Lipoedema Surgery: VASER Liposuction (Ultrasound Assisted Lipectomy) for Lipoedema in Newcastle NSW
Lipoedema surgery in my practice means staged VASER liposuction (ultrasound assisted lipectomy) performed within a lymph-sparing protocol, with the aim of removing abnormal fat and reducing the pain, heaviness and bruising that come with the condition. Surgery is not a cure for lipoedema. It sits inside long-term management alongside compression, activity and weight control, and whether it suits your presentation is a decision we make together at consultation. For a full explanation of how liposuction works as a procedure, see my liposuction guide.
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Is This the Right Procedure for Your Presentation?
Lipoedema is a chronic condition of the fat tissue, affecting almost exclusively women. It causes disproportionate, symmetrical fat accumulation in the legs and often the arms, with pain, heaviness, pressure sensitivity and bruising that comes on far more readily than it should. The hands and feet are typically spared. This fat does not respond to diet and exercise the way ordinary fat does, which is why many women arrive at my rooms after years of being told to just lose weight.
Surgery is not the starting point. Conservative management comes first: compression, physical activity, weight control and support from a team that understands the condition. It also continues after any operation. Surgery becomes worth discussing when symptoms persist despite proper conservative care.
During consultation, I assess which of 2 surgical routes fits your presentation:
Staged VASER liposuction (ultrasound assisted lipectomy)
my standard approach for lipoedema. I work within a lymph-sparing protocol and remove no more than 2,500 mL of fat per standalone session, which is why treatment is planned as a series of staged procedures rather than a single large operation.
A combined excisional pathway
where lipoedema has stretched the skin beyond its capacity to recoil, liposuction alone can leave or worsen loose skin. In that situation, skin removal surgery combined with liposuction may be the better-suited operation, and my single versus staged surgery philosophy applies.
What Lipoedema Surgery Involves
Tumescent infiltration
The treatment area is filled with dilute local anaesthetic fluid before any fat is removed, which reduces bleeding and helps protect the lymphatic vessels.
VASER (ultrasound assisted lipectomy)
Ultrasound energy loosens and emulsifies the fat before removal. This matters in lipoedema, where the tissue is often firm and fibrous, particularly in later stages.
Lymph-sparing technique
Cannula strokes run lengthwise along the limb, following the direction of the lymphatic vessels rather than crossing them.
Staged sessions
I remove no more than 2,500 mL of fat per standalone session, so most patients need 2 or more planned procedures, usually treating one region at a time.
Hospital admission
Surgery takes place at Maitland Private Hospital under general anaesthesia, typically with an overnight stay.
Compression garments
Fitted after surgery and worn as directed; compression remains part of long-term lipoedema management, not just recovery.
Why Come and See Me for Lipoedema Surgery?
- I am a FRACS Specialist Surgeon with a practice focused on body contouring surgery in the Hunter Valley.
- I have used VASER (ultrasound assisted lipectomy) for more than 10 years, and liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy) for more than 15 years, both as a standalone procedure and within larger body contouring operations.
- I operate at Maitland Private Hospital, which has 24-hour medical cover and an on-site ICU. Staged lipoedema surgery deserves that level of backup.
- I do my own rounds daily while you are admitted.
- Your first consultation runs for approximately 1 hour, and a second consultation costs nothing. Lipoedema treatment planning across multiple stages takes time to discuss properly, and I would rather you ask every question than sign on uncertain.
- Telehealth consultations are available, which matters given there is no surgeon offering this between Sydney and Queensland.
- Your follow-up schedule is included in the surgical fee: intensive reviews through the first 2 weeks, then reviews at 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. With staged surgery, this continuity carries through each procedure.
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Risks and Recovery
Lipoedema surgery is major surgery, and staged treatment means going through recovery more than once. Expect swelling, bruising and tenderness for several weeks after each procedure, with compression worn throughout. Seroma (a collection of fluid under the skin) is the most frequent complication in this type of surgery, and its likelihood rises with the volume of fat removed, which is one of the reasons I stage the work. Areas of altered or reduced skin sensation are common early on and usually settle, but in later-stage disease they can persist. Other risks include infection, bleeding, contour irregularity and, rarely, blood clots. You should also be clear on this before we start: surgery removes abnormal fat and published series report meaningful reduction in pain, heaviness and mobility, but it does not cure lipoedema, and compression, activity and weight control continue afterwards. I cover recovery week by week in my liposuction recovery guide and go through every complication in detail in my complications article.
Cost and Medicare
There is currently no Medicare item number for liposuction to treat lipoedema, so the procedure attracts no Medicare rebate and private health funds do not cover it. I explain how the surgical, anaesthetic and hospital fees are structured in my liposuction cost guide, and you receive a written quote after your consultation.
Your Steps to Lipoedema Surgery
1. GP referral
A referral from your GP is required before your consultation. If lipoedema has not yet been formally diagnosed, this is also the point to start building your conservative management team.
2. Consultation
We spend approximately 1 hour going through your history, examining your presentation, confirming the diagnosis fits, and planning whether staged VASER liposuction (ultrasound assisted lipectomy), a combined excisional pathway, or continued conservative care is the right course. A second consultation costs nothing.
3. Written quote
You receive a written quote covering the planned stages, so you can see the full treatment pathway before committing to anything.
4. Prepare for surgery
Pre-operative workup, garment fitting, and getting your conservative management settled, since compression continues before and after each stage.
5. Surgery at Maitland Private Hospital
Each staged procedure is performed under general anaesthesia with 24-hour medical cover and an on-site ICU, typically with an overnight stay.
6. Recover with structured follow-up
Intensive reviews through the first 2 weeks, then at 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, included in the surgical fee, with the next stage timed once you have recovered from the last.