Florida liposuction (with a combined incision procedure) laws? 1 liter vs 4 liters in alternate settings? any clarity?

Thank you for your questions. You are correct, outpatient standalone liposuction procedures in Florida allow up to 4000 cc of fat to be removed. If combined with another procedure, 1000 cc is the maximum. You would need to take this into account when planning any surgical procedures.Hope this helps!Dallas R. Buchanan, MD, FACSOwner & Board-Certified Plastic SurgeonVIVIFY plastic surgery 

in some combination procedures less liposuction should be performed to limit the total amount of tissue removed for safety purposes.
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.

lIn an outpatient setting (i.e. not a hospital OR), the limit is 5 liters (4 l in some states like Florida). When liposuction is done in combination with a second procedure, the limit is 1 liter.These limits do not apply in a hospital setting. This is due to the fact that patients will be admitted and monitored overnight (thus allowing for better control of subsequent fluid shifts).This will amount to approximately 11 lbs. Ultimately, it is important to remember that lipo is a contouring tool and not a means to weight loss. It is best reserved for addressing those areas which have been resistant to diet and exercise.
As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).
Donovan Rosas MD
Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
RealSelf Top 100
RealSelf Hall of Fame

You are right. Rules in hospital are different than in ambulatory surgery centers and office surgery centers. However, these procedures are, at least in Florida, most frequently performed outside of hospitals in surgery centers and, for that reason, they are more efficient and, probably, have overall lower cost. This is an issue that you should discuss with your surgeon once you make that most important decision, select your surgeon. Goof luck.

Dear  heathird08,
if you get a liposuction alone, then you can get 4 liters of fat removed. If you combine liposuction with another procedure, then only one liter of fat can be removed. But if you get liposuction in hospital, then you can get more fat removed. 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

Thank you for your question. In Florida office settings, 1 L of lipo can be combined with another procedure, and 4 L of lipo can be done alone or in combination with a fat transfer. In Florida hospital settings, these rules do not apply and more liposuction can be performed. All these rules are set in place for patient safety reasons. I recommend you consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon experienced with these procedures to examine you or do a virtual consultation, discuss your goals, and show before/after photographs to give you a better idea of the type of results you can expect to get. Good luck!

Florida has some different laws in place for liposuction (4 liters in surgery center as single procedure, 1 liter when done in combination). In most states, you can liposuction 5 liters and transfer whatever amount is deemed appropriate.
Make an email or Skype consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to find out what can be done for your specific needs.
Best of Luck!

Hi and welcome to our forum!
You are correct! Outpatient standalone liposuction procedures in Florida allow up to 4000 cc of fat to be removed. If combined with another procedure, 1000 cc is the maximum.
If hospitalized, greater volumes can be extracted, with close inpatient followup of vital signs, hematocrit and electrolytes for at least 24 hours after surgery to ensure absence of anemia, hypovolemia / fluid overload and electrolyte imbalance.
It is more a safety issue than a legal issue as high volume liposuction has potential metabolic consequences.
Best wishes...

Your understanding is correct. Office/Ambulatory settings allow a maximum of 4 litres of fat aspiration with liposuction as the only procedure  with an additional procedure, the maximum legal amount is 1 litre  If single or combined procedures are performed in the hospital these laws do not apply. It may or not be obvious why these laws are in place. Simply consider the fact that hospitals are much more equipped to handle any emergency that may arise from any surgical procedure. They also have more resources, ie. Physician specialists, laboratory facilities, diagnostic equipment, should the need arise. This is a very important issue for one to consider when having plastic surgery . Your safety must go in tandem with meeting your goals and expectations  

Florida had multiple horrific complications forcing them to pass tighter restrictions for patient safety   The maximum fat removal outside Florida is 5 liters  Dr Taranow