What is the Max Amount of Fat in Liters That a Doctor Can Legally Take out from Lipo in the State of CA?

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Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

There is no Maximum amount of Fat in Liters that a doctor can legally remove by liposuction in the state of California. However there are California Guidelines which indicate that 5000 cc of aspirate (liposuction contents) is the maximum amount that can be removed on an outpatient basis. Larger amounts can be removed in patients staying overnight as an inpatient. This amount is somewhat controversial - depending on how much tumescent fluid is injected for example - the more that is injected the more that is taken out is more fluid and less fat (e.g. "super wet" technique vs "tumescent" technique). See the below Medical Board of California Web site reference link to view the  complete regulation guidelines (2003)

	What is more important however are the safety issues involved in deciding how much to take out. For a tiny person 5000 cc may be very dangerous, whereas a large in height and weight person, more than 200 lbs, then  this is not a big deal for most patients. Many other  factors must be weighed  such as the overall health of the patient, medications they take, co-morbidities,  amount of lidocaine used, surface area treated, vital signs during the surgery, and so on. Liposuction is REAL SURGERY. To minimize potential complications I would recommend picking the surgeon with the most training and experience (not just in the technique but in the management of any problems that could arise) - that would be a board certified plastic surgeon by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

What is the Max Amount of Fat in Liters That a Doctor Can Legally Take out from Lipo in the State of CA?

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What is the Max Amount of Fat in Liters That a Doctor Can Legally Take out from Lipo in the State of CA?

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Everything you need to know about Liposuction

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.