Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)

What is a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)?

A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) removes excess loose skin and fat from the lower tummy and tightens the abdominal muscles, which often separate after pregnancy or large weight changes (a condition called diastasis). It is not a weight-loss operation and is not a substitute for diet and exercise.

It is a bigger operation than it is sometimes made to sound, with a long scar low across the tummy and a real recovery. People most often consider it once pregnancy or significant weight loss has left skin and muscle laxity that won't respond to exercise, and once their weight is stable.

Types & techniques

There isn't one single operation. The right approach depends on you — which is something to discuss with your surgeon.

Options at a glance

These are the main approaches described in this guide. The right option depends on the diagnosis, your goals and what your clinician thinks is safe.

Preparing for your surgery

• See the operating surgeon at least twice; they will assess your skin, muscle separation and general health and be honest about the scar and recovery.
• Reach a stable, healthy weight first — results are best and safest when your weight isn't changing, and most surgeons advise finishing your family beforehand.
• Stop smoking and vaping well in advance: smoking markedly increases the risk of wound breakdown after this operation.
• Tell your surgeon about all medicines and supplements; some increase bleeding or clot risk.
• Arrange 2–4 weeks off, help at home (you can't lift or stretch for weeks), and someone to stay with you at first.
• Prepare your home: a recliner or pillows to sleep propped with knees bent, loose clothing, and easy meals.

What happens

Under general anaesthetic, the surgeon makes a long cut low across the abdomen (usually hip to hip, hidden below the underwear line), lifts the skin, repairs and tightens the separated tummy muscles with internal stitches, removes the excess skin and fat, and usually creates a new opening for the belly button. Drains are commonly placed, and you'll wake in a support (compression) garment. Most people stay one or two nights.

Is this operation right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Anaesthetic choices

The safest option depends on the operation, your health, the facility and your surgeon/anaesthetist. Ask what is planned and why.

A tummy tuck carries a higher risk of blood clots than many cosmetic operations. Ask your surgeon exactly how they reduce that risk, and stop smoking well beforehand to lower the chance of wound problems.

Published figures to discuss

Abdominoplasty has a distinctive risk profile: seroma and wound issues are common practical problems, while blood clots are uncommon but potentially serious.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

Recovery — what to expect, and when

This is a recovery measured in weeks, not days. You'll stand bent forward at first and build back gradually — rushing it risks the muscle repair and the wound.

• Standing and walking bent forward for the first week or so to protect the repair
• Numbness across the lower tummy that slowly improves over months
• Swelling that comes and goes, sometimes worse at the end of the day
• A tight feeling across the tummy from the muscle repair that eases with time

Aftercare

• Wear your compression garment as advised — it reduces swelling and supports healing.
• Move gently and often to lower the risk of blood clots, but avoid lifting and straining.
• Sleep propped up with knees bent (a recliner helps) to take tension off the wound at first.
• Don't smoke — it greatly increases the risk of the wound breaking down.
• Look after your scar and protect it from the sun as it heals.
• Keep all follow-up appointments so drains, wounds and swelling are checked.

• Compression garment ready (clinic will advise)
• 2–4 weeks off work booked
• Help at home — you can't lift or stretch for weeks
• A recliner or plenty of pillows to sleep propped with knees bent
• Loose, comfortable clothing and easy meals prepared
• Clinic's out-of-hours number saved

Scars and how they heal

The main scar runs low across the tummy, usually from hip to hip, placed so it sits below the underwear or bikini line. There is also a small scar around the new belly button. The scar is firm and red or pink at first and fades over a year or more to a paler line, though it is permanent and, in some people, can stay broad or raised. Following scar-care advice and keeping it out of the sun for the first year give it the best chance to settle.

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Calf pain or swelling, or sudden breathlessness or chest pain (possible blood clot — this is an emergency, call 999)
• A high temperature, or spreading redness, heat or pus around the wound (infection)
• A wound that opens, or heavy bleeding
• A rapidly swelling, tense or increasingly painful tummy
• Severe pain not controlled by your painkillers

Who to contact: your surgeon or clinic first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your surgeon gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

A tummy tuck can dramatically improve loose skin and separated muscles that exercise can't fix — but it leaves a long permanent scar and needs a genuine recovery. It works best once your weight is stable and you've finished having children, because pregnancy or weight gain afterwards can undo the muscle repair. A good surgeon is candid about the scar, the recovery and the clot risk, and never rushes you.

The results are long-lasting if your weight stays stable and you don't have another pregnancy — the removed skin doesn't return and the muscle repair holds. Significant weight gain or a future pregnancy can stretch things again, which is why timing matters. Natural ageing gradually softens the result over many years.

Combining with other procedures

Liposuction of the waist and flanks is commonly combined to refine the shape. Some people combine a tummy tuck with breast surgery as a 'mummy makeover'. Combining operations means a single recovery but a bigger, longer surgery with more risk, so your surgeon will advise what is safe to do together for you.

Follow-up & long-term care

You'll be seen to remove or check drains, then over the following weeks to check the wound and guide scar care. A good clinic gives you a number to call urgently in the early days — important here because of the clot risk.

Revision and secondary surgery reality

• Small “dog ears”, scar thickening or contour unevenness may need minor revision once swelling settles.
• A recurrent bulge can occur if weight changes, pregnancy occurs or muscle repair stretches.
• Combining abdominoplasty with liposuction or breast surgery can improve balance but may raise complexity and recovery demands.

Ask your surgeon for their own revision rate, what counts as a revision, and what is included in the written aftercare policy.

What good aftercare looks like

• Written VTE prevention plan: stockings, early walking and, when indicated, blood-thinning injections.
• Drain/binder instructions and a clear plan for showering, wound care and sleeping position.
• Early review for drains/wounds and fast access for calf pain, breathlessness, spreading redness or fluid collection.
• Clear lifting restrictions and staged return to exercise.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• The consultant's fee and how complex the procedure is for your anatomy and goals.
• The anaesthetic, theatre or clinic facility, and whether an overnight stay is needed.
• Any implants, garments, dressings, imaging, pathology or special equipment required.
• How much follow-up is included, including wound checks, scar care and later review.
• What the written policy says about complications, revisions or unexpected return to theatre.

• The consultant, anaesthetist and hospital/facility fees, itemised.
• All planned follow-up appointments and who provides them.
• Dressings, garments, medicines, implants or pathology fees where relevant.
• What happens, and who pays, if there is a complication or revision is needed.
• Cancellation terms, cooling-off period and whether any deposit is refundable.

On the NHS? A cosmetic tummy tuck isn't funded by the NHS. Occasionally skin removal (apronectomy) is considered after major weight loss where excess skin causes medical problems — your GP can advise.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including aftercare and any revision — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a surgeon safely

• Check your surgeon is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they practise at a CQC-registered location, and look for membership of bodies like BAAPS or BAPRAS.
• You're entitled to a two-stage consent process with time to reflect (a cooling-off period). The surgeon who will operate must consent you — not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers, discounts or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including aftercare and any revision — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good surgeon will welcome every one of these.

• Am I better suited to a full or a mini tummy tuck, and why?
• How do you reduce the risk of blood clots, and what should I watch for?
• Where exactly will my scar be, and how should I care for it?
• Should I wait — for weight stability or future pregnancies?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the surgeon who carries out my operation, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this operation not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

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How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Cosmetic surgery BAAPS — patient safety GMC — cosmetic interventions guidance Managing complications in abdominoplasty — PMC Abdominoplasty safety review — PMC

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.