How Many Areas Can You Treat in One Liposuction Session?

Generally, 3-4 areas can be done in the average patient at 1 liposuction surgery which would cover the abdomen, hips and sides. The recommendation (not absolute limit) of 5 liters does not apply, often because the amount of local anesthetic of lidocaine tumescent solution to anesthetize the areas becomes the limiting factor, since you want to stay under 55 mg/kg lidocaine concentration; and on a thin patient, it still takes a lot of lidocaine to anesthetize multiple areas, so you may only get 2 liters of fat out and still maxed out the lido dose. Whereas a large patient may get 6 liters of fat out of the abdomen alone and still be under the lidocaine maximum. Your doctor will be able to let you know what is safe for your body size and number of areas to be liposuctioned.
It is better to be safe and do 5-6 areas over 2 surgeries @ a week apart than to try to overdo it all in only 1 surgery. Most liposuctions cost about $5-6000 per surgery when doing a few areas at once.
Good Luck!

When performing liposuction,
safety should be everyone’s first priority.For this reason, we never exceed a volume of more than 5000 cc. of fatty
aspirate when this procedure is performed on an outpatient basis.When
this number is exceeded, the complication rate rises dramatically.Under these circumstances, massive fluid
shifts can occur which increase the potential for cardiac and pulmonary
complications.It’s
important to realize that the number of areas treated has no direct impact on
safety as long no more than 5,000 cc. of fatty aspirate is removed.From a practical standpoint, most surgeons
usually limit the number of areas treated to three or four at a given
setting.

Liposuction is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures.  However, many surgeons underestimate the complexity of liposuction and it can be dangerous if done by the wrong non Board Certified physician.  Liposuction should be limited by volume.  Regardless of the number of areas, surgeons should limit the volume of aspirate to <5 liters.  It is also critical to limit the amount of tumescent fluid introduced before liposuction.  Serious complications from liposuction can result from introducing too much tumescent fluid or removing too much aspirate.  

In addition to the amount of fat removed, there is a limit to how much anesthetic is used. This differs from patient to patient based on weight, age and prescription and non-prescription medications that are taken every day as may affect the metabolism of the anesthetic. The surgeon examines you and evaluates the amount of fat in each area that interests you for liposuction, and takes the other variables into consideration. It might be possible for you to have all those areas done, but you should be able to find out with certainty in your consultation.

For outpatient liposuction, 5 Liters of fat is considered the maximum amount that can be safely removed in one session. During that session, several different areas can be addressed, from one area up to four or five. However, if a patient is requesting or needs many areas (>5), one must give serious consideration to the patient perhaps losing more weight prior to the liposuction surgery. Some patients are under the false impression the liposuction is a means for them to lose weight; this is not true. The goal of liposuction is to improve contour, not to lower weight.
Please consult with a board certified plastic surgeon prior to considering liposuction.

Yes, the number of areas really is not that much of a concern as far as safety goes.  The limit is 5 L for outpatient liposuction procedures.  Now having said that, the more areas you have treated the more areas that will be sore.  So you have to think about that as well.
Hope that helps.

Liposuction is essentially intended for LOCALIZED fatty depsits. With that in mind if you are considering liposuction for more than 2 or 3 areas, you may derive better resutls from weight loss. The number of areas to be treated is the result of reviewing several factors including volume of fat (5 liters is a typical upper limit), overall health, age, skin laxity, etc. However, these are generalizations and there is great variablity in the surgeon's choice and the patient's tolerances.

Dear Goddesscomplex, multiple areas can be treated at the same surgery. The limit by the standard of our professional society ASAPS is 5 Litres, or a US 1.5 gallons. Generally there is minimal discomfort with proper surgical preparation and mobilization after surgery.
The main concern for patients after surgery is the leaking of the tumescent fluid from the incision sites- this goes for about 24 hrs so that your furniture etc must be protected.
With Warm Regards,
Trevor M Born MD

There is really no limit to the number of areas. Most surgeons would factor in the time and volume aspirate more than a given number of areas to determine whether the procedures should be staggered. Suctionin the abdomen, flanks, back and hips is commonly done in one session.
Suctioning 5 liters of fat from anyone is a large amount and probably means the patient is not an "ideal" candidate for liposuction. The irony of liposuction is that the best results are in the thinnest patients.

As an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon, I typically address this during the consultation phase. In general, a safe and effective approach is to treat 3-4 distinct areas (for example: abdomen, flanks/hips, and back) in one liposuction session, provided the patient is a good candidate (stable weight, good skin tone, no significant medical issues). The total volume of fat removed isn’t the only limiting factor — the anesthetic dose, patient’s body size, and skin quality also play a role. During your visit we’ll review your goals, health status and map out which areas can safely be addressed in one session or whether staging a second procedure is better for your long-term result.