How much weight can you lose with liposuction seems like a very reasonable question? Given that patients seek liposuction surgery when they feel that their weight is high, it would be reasonable to think that they would be expected to weigh less following surgery. How much weight you can lose following liposuction is dependent on how much fat can be removed. So to determine how much weight you will lose requires some math. To begin with, we measure how much fat we remove in units of volume measured in cc’s or milliliters. Focal areas of liposuction range between 200 to 500cc. However, if you are considering circumferential liposuction, coined as 360 liposuction, you can have a maximum safe amount of 5000cc removed in an outpatient surgical setting. So the maximum amount of weight you can lose with liposuction could then be calculated by knowing that fat has a density of 1g/ml. This means that you can lose a maximum of 5000 grams. Now we need to know the conversion of grams to pounds! The grams to pound conversion is 1grams = .022. So 5000 grams would equate to 11 pounds!
To some, 11 pounds decrease in weight may sound impressive, to others that may not seem that much at all. What I counsel potential clients is that the improvement in volume far outweighs the actual weight. This is because the change in your volume that translates to a change in your contour is much more impressive. This will translate to a narrowed or snatched waistline and more exaggerated curves. You will feel the difference when you wear your favorite clothes or when you stare at your new body in the mirror.
For patients needing more than 5 Liters of fat removed, a staged liposuction procedure is recommended. For plus sized patients, a staged procedure in fact is often indicated. Patient that will require a staged liposuction usually undergo liposuction of the front side or back side and then the other. This is to save operative time required for turning the patient. In addition to liposuction, patients can also expect to lose volume and weight by skin excisions that are often required to eliminate skin redundancy. These excisions can be quite significant and are not allotted into the 5 L maximum. As such, patients undergoing body contouring that requires both liposuction and surgical excisions may lose more than 20 pounds in a single surgery.
How much weight can you lose with liposuction in Summary
The role of liposuction for pure weight loss has been controversial. The initial intent for fat removal was to correct contour irregularities or improve contour lines. However, the recent jump in obesity has created a drive towards using liposuction as a weight-loss tool. Moreover, the recent popularization of the diagnosis of lipedema has driven the medical community to consider fat removal and subsequent weight loss a function of liposuction.
If you are desiring to find out how much weight you can lose with liposuction, we encourage you to complete a comprehensive consultation. During this consultation, a tally of all of your areas will be made to determine exactly how much fat in volume can be removed. In addition, your skin redundancy will be evaluated and when indicated, surgical excision will be customized into your plan.