What weight is required NOT recommended for liposuction?

​Thank you for your question. It is hard to provided with a valid medical opinion without photos. I would suggest to be treated by board certificated plastic surgeon with experience in this procedure, to get the best desired results.

Kind Regards,
Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

When looking into any procedure that greatly alters your physical appearance, like liposuction does, you want to make sure you are at a stable weight, meaning you are not planning on gaining or losing more than a couple fluctuation pounds here and there. That said, there is no magic number that works for everyone. Other factors are very important, like age, elasticity of the skin, density of the fat, etc. That's why it's so important to have a face to face consultation with your surgeon. Please work with a surgeon that doesn't just give you a weight, but works with you to achieve what you are looking to accomplish based on your own personal information. A personalized consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon is always the best place to start, and like it seems you have done thus far, trust your instincts. You need to feel comfortable with your Surgeon, the right one for you will help you create a plan that makes the most sense for YOU.

I do significant amount of debulking liposuction for those with larger BMI. we often do numerous procedures and combine with hormones to lose more weight (see link).

my whole practice is doing lipoabdominoplasty, or at least liposuction with internal heating (which is not the gold standard for skin tightening with body contouring).

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.

Most board certified PSs will recommend medically-supervised or surgically assisted weight loss for patients with a BMI greater than 35 or 40. High BMIs are associated with wound healing complications, blood clots in the legs, and anesthesia risks, and sagging skin that will require a TT at a later time. Florida has some different laws in place for liposuction (4 liters of supernant fat in surgery center as single procedure, 1 liter when done in combination). Large volume lipo can be very costly and lead to fluid shifts, medication overload, and potential bleeding. Safety should be the #1 priority.

Great question... But there are many responses throughout RealSelf concerning obese patients having liposuction. In the state of Florida in office surgery the rules established by the Florida Board of Medicine is the max lipo is 4 liters (8.8pounds!!!). So if your BMI is over 30 than you are a candidate for multiple rounds of office surgery liposuction @ 4 liters per round.. Each round approx. every 4-6 months. As for large volume liposuction: that is ONLY in hospital operation. But it is based upon blood loss over volumes in liters removed. Doing an elective cosmetic operation that requires a blood transfusion is not the way to proceed. During the surgery a check of the Hb/Hct can inform the surgeon where you are as hemodynamic. Recently, I preformed in hospital "large volume" lipo at 6 liters (13.2 pounds) supernatant fat with total lipo aspirate of 9 liters - fee including MD were $10,000. Also using in patient or 23 hour stay at a hospital requires preoperative written clearances and multiple testings. But again, weight loss is not the purpose of liposuction. Thusly you losing weight to a reasonable BMI of under34 is a better option. Hope this helps you understand,

At 180 pounds he will still be obese.

You might find plastic surgeons willing to do liposuction at your current weight. You simply have to schedule consultations and find out.

Not wanting to be less than 190 pounds seems a bit counter to wanting Liposuction.

Most morbidly obese patients who have successful weight loss end up not being good candidates for Liposuction because of skin laxity.

With successful weight loss the need for indication for Liposuction goes away on its own.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD