I weigh 221 lbs and I'm 13 years old. Can I get liposuction with my mom's permission?

Thank you for your question.  As difficult as weight loss can be, your best option is to attempt a lifestyle change.  A diet comprised of healthy meats, vegetables and fruit, combined with a daily exercise regimen will help you shed those unwanted pounds and, at your young age, your skin should be able to compensate well. Your money would be better spent with a nutritionalist and trainer who can supply you information that will help you for the rest of your life.  Liposuction is not permanent after all. It may reduce the amount of fat in your body, but the fat that remains will continue to enlarge or shrink based on your diet and exercise level.

Krystal....thanks for your question and I am sorry you are struggling with your weight. At 13 years old, you are much too young to be considering cosmetic surgery for your appearance. Furthermore, liposuction is not a weight loss procedure, it is a contouring procedure meant to address certain problem areas, not overall excess weight.I would advise that instead of talking to your mother about consenting for cosmetic surgery, you discuss with her your concerns about your weight and ask her if she would consider getting you involved in a nutrition and/or weight loss program that includes elements of diet and exercise. I would consider it ethically inappropriate to do liposuction on a 13 year old for generalized adiposity, even with a parent's consent.Best of luck to you...

Plastic surgery is not weight loss surgery... you and your mom may want to make a meeting with a nutritionist so you can take steps toward healthier eating and exercise. Once you reach an ideal weight, then with parent approval, you can have plastic surgery and work on improving the contours of your body. Hope this helps and good luck!Dr. JSB

Liposuction is not a substitute for weight loss in an individual of any age. If there is some psychologic advantage in getting body contouring at the age of 14 this is something that is possible but must be done with the permission of the parents.

Though everyone matures at different rates, liposuction would almost never be considered in someone 13 years of age.  Liposuction is a contouring procedure for those who have areas of lipodystrophy (fat) which are refractory to diet and exercise.Since you are struggling with weight control, would recommend seeing an adolescent medicine specialist, obtaining a consult with a nutritionist, establishing a method to increase physical activity (local gym, adolescent trainer, boys and girls club), and consider a summer camp to meet others who may be going through the same issues. Best of luck. 

Thanks for the question. I think that you are too young to have liposuction.   Liposuction is not an answer to lose weight. The best way to lose weight is through diet and exercise.  You shoudl speak to your parents about maybe getting a nutritonist and a trainer at first. Best of luck!

Lioosuction is not a weight loss technique. It is a body contouring procedure which does not remove very much in terms of pounds.  I personally would not operate on a 13 year old who is obese, regardless of parental consent. The best thing you can do for yourself is to find a weight loss program with which you are comfortable. 

When assessing a patient, one of the first steps is to make an accurate diagnosis.In your case, your true diagnosis is obesity and not an issue of fat distribution.Even if you were to find a plastic surgeon to perform liposuction, it will not treat your primary problem.You need to get your weight under control.Once you have achieved a reasonable BMI, you could consider being evaluated.I suggest you check in with your pediatrician to get some information.A few thoughts on weight loss:While liposuction is generally not prescribed as a treatment for obesity, most patients who get liposuction are somewhat overweight.From having met thousands of people interested in liposuction, I have had ample opportunity to talk to many people about their struggle with weight.A few repeating patterns seem to emerge.Perhaps the most common one is people not eating frequently enough. Losing weight by not eating is a fallacy. In reality, we tend to over-eat after having gone hungry.Another common misunderstanding is the relationship between weight and exercise. Most patients are not successful at losing weight by exercising without changes in diet. Weight is 90% diet. Exercise has to do with fitness. Think of diet and exercise as two separate entities with two separate purposes. That said, I encourage everyone to exercise on a regular basis. The majority of people get hungry from working out and tend to over-eat afterwards, sometimes feeling justified to do so after a strenuous workout. The number of calories burned during a typical workout session is far less than people believe.Any successful weight reduction program has to be based on permanent change. Any temporary diet plan will ultimately fail if not followed by permanent changes in behavior.Understand the role that insulin plays in obesity and what causes insulin surges. If you read the late Dr. Atkins' book, you will learn that his obsession was with controlling insulin much more so than with eliminating carbohydrates.Learn about the glycemic index and glycemic loads. Avoid eating meals that give a high glycemic load. This is somewhat similar to saying avoid eating large carbohydrate-based meals, though understanding what foods constitute as bad carbohydrate meals is critical. This will be learned after mastering the concepts of the glycemic index and glycemic load.Here are my rules to keep weight under control: Never go hungry.Never eat a large meal. Never, never, never eat a large meal when you are hungry.Avoid large carbohydrate-based meals.Don't expect exercise to get your weight down and don't blame the lack of exercise for not being able to maintain your weight.Step on the scale every day after you get out of the shower in the morning.Accept weight fluctuations. None of us stay at the same weight or continue to go down in weight. Don't beat yourself up if you gain a few pounds. It's the long-term, rest-of-your-life progress that matters.I hope that is of some help.Best of luck,Mats Hagstrom, M.D.

The answer is that you should not have liposuction no matter what your age. The first thing you need to do is lose weight to a normal BMI. If then you have localized fatty areas, you could consider liposuction. You need to gradually change your eating habits before it is any harder to do so.