There is no set/maximium amount of fat that can be removed in California. However, most plastic surgeons will go with the guidelines set by the ASPS. If it were possible, every little kernel of fat could be removed. However, one, this would be unsafe, and two, this would be unsightly as there is a layer of fat that is needed to make someone look normal. Think of the actress Tara Reid's abdomen - and that is AFTER revision surgery that ADDED fat back to her abdomen after too much was removed!The recommendation by the ASPS is no more than 5000 mL or 5 L in one session if the patient is going to go home from surgery. This is to prioritize safety as there are fluid shifts and people can die from these shifts after liposuction. For anything more than 5 L in one setting it is recommended that a person be monitored overnight in a hospital setting to watch for these fluid shifts.I've performed a great deal of liposuction. I've had many, many patients who've needed more than 5 liters removed (see point #5 below). Honestly, if a person needs more than 5 L of fat removed, s/he should either have liposuction done in stages, s/he needs to lose weight, or if s/he is already at a reasonable weight, s/he should change his/her body composition with improved nutrition and exercise. I've heard many a patient complain because s/he has consulted with an ethical plastic surgeon who prioritizes safety first. These patients claim it is "inconvenient" to come back for multiple liposuction procedures, believe they know better than the surgeon as to how much fat should be removed in one session, and some even try to bully the surgeon into compromising safety by threatening to go to another plastic surgeon. Unfortunately, you can always find one unscrupulous surgeon who will put profits before patients. Yes, it may be "inconvenient" to come back more than once, to go through more than one recovery, and to pay for more than one procedure or a monitored overnight stay. But you know what is also inconvenient? Death from putting convenience before safety. Liposuction is not a procedure to be taken lightly. It is surgery. And it is definitely not a weight-loss procedure so asking about "pounds" is futile. Fat is not as dense as muscle. Fat floats. That's why you can see a muscular or athletic person who weighs more than a fat person but looks far better and leaner. The end concern should not be a number on the scale but how you look (your contour) after liposuction surgery.
