Upper and Lower Abdominal Lipectomy Cost After Weight Loss in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley
The total cost of an upper and lower abdominal lipectomy after significant weight loss with me starts from $12,500 out of pocket if you have eligible private hospital cover and meet the Medicare criteria, and from $22,000 if you are uninsured. Both figures cover my surgical fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, hospital and theatre fees at Maitland Private Hospital including your stay, your compression garment and all follow-up. They are starting figures for a skin-only operation without liposuction in a patient with a normal BMI, which is the least complex case and takes about 3 hours with an overnight stay. Within that total, my surgical fee starts from $10,990, the same as for a full abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). Your individual quote follows consultation.
The upper excision sits along the fold beneath the breast or chest, sometimes called a reverse abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), and the lower excision runs hip to hip. Several factors move the quote above the starting figure. Adding VASER liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy), muscle repair where muscle separation (diastasis recti) is present, and hernia repair each add operating time and change the fee. A higher BMI does the same, because the operation takes longer and the complication rate is higher.
I am a FRACS Specialist Surgeon and I operate at Maitland Private Hospital in the Hunter Valley. My patients come from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, the Central Coast and across regional NSW.
This page covers costs after significant weight loss. If you are considering abdominoplasty after pregnancy, the costs are covered separately in my post pregnancy abdominoplasty cost guide.
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What my surgical fee includes
My fee covers more than the time in theatre.
A second consultation at no cost
This is where I go through your blood results with you and finalise the plan. It can be done remotely if you live outside the Hunter.
Your compression garment
12 months of follow-up
I see you closely through the first 2 weeks after surgery, then at 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. None of these visits are billed separately.
Daily rounds
In hospital and after-hours nursing triage through Maitland Private Hospital once you are home.
Not included in my fee: the anaesthetist, the hospital and theatre, and any pathology or imaging ordered before surgery. Those are billed separately.
What makes up your total cost
My surgical fee
Set by the operation planned: the 2 skin excisions alone, or with muscle repair, hernia repair or VASER liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy) added.
The anaesthetist’s fee
Billed separately and based on operating time. The least complex case takes about 3 hours. Your anaesthetic consultation is by phone in most cases, with the physical assessment on the day of surgery.
Hospital and theatre fees at Maitland Private Hospital
Based on theatre time and length of stay. Most patients stay 1 night, longer if liposuction is added. 2 closed suction drains are usual and are managed during your admission and follow-up.
The starting totals of $12,500 with eligible private hospital cover and $22,000 uninsured cover all 3 components. With cover, the hospital fee is largely met by your fund and the rebate reduces the surgical and anaesthetic gaps. Without cover, all 3 components are paid in full, and the hospital adds a charge for theatre consumables.
Medicare and health funds
After significant weight loss, Medicare item 30166 may apply to the lower abdominal excision. The upper excision sits in the lower chest rather than the abdomen, so it may be assessed under item 30169 as a separate site. When 2 items are claimed in the same operation, the second is paid at 50% of its schedule fee under the Medicare multiple operation rule. Whether you meet the criteria is assessed at consultation, and I cannot confirm eligibility before then. How much your health fund contributes depends on your policy. Revision surgery, if ever needed, is charged depending on your insurance position; this is covered in the full cost guide.
For the item number criteria, health fund tiers and worked examples, read my full guide: How Much Does Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) Surgery Cost After Weight Loss?
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Your next step
You need a GP referral before your consultation. I consult at Maitland, and telehealth is available for the first consultation if you are travelling from outside the Hunter. You leave the consultation with a written quote for your operation.