuction procedure. I would suggest hormonal optimization to help you pre and post surgery (see link to emeragecosmetics.com where we do virtual hormonal and weight loss evaluation).
You need a formal evaluation by an expert in body shaping and contouring to determine what is best.  Traditional liposuction awake and smart liposuction are old methods and do very poorly for tightening skin or significant skin tightening or contouring.  Small problem areas can be improved slightly by these methods.  The best in body contouring not only removes fat with energy devices like VASER ultrasound but also internally heat the skin with radio-frequency devices such as J PLASMA/RENUVION, InMode BodyTite, ThermiRF to heat the under surface of the skin and tighten it at the same time as fat removal. These combinations are called 4D HIDEF VASER contouring and can only be done by a well . trained body contouring specialist. At the same time fat should be harvested, PRP and stem cells added and injected into muscles or indentations/cellulite to get body shaping and contouring.  This is known as a Brazilian butt lift when you inject the fat to the buttock for contouring and lifting, but fat can also be used in areas such as the chest/breast, arms/shoulders, calves and face.  Cellulite should also be treated with cellfina, sculptra, subcision and/or fillers such as bellafill, renuva synthetic fat, or sculptra.  If skin is very loose before surgery then it will need to be removed such as lower abdominal skin (tummy tuck/abdominoplasty), breast skin (breast lift), arm skin (brachioplasty).  Overall you need a full assessment, but simple liposuction alone will not tighten skin and needs a combination of various methods -- fat removal, skin tightening, defining, fat grafting, skin removal -- to get the best in body contouring and body sculpting.  Dr. Emer.

Dear mariewill89, Thank you for your question. At my office, I do not perform liposuction on patients with a BMI greater than 30 due to safety reasons. You will need an in person assessment with a Board Certified Operating surgeon to assess your candidacy and for you to be at your goal weight. Best of luck to you! 

Depending upon your height and your overall body composition- liposuction as a Primary mode of treatment for you may not be ideal. I would strongly suggest that you consider lifestyle change, directed toward reducing your body fat and increasing muscle mass before you consider any Cosmetic Surgery. You may find that - once you achieve a more ideal weight - surgical body contouring may be more appealing to you .

Dear mariewill89,
generally speaking, you want to reach your goal weight before you consider a surgery, otherwise your results will be suboptimal if you continue to lose weight after the surgery. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Liposuction is a body contouring tool, not a weight loss tool.  At the most, safely, a patient may lose 7-8lbs but that is about the upper limit of what can be removed without putting the patient at much higher risks.  It works great for stubborn areas that don’t change with activity or weight loss, but to expect it to remove a significant amount of weight is unrealistic.  The best thing to do is to have a few consultations with board certified plastic surgeons and see what they recommend.  I hope this helps.

Liposuction can be effective for women who are over 200 lbs, but there are several important considerations to keep in mind:
1. Body Mass Index (BMI): Liposuction is generally most effective for individuals who are at or near their ideal body weight or have a BMI within a healthy range. While liposuction can remove localized areas of fat, it is not a weight loss solution and is not typically recommended as a primary treatment for obesity.
2. Realistic Expectations: Liposuction is best suited for individuals who are close to their ideal weight and have stubborn pockets of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise. It's important to have realistic expectations about the results of liposuction and understand that it is not a substitute for healthy lifestyle habits.
3. Safety Considerations: The safety of liposuction can be influenced by factors such as overall health, BMI, and the extent of the procedure. Individuals who are significantly overweight may be at higher risk of complications such as excessive bleeding, fluid accumulation, and poor wound healing. Your plastic surgeon will carefully evaluate your health status and assess whether liposuction is a safe option for you.
4. Skin Elasticity: Another consideration for individuals over 200 lbs is the elasticity of their skin. Liposuction removes fat from beneath the skin, but if the skin lacks elasticity, it may not contract effectively after the procedure, leading to loose or sagging skin. Your plastic surgeon will evaluate your skin quality and elasticity to determine whether liposuction is appropriate for you.
5. Comprehensive Treatment Plan: Liposuction is often most effective when combined with other procedures such as diet, exercise, and possibly other body contouring techniques. Your plastic surgeon may recommend a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to your individual needs and goals.
Before undergoing liposuction, it's essential to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has experience performing the procedure. They can assess your candidacy for liposuction, discuss your goals and expectations, and recommend the most appropriate treatment options for you. Additionally, maintaining realistic expectations and committing to a healthy lifestyle before and after the procedure can help ensure the best possible results.

Liposuction is a procedure used to reduce select pockets of fat and is not designed for overall weight loss.  Though your overall weight does not necessarily mean that you are not a candidate, we do have to consider safety issues.  There is an upper limit for liposuction fat removal of approximately 4-5 liters which may have an effect on your desired result.  In addition, the higher the patient's BMI, the greater the risk of any surgical procedure.  With that said, consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon for a consultation to truly evaluate you shape and size and to determine if you are a candidate for liposuction or not.  I hope this helps and good luck.

You would benefit from a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. A healthy BMI is between 15 - 24, the maximum recommended being around 30. If you are above 30, then you are encouraged to lose weight before undergoing surgery. The higher the BMI the higher the chance of complications. A Skype or FaceTime consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon will help you get an accurate recommendation for your procedure and for pricing. 
Respectfully, 
Arian Mowlavi MD, FACS
Realself 100 Hall of Fame Inductee

Most people who seek Liposuction or someone overweight.There are safety limits how much fat can be removed during a single liposuction procedure.At some point the obesity outweighs the benefit of Liposuction and Liposuction becomes inappropriate and ineffective.My practice has been devoted exclusively to Liposuction and fat transfer for the last decade. I find high-volume Liposuction to give some of the greatest patient satisfaction.Maximum fat removal during a single procedure is typically about 5 L which equates to about 8 pounds of fat.Even if that fat is removed from the worst areas in your case it would still only bring you for 224 pounds to 216 pounds. That’s not a lot of change for spending thousands of dollars.In general for those seeking body or torso reduction patients above 170 pounds often need two sessions of liposuction and patients over 220 pounds typically are simply too obese to justify having liposuction. Removing 10 L of fat on someone who has learned to control their diet and not gain weight after the procedure can leave stunning results that have immense quality of life improvements including the ability  to fit properly into clothing etc.Many people who are morbidly obese have lost control over their eating patterns and often end up gaining weight after high-volume Liposuction.For you the correct course of action is weight loss followed by an assessment most likely for skin removal such as a extended tummy tuck or body lift. It doesn’t mean you can’t have Liposuction but that is generally what most plastic surgeons are going to recommend and is in fact the healthiest and most appropriate approach.Ideally weight loss should be done gradually over a long period of time. For some people who simply can’t control their weight surgical weight loss options are an option.Typically I do not offer a liposuction on anyone over 220 pounds. For patients around that weight  I pretty much insist that they have two rounds of liposuction Unless they’re interested in a limited area such as arms or chin.You’ll find plastic surgeons have a pretty different views on this.Almost all plastic surgeons are taught and seem to believe that Liposuction is an inappropriate procedure for obese people.My experience is actually quite the opposite. I ha e found heavy set people get the best results and most satisfaction from Liposuction.The issues have to do with safety limits and potential weight gain after the procedure.Liposuction results and attitudes vary greatly among different board-certified plastic surgeons.Because of this if interested in this procedure I suggest having multiple in person consultations with experience the board certified plastic surgeons in your area.I suggest starting with at least five consultations.During the consultation look for providers will have extensive numbers of quality before and after pictures.An experienced provider should have at least 20 to 50 sets of liposuction results pictures.Read reviews on various doctor review websites such as real self, yelp, rate MD, vitals, health grades etc.Positive reviews are reassuring but I find consistent negative reviews to be more informative of who you’re dealing with.Look out for businesses that have excessive numbers of positive reviews on one or two single websites which may indicate review manipulation.Best of luck to you, Mats Hagstrom MD