How Old Do You Have to Be to Get Liposuction? Age Limits

How old do you have to be to get liposuction?

You have to be 18 to agree to cosmetic liposuction on your own in the US: the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) says parental consent is required for all plastic surgery procedures on teens younger than 18. Even with a parent's consent, 2018 recommendations in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the ASPS journal, advise against liposuction for teenagers. Past that age, nothing rules liposuction out: your health, your weight and your skin decide.

Can a 16- or 17-year-old get liposuction with parental consent?

Usually not. Surgeon Daniel Maman, writing on the ASPS site, notes that minors may legally be able to have plastic surgery with a parent's consent, but 2018 recommendations by Rohrich and Cho in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the ASPS journal, are plain: unless it is part of a breast reduction, liposuction is not recommended for teenagers. The same answer applies at 13, 14 or 15.

Their paper was a systematic review, and ASPS summarized it in a press release. The reasons behind the advice are worth knowing if you are a parent weighing the question:

• There is little research. The review's first author, Dr. Rod Rohrich, said liposuction and similar procedures "are typically not recommended for minors for several reasons, including lack of research."
• The reason for wanting it matters. Dr. Maman says minors who want liposuction or other body contouring because of insecurities "may be better served by obtaining mental health treatment to address self-esteem issues."
• Maturity is part of the decision. The ASPS briefing paper on teenagers says teens must show emotional maturity and understand what surgery can't do, and that the wish should come from the teen, repeated over time.
• Bodies are still changing. The same paper says certain milestones in growth and physical maturity must be reached before any cosmetic surgery.

If your child's weight worries you, that is a conversation for their pediatrician. ASPS is clear that liposuction is not a treatment for obesity at any age.

Can I get lipo at 18?

Yes. At 18 you can consent for yourself, and a surgeon can assess you like any adult. The 2018 recommendations say "teenager," though, which takes in 18- and 19-year-olds, so expect careful questions about why you want it and whether your body has settled. Dr. Maman also notes that, depending on the state, some procedures may be restricted to 21 years of age, so ask whether any limit applies where you have surgery.

A surgeon will usually want to know:

• Your weight is stable. The Aesthetic Society says your weight should be stable, and that if you plan to lose a significant amount of weight, you should wait.
• You're doing it for yourself. ASPS puts it simply: do it for yourself, not to fulfill someone else's desires or fit an ideal image.
• You expect a change in shape, not on the scale. Liposuction removes pockets of fat that don't respond to diet and exercise. It doesn't replace them.

The procedure page sets out who is a good candidate for liposuction in more detail.

Is there an age limit for liposuction?

There is no upper age limit. Neither ASPS nor The Aesthetic Society names a maximum age; both describe candidates by health instead. ASPS lists "healthy individuals who do not have a life-threatening illness or medical conditions that can impair healing," and The Aesthetic Society says you need to be in overall good health.

Research on older patients points the same way. A study in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (Yeslev and colleagues, 2015) reviewed 183,914 cosmetic procedures in an insurance database and compared patients 65 and older with younger ones. The overall complication rate was not significantly different. In patients 80 and older it was 2.2%, also not significantly different from younger patients. The one procedure with a higher rate in older patients was the tummy tuck.

What does change with age is how much the surgeon has to check. ASPS surgeons writing about plastic surgery at different life stages note that for older patients, medication interactions and overall health are crucial to the plan. Combining procedures deserves extra thought too: a study of cosmetic liposuction concluded that combining it with other procedures, especially in older patients or patients with obesity, can significantly increase complication rates (Kaoutzanis and colleagues, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 2017).

How does age change your liposuction results?

Your skin changes more than anything else. ASPS says firm, elastic skin gives better results, while skin that is soft and thin from stretch marks, weight loss or natural aging will not reshape as well, and you may need more surgery to remove and tighten extra skin.

Liposuction in your 20s and 30s

Skin is usually at its firmest, so the questions are more about what comes next. The Aesthetic Society says weight gain, aging and pregnancy after liposuction may negatively affect your results, and ASPS says results last as long as you keep a stable weight and general fitness. If you plan more children, it is reasonable to ask whether to wait. If you are losing weight with a GLP-1 medicine, read about liposuction after Ozempic weight loss before you book.

Liposuction in your 40s and 50s

This is when liposuction is most common. According to ASPS, patients aged 40 to 55 received 45 percent of all liposuction procedures in 2024. It is also when fat and loose skin start to overlap, especially on the stomach after children. In that article, one ASPS member surgeon says that "a tummy tuck is the solution to postpartum changes in the midsection," and that with a little extra skin, "liposuction often causes more harm than good." If that sounds like you, our guide to tummy tuck vs liposuction walks through how to tell which you need.

Liposuction in your 60s and beyond

Good health matters more than the number. Expect a fuller medical review, a close look at your medications, and a frank talk about doing one procedure at a time. If a tummy tuck is on the table, know that a large insurance-database study found age 55 or older was one of the significant risk factors for major complications after a tummy tuck (Winocour and colleagues, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2015).

When is a tummy tuck a better fit than liposuction?

When loose skin, not fat, is the main problem. In an ASPS video on liposuction, a surgeon explains that "your skin can only contract so much with the liposuction procedure. If there's additional skin, then it might require excision with an abdominoplasty." That becomes more likely with age, pregnancies and big weight changes. Read about a tummy tuck in Miami if that fits. If you had liposuction years ago and are thinking about it again, see how many times you can get liposuction.

What makes a good liposuction candidate at any age?

ASPS describes ideal candidates as adults within 30% of their ideal weight, with firm, elastic skin and good muscle tone, who don't smoke or vape. That is a description, not a cutoff; your surgeon decides at an exam. In short:

• A stable weight near your goal. Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity or a substitute for diet and exercise, ASPS says.
• Firm, elastic skin. The Aesthetic Society says liposuction removes fat but does not tighten skin or improve the look of cellulite.
• Good general health, with no condition that impairs healing.
• No smoking or vaping.
• Specific goals. ASPS lists a positive outlook and specific goals for body contouring.

If you're new to the procedure, start with what liposuction is and how it works.

What to bring to a liposuction consultation

Whatever your age, the same few things make the visit useful:

1. A list of your medications and supplements, and any health conditions.
2. Your weight history, including recent weight loss or medicines such as GLP-1s.
3. Your plans for pregnancy, if that applies.
4. The areas that bother you, and what you hope will change.

At Alluring, Dr. Victoria Karlinsky, MD, FACS, examines you, talks through your goals and tells you whether liposuction suits you or another procedure would serve you better. If you're ready to ask your own questions, you can read about liposuction in Miami or book a free consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Is 80 too old for liposuction?

Not by age alone. A 2015 study in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal found that patients 80 and older had a 2.2% complication rate after cosmetic surgery, not significantly different from younger patients. What decides it is your overall health, your medications and whether your skin will reshape. Expect a thorough medical review first, and a careful talk about combining procedures.

What is the ideal age for liposuction?

There isn't one. Liposuction suits adults at a stable weight, with firm, elastic skin and good health, and that can be true at 25 or at 60. ASPS figures show it is most common between 40 and 55. Younger skin tends to reshape more easily, while later in life a tummy tuck or other skin removal may be needed.

How old do you have to be to get Lipo 360?

The same as for any liposuction: 18 to consent yourself. Lipo 360 treats several areas around the midsection in one surgery, so a surgeon looks closely at your health, weight stability and skin before recommending it. Under 18, 2018 recommendations by Rohrich and Cho in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the ASPS journal, advise against liposuction for teenagers, even with a parent's consent.

Is liposuction safe?

Serious problems are uncommon when liposuction is done on its own. A study of an insurance database found major complications, meaning an emergency visit, a hospital stay or another operation within 30 days, after 0.7% of liposuction-only procedures (Kaoutzanis and colleagues, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 2017). Combining it with other surgery can raise that risk, especially for older patients.

How much does liposuction cost?

At Alluring, Lipo 360 starts at $4,000; ask for your own price at your consultation. For comparison, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts the average cost of liposuction at $4,711, a surgeon's fee that does not include anesthesia, operating room facilities or other related expenses.

Is liposuction covered by insurance?

Usually not. ASPS says most health insurance plans do not cover liposuction or its complications, so plan on paying for it yourself or with financing. Ask any practice for an itemized quote that shows the surgeon's fee, anesthesia, the facility and follow-up visits, and ask whether financing is available.

Is liposuction permanent?

Liposuction permanently removes fat cells from the treated area, Cleveland Clinic says. The fat cells that remain can still grow if you gain weight, so ASPS says results last as long as you keep a stable weight and general fitness. The Aesthetic Society adds that weight gain, aging and pregnancy after liposuction may affect your results.

Sources

• ASPS: How young is too young for plastic surgery? (Daniel Maman, MD, 2023)
• ASPS: American Society of Plastic Surgeons weighs in on growing popularity of teen plastic surgery
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: When is teenage plastic surgery versus cosmetic surgery okay? (Rohrich and Cho, 2018)
• ASPS: Briefing paper: plastic surgery for teenagers
• ASPS: Liposuction
• ASPS: Are you a good candidate for liposuction?
• ASPS: How much does liposuction cost?
• ASPS: The most popular plastic surgery procedures by age
• ASPS: Plastic surgery at all ages
• The Aesthetic Society: Liposuction
• Cleveland Clinic: Liposuction
• Aesthetic Surgery Journal: Safety of cosmetic procedures in elderly and octogenarian patients (Yeslev and colleagues, 2015)
• Aesthetic Surgery Journal: Cosmetic liposuction, major complication rates and safety of combined procedures (Kaoutzanis and colleagues, 2017)
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Abdominoplasty, risk factors, complication rates and safety of combined procedures (Winocour and colleagues, 2015)