Florida Governor approves tougher liposuction regulations

Florida Governor, Rick Scott, approved legislation that would forbid patients to have a liposuction procedure in unregulated offices.

The new rule says any patient having more than 2 lbs. of fat removed must have the procedure in a regulated doctor’s office or surgical center with equipment to deal with an emergency situation. The plastic surgeon performing liposuction will also be required to have emergency medical training. Each facility must be also be inspected by the state and accredited.

The new legislation was introduced by Senator Eleanor Sobol (D) with the approval of plastic surgeons, the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Board of Medicine. The law addresses the deaths of 14 women, over the course of a decade, who died from complications of liposuction performed in offices without the proper emergency medical equipment.  

The law would cause the price of the procedure to rise for medi-spas and liposuction doctors who perform the procedure in their offices, but will prevent medical costs associated with a botched procedure, and unnecessary deaths.

“The idea is not to make people pay more. It’s a safety measure to make sure people don’t die,” Dr. Allan Pillersdorf, president of the Palm Beach County Society of Plastic Surgeons told the Sun Sentinnel, “The people who don’t follow [standards] now are just cutting corners to have a low price.”

Low cost cosmetic enhancements, especially liposuction, are sought after and unqualified people sometimes perform these procedures. There have been numerous deaths associated with discounted procedures so the legislation is intended to make liposuction safe.