High BMI. Will I be able to get surgery without losing a bunch of weight?

Thanks for your question. At my practice, the max bmi requirement for a BBL is 35. Based on your BMI, you would not qualify for surgery. I would encourage you to consult with your primary care physician on a proper diet for you to bring down your BMI in order to be able to qualify for plastic surgery. Please always consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. Take Care, Moises Salama MD, board certified plastic surgeon

The complication rate increases when BMI is high. If you cannot mobilise, you risk your life due to thromboembolism. We recommend weight loss or sleeve gastrectomy for patients with high BMI

Dear KaliGreen,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Generally speaking, your BMI should be under 30 in order to be a good candidate for cosmetic procedures. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination, you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

In general, a BMI of below 35 is recommended for body contouring surgery of any kind. All complications, but especially VTE (venous thromboembolic, or blood clots) events, increase over a BMI of 35. There are some surgeons who are comfortable operating up to a BMI of 40, but this is not generally supported by the literature. Make sure you are seeking surgery from a surgeon specifically board certified in plastic surgery to make sure all safety considerations are taken into account.

Hello @KaliGreen, thank you for your question. My opinion is that this surgery cannot be performed without losing weight. However, every practice has its own limits. Generally, it is recommended that patients attempt to reach and maintain an ideal body mass index (BMI) of lower than 30 before undergoing these types of surgery. With a BMI of 42, your risk for complications during surgery is significantly higher and could result in poor outcomes or health issues. To ensure the best results and minimize risks, it is essential that you try to lose weight through dieting combined with regular exercise prior to considering any type of plastic surgery procedure. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP).

While we live in body positive times and everyone is free to be the weight they want, there are some safety lines that cannot be crossed. No cosmetic surgery should be done on a patient with a BMI over 40, and ideally not over 30 or 35, depending on the individual case. The risks of anesthesia and surgery complications is too high for an elective procedure. You do not have to be 120 lbs, but you will need to lose significant weight.

I cannot speak for every plastic surgeon but most abide by certain BMI standards. Some say a patient has to have a BMI of 30 and below to be considered a surgical candidate. Other will say that patients can have a BMI up to 35 and still be considered good candidates. These criteria are based on studies that have shown that patients with BMI's of 30/35 and below have a decreased risk of experiencing intra-operative and post-operative complications. That being said there are some plastic surgeons that do not necessarily abide by these guidelines. I would reach out to a few offices and ask. Some offices will be able to answer that exact question over the phone because they do not want to waste the patient's or the surgeon's time.

Individuals who have morbid obesity need to put weight loss as their first priority especially in regards to looking and feeling better about your body.
At your current weight, you are not a candidate for any cosmetic surgical procedure. You may be a candidate for surgical weight, loss procedures, and will eventually most likely be a candidate for skin redundancy surgery with successful weight loss.
Talk to your primary care doctor or find other sources of support for long-term success for weight loss.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD