Liposuction (Suction Assisted Lipectomy) of the Abdomen Cost in Newcastle NSW
Liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy) of the abdomen with me costs around $16,500 in total for a typical case: a patient in the normal weight range, abdomen only, performed with VASER (ultrasound assisted lipectomy), about 2 hours of operating time, as a day procedure at Maitland Private Hospital, with no drains. That total is not one fee. It is four separate fees, each billed and invoiced separately, plus GST:
- Surgeon fee: $6,500 plus GST. My fee for the operation. It includes the operation itself, every follow-up review with me (intensive reviews through the first 2 weeks, then at 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months), your first compression garment and post-operative LED light therapy at my rooms. Your consultation fee is credited against it.
- Anaesthetist fee: around $1,980. A specialist anaesthetist charges for your operating time plus recovery. Billed by the anaesthetist; the figure is indicative.
- Hospital fee: around $5,000. Maitland Private Hospital charges for theatre time at its cosmetic rate and for your day stay.
- Consumables: around $1,500. The disposable items used on the day, including the VASER (ultrasound assisted lipectomy) probes, cannulas and dressings.
- GST: around $1,500, at 10 per cent across the total.
Those components come to $16,478, which I round to $16,500 on this page. Operating time is the main thing that moves the figure, and I set out the other variables below. You receive a written quote itemising every component after your consultation.
This page prices the VASER liposuction of the abdomen service page and sits within the liposuction cost guide.
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What the $16,500 does and does not cover
The four fees cover the operation, the anaesthetic, the hospital, the consumables and all of my follow-up to 12 months. A second consultation before surgery, including review of your blood results, is included, and telehealth is available for regional patients.
Costs that sit outside the $16,500:
- Your initial consultation fee, paid at booking and credited against the surgeon fee if you proceed
- Pre-operative blood tests and any investigations your history calls for
- Prescription medications after surgery
- A second or replacement compression garment
- Physiotherapy or other allied health care, rarely needed after this operation but billed by the provider if it is
- Time away from work, usually 1 to 2 weeks for desk-based roles
- Travel and accommodation if you are coming from outside the Hunter Valley
- Revision surgery, covered below
What moves the figure
Operating time
The anaesthetist and hospital fees are charged by the hour, so a 2.5 hour operation costs more than the example and a 1.5 hour operation costs less. Operating time depends on the volume of fat to be removed, and I estimate it at consultation.
Additional areas
Treating the flanks in the same session adds operating time, and my surgeon fee moves with it. I quote the abdomen and any additional area as one plan with one set of fees. There is no bundled price for adding an area.
Staged sessions
I limit the volume removed in a single standalone liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy) session as a clinical protocol. Larger plans across several areas are split into sessions, each quoted and billed on its own. See the staged liposuction article.
Overnight stay
If you prefer to stay overnight, or I recommend it, the hospital charges its overnight rate in place of the day stay component.
Technique
Standard liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy) without the ultrasound step is priced at consultation.
Skin laxity
If your abdominal skin will not retract after fat removal, liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy) alone is not the right operation and I will say so. Abdominoplasty is a different procedure with its own pricing and, for some patients, a Medicare item number. See the abdominoplasty cost page.
Medicare, private health funds and GST
There is no Medicare item number for liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy) of the abdomen performed for cosmetic reasons. That means no Medicare rebate on any part of the cost, no private health fund contribution to the hospital, anaesthetist or surgeon fees at any level of cover, because fund benefits are tied to item numbers, and GST on the full cost.
I do not advise you to take on debt or draw on superannuation for cosmetic surgery, and I do not offer or recommend finance products. My rooms can tell you the accepted payment methods and the payment timetable when you receive your quote.
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Revision surgery
A small number of patients need a second procedure, most often for a contour irregularity that has not settled by 6 to 12 months. Revision is a separate operation with its own quote. What you pay depends on what is required and on your insurance position at the time, and I discuss it with you at review. Where an irregularity is treated with fat grafting (autologous fat transfer), that is quoted as its own component. See the revision liposuction article.
Your steps to a written quote
GP referral
Not required for a cosmetic procedure, but it means your GP has the surgical history on file.
Consultation
About an hour with me at Lorn or Newcastle, or by telehealth. I examine your abdomen and tell you whether liposuction (suction assisted lipectomy) is the right operation or whether abdominoplasty is.
Written quote
My rooms email you an itemised quote: surgeon fee, anaesthetist fee, hospital fee and consumables, with GST shown, and the operating time it is based on.
Cooling-off period
No money is payable for surgery until the mandatory cooling-off period has passed. A second consultation is included.
Surgery at Maitland Private Hospital
Day procedure under general anaesthetic with a specialist anaesthetist.
Follow-up
Intensive reviews through the first 2 weeks, then at 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, all inside the surgeon fee.