“How much weight can you lose with liposuction?”
I am a 38 year old female and I want to know how much weight can you lose with liposuction?
10 Answers
Hello. In Los Angeles we are limited to removing 5.5 liters of fat per surgery. That is equivalent to approximately ten pounds. Fat doesn’t weigh much. Liposuction usually gets rid of inches, and sculpts out the body. For a real weight loss, you should inquire about weight loss surgeries. We suggest Orbera balloon insertion or Gastric Sleeve, which I offer at my surgery center. If you have any further questions or inquiries please visit my website at Drroya.com. Good luck!
Liposuction is performed to improve shape and it’s not primarily intended for weight loss. However, fat has weight and removing a liter of fat removes approximately 2 pounds of weight. A very large liposuction would involve up to four or five liters, which will weigh 8 to 10 pounds. The risks of the surgery increase with the amount removed.
Liposuction is not designed for weight loss —that should be accomplished through diet and exercise, or specialized weight loss surgical procedures. Liposuction is best able to remove stubborn pockets of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise.
Raja Mohan, MD
Raja Mohan, MD
Liposuction is not a weight loss tool, but rather an option to remove well defined areas of fat non-responsive to diet and exercise. It is best to lower your BMI to around 30 before considering any type of surgery for safety purposes.
In my opinion, liposuction is not a way to lose weight. A few surgeons do large volume liposuction, with removal of many liters of fat, but this is major surgery with significant, real risks, and some have died from this. If you are truly overweight, you should look at your diet, activity level, and lifestyle before turning to liposuction. A liter of fat weighs about 2 lbs. In Florida, no more than around 4 liters of fat, or about 8 lbs, can be removed in an office setting at one time.
Liposuction is a tool for contouring and sculpting the body, not a tool for weight loss or replacement for diet and exercise. When at your ideal weight, it can remove stubborn deposits of fat that diet and exercise have been unable to remove. It is best to wait until you are at or close to your preferred weight and have a BMI in the healthy range for your height. As surgeons, we usually recommend a BMI of under 30 for best results, though the closer you are to your ideal weight, the better your liposuction results will be. It is recommended that after weight loss, maintain/stabilize your weight for up to six months before having your surgery. Contact a Board Certified plastic surgeon for an in-person consultation to discuss the best options for you.
Karen Singer, M.D.
Harvard Graduate
Board Certified through the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Karen Singer, M.D.
Harvard Graduate
Board Certified through the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Not much! Think of fat as a bag of marshmallows. If your need/interest is in weight loss, then liposuction is not the next thing to consider. You should try to achieve a normal weight before considering liposuction.
This depends on how much fat is liposuctioned. The amount of fat that is liposuctioned is usually calculated by units of milliliter (ml) or cubic centimeter (cc). This can then be converted into the measurement of pounds (lbs). I would suggest that you think of liposuction as a body contouring surgical procedure and not a weight loss surgical procedure.
Adam T. Silverman, MD, MS, FACS
Adam T. Silverman, MD, MS, FACS
About 1-6 pounds
Thank you for the question. There are some liposuction procedures that can massively reduce weight, however, it is not recommendable because it can destabilize your body. Liposuction is a procedure developed for treatment of localized fat. It was not developed for weight loss.in any case, this is a topic to be discussed with the treating surgeon.
Good luck.
Luis A. Laurentin-Perez, MD PhD
Good luck.
Luis A. Laurentin-Perez, MD PhD
