Free surgery & anesthesia tool
There is no single BMI requirement for plastic surgery. Each surgeon and facility sets their own limit after an exam. BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, and peer-reviewed studies report more complications at higher BMI after a tummy tuck, breast reduction and breast augmentation. Enter your height and weight to see your BMI and the published cutoffs.
Prepared by Prospyr · Reviewed October 3, 2026 · Free, no sign-up, runs in your browser
Body mass index
28.3kg/m²
Overweight (25 to 29.9)
Categories follow WHO (overweight 25 or higher, obesity 30 or higher) and CDC (obesity classes 1 to 3). BMI is a screening number, not a diagnosis.
Education only. This does not say whether you are a candidate for surgery. Each surgeon sets their own criteria after an exam, and BMI is one factor among many.
ASPS describes tummy tuck candidates as physically healthy and at a stable weight. It does not publish a BMI cutoff.
Brito 2020, Aesthetic Plast Surg
191 patients at one hospital, retrospective
Obese patients had a higher overall complication rate (74.1%) than the group overall (32.5%). Obesity and preoperative BMI were independent risk factors for overall complications (odds ratios 8.3 and 1.3 per BMI unit) and for seroma.
Cutoff in this study: Obesity (BMI 30 or higher). Your BMI of 28.3 is on the other side of that cutoff.
Ghnnam 2016, World J Plast Surg
67 patients, prospective, BMI under 30 versus over 30
Seroma, wound complications and longer hospital stay were significantly more common in the BMI over 30 group.
Cutoff in this study: BMI over 30. Your BMI of 28.3 is on the other side of that cutoff.
These are group averages from retrospective studies. They show association, not what will happen to one patient, and they cannot account for health history, technique or surgeon experience.
BMI is a weight-for-height index. WHO defines overweight as a BMI of 25 or higher and obesity as 30 or higher, and CDC splits obesity into class 1 (30 to 34.9), class 2 (35 to 39.9) and class 3 (40 or higher). This tool shows your class, then lists what published plastic surgery studies report for the procedure you pick.
Worked example. A patient who is 5 ft 5 in and weighs 170 lb: 65 in = 165.1 cm = 1.651 m, and 170 lb = 77.1 kg. BMI = 77.1 ÷ 1.651² = 77.1 ÷ 2.726 = 28.3, in the overweight range.
Cutoffs differ because each study picked its own groups or let a statistical method find the best split. A cutoff in a paper is a finding about a group, not a rule that applies to the next patient.
Practices and surgical facilities set their own BMI limits, often based on anesthesia policy, the procedure and the surgeon's experience. Some ask a higher-BMI patient to reach a target first; others operate with added precautions. Insurance for medically necessary procedures such as breast reduction follows the plan's own policy. See the Schnur scale calculator for how payers use body surface area there.
BMI also misses things. It does not separate muscle from fat, it ignores where weight is carried, and it says nothing about skin quality, smoking, diabetes or whether weight is stable. A consult covers all of that.
If your team screens consult requests by BMI, put the question in the form instead of the phone call. Prospyr's digital intake collects height, weight and history before the consult and writes it into the chart, and the plastic surgery practice page covers scheduling around surgical days. You can link patients to this page so they see the same published numbers you would discuss.
There is no universal BMI requirement. Surgeons and facilities set their own limits after examining the patient and reviewing health history. ASPS describes liposuction candidates as adults within 30% of their ideal weight and tummy tuck candidates as healthy and at a stable weight, but it does not publish a BMI cutoff.
No published rule gives one number. Studies group patients differently: a 67-patient prospective study compared BMI under 30 with over 30 and found more seroma and wound complications in the higher group, and a 191-patient review found obesity was an independent risk factor for complications. The surgeon weighs BMI together with skin, health history and goals.
Breast reduction is often performed in women who are obese by BMI; 55% of patients in one 2,492-patient database study were. That study found surgical complications rose from 2.4% at BMI under 25 to 7.1% at BMI over 45, and a 675-patient study found about twice the odds of complications above BMI 35.6. Insurance coverage depends on the plan's own criteria, not a BMI number.
No BMI is required by a published standard. ASPS describes liposuction candidates as adults within 30% of their ideal weight with firm, elastic skin, and says liposuction is not a weight-loss method. One large study of 4,534 liposuction cases found complication risk tied to both volume and BMI, with higher risk above 100 mL removed per BMI unit.
BMI equals weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. In pounds and inches, multiply weight by 703 and divide by height squared. A 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) person at 170 lb (77.1 kg) has a BMI of 28.3.
It is a screening number, not a verdict. CDC states BMI should be considered with other factors, and it cannot tell muscle from fat or show where fat sits. Surgeons look at body shape, skin quality, health conditions, smoking status and weight stability alongside BMI.
Studies are observational, so they cannot say what would happen for one patient who changes weight. The usual practice is to discuss weight, timing and goals with the surgeon. ASPS lists a stable weight among the traits of tummy tuck candidates.
BMI of 25 or higher is overweight; 30 or higher is obesity.
Obesity classes 1 to 3, and the statement that BMI is a screening measure.
Candidate description used for liposuction. The tummy tuck candidate page is at /cosmetic-procedures/tummy-tuck/candidates.
Liposuction is not a weight-loss method.
Education only, not medical advice and not a candidacy check. Published studies describe groups of patients and cannot predict an individual outcome. Each surgeon sets their own criteria after an exam.