Once you have met with your surgeon and a clinical plan has been established, our client support officers will organise a quote. Your quote will include a fee for your surgeon as well as an estimate of anaesthetist and hospital fees. There may also be costs associated with medication, pathology and post-surgery garments.

In some instances, an abdominoplasty is considered medically necessary, and will attract a Medicare item number. If you are insured, your private health insurer may also cover some of the costs of your procedure, provided you meet the eligibility criteria.

Prior to your procedure, it’s important to stay healthy. This means eating the right foods, getting enough sleep and exercise, and keeping your immune system strong. It’s also important to prepare for your recovery before your abdominoplasty. You may wish to preprepare some healthy meals, purchase some comfortable loose clothing and ice packs, and fill any prescriptions you may need in the week following surgery.

You will need to arrange for someone to drive you home after your surgery and stay with you for a couple of days. This is particularly necessary if you have small children at home – you will need someone to assist you. You may wish to set up a recovery area where you can relax and sleep in an elevated position.

Once a general anaesthetic is administered, an incision is made close to the bikini line. The incision for an abdominoplasty procedure can differ depending on your anatomy and desired surgical outcomes. Excess skin is removed and abdominal muscles are repaired, if they have separated, before the remaining skin is then stitched back down over the midsection. If required, the belly button can also be moved into a more desirable position.

A belt lipectomy will also include the removal of excess skin around the back and hips.

Your abdominoplasty recovery will take time, so patience is essential. Bruising, swelling and pain can be expected after surgery. This will ease over the following weeks, and our clinic team will be able to offer you advice on effective pain management. You will be required to wear a compression garment and be prescribed medication to help support the area and manage some of the post-operative discomfort.

You will see a noticeable difference immediately after your surgery. However, the final results may not be seen for a number of months once the swelling resolves. To avoid unnecessary scarring, it’s important to protect your incisions sites from UV rays even after they have healed.

All surgical and invasive procedures carry risk, and these will be discussed during your consultation with your specialist plastic surgeon. All of our procedures are carried out in accredited hospital facilities with assistance from FANZCA qualified anaesthetists.

All surgical procedures will result in scars however there are steps that can be taken to ensure visible scars are kept to a minimum. For instance, keeping your incision site protected from the sun, using tape and massaging the area once healed.

Yes, an abdominoplasty can be combined with other procedures and you can discuss these options with your specialist plastic surgeon during your consultation.

If you have achieved significant weight loss or have issues with abdominal muscle separation you may be better managed with an abdominoplasty. This procedure will remove excess abdominal fat and skin, and repair abdominal muscles. Liposuction, on the other hand, is only able to remove small fat deposits for specific areas of the body.

In some cases an abdominoplasty is combined with liposuction to improve body contour.

Abdominoplasty is not meant to be used as weight loss surgery and patients are required to have a steady weight prior to this procedure. It’s important to have realistic expectations about what can be achieved with an abdominoplasty before scheduling surgery.

Whether or not you require a full or mini abdominoplasty depends on where the abdominal skin is sagging. A mini abdominoplasty won’t address anything above the navel, while a full abdominoplasty addresses excess skin that sits above and below the navel. Mini abdominoplasties only require an incision along the bikini line, while traditional abdominoplasties require an upper and lower incision. Going the route of a mini abdominoplasty means you won’t require as much healing and downtime.