# Just how much fat can a person safely liposuction from their body?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 3, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671 "2016-08-03T19:38:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@justmeetee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justmeetee)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/1 "2016-08-03T19:38:04Z")
This has been bouncing around in my head for a few weeks now since an episode of Rizzoli & Isles. It was about an exploding fat bomb made from the fat that had been liposuctioned from people. Before and after pictures of one of them showed a difference of around 100 pounds in a few weeks. I’m having a hard time deciding if I believe this or not. My thoughts are that it is totally the wishful thinking of a television writer.
So, anyone know if it’s based on fact or if it’s pure fiction?
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/2 "2016-08-03T21:00:58Z")
> **[How much fat can liposuction remove?](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fat-removal-guidelines-for-liposuction/)**
>
> People with higher body mass can have more fat removed safely, researchers claim
> [@](#):
>
> Right now, surgeons follow guidelines that set a maximum extraction limit of 5,000 milliliters of fat (11 pounds) for all patients, regardless of variations in weight or body fat status. But the new study suggests surgeons could use a patient’s body mass index (BMI) to determine how much fat extraction is safe. BMI is a rough estimate of a person’s body fat based on height and weight measurements.
There’s a bit more in the article on what recommendations might be made for new guidelines.
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### Author:  [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/3 "2016-08-03T21:29:07Z")
I also watched that episode. It was completely unrealistic. Liposuction can be used to tone and shape, but it doesn’t actually make people thinner.
Still a fun concept for the writer – especially the part where the fat bomb contains DNA from all the different people.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/4 "2016-08-03T23:39:56Z")
Just how much fat can a person safely liposuction from their body?
On their own, none. It really should be done by a surgeon. 😃
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### Author:  [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/5 "2016-08-03T23:51:21Z")
A _qualified_ surgeon … not the guy with the “Will liposuction for beer” sign on the street corner.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2016, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/6 "2016-08-04T01:37:00Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#):
>
> Just how much fat can a person safely liposuction from their body?
>
> On their own, none. It really should be done by a surgeon. 😃
Unless the person himself is a surgeon. And a masochist.
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### Author:  [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2016, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/7 "2016-08-04T01:49:04Z")
Another factor is that liposuction can generally only be performed on fat thats above the muscles. For many “skinny fat” lean men with beer bellies all that fat is below the stomach muscles and surrounding the organs. This fat can’t be removed safely via liposuction at all, so in this case there might be very little fat that can safely be removed, much less than 5000 millilitres.
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### Author:  [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/8 "2016-08-04T02:01:18Z")
I’ve heard that in some cases of tummy tucks (not liposuction) on obese individuals as much as 30 pounds of tissue can be removed, but that includes skin as well as fat.
If you were a liposuction surgeon and lipo’d multiple people per day for days you would accumulate a lot of fat to make a “fat bomb” with.
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### Author:  [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/9 "2016-08-05T20:28:07Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#):
>
> A _qualified_ surgeon … not the guy with the “Will liposuction for beer” sign on the street corner.
NOW you tell me!
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### Author:  [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-fat-can-a-person-safely-liposuction-from-their-body/761671/10 "2016-08-06T03:52:08Z")
Liposuction is a noun. The verb is [liposuck](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/liposuck)