Aesthetic surgery
Tummy tuck
The only procedure here that repairs the abdominal wall itself — and the one with the longest scar, the longest recovery and the highest complication rate.
What this treatment involves
Abdominoplasty removes excess skin and fat from the lower abdomen and, in most cases, repairs the separation of the abdominal muscles known as diastasis recti. The scar runs low across the abdomen between the hip bones, and a full abdominoplasty also leaves a scar around the navel, which is repositioned rather than moved.
Diastasis is what distinguishes this operation from liposuction. After pregnancy or significant weight gain, the two vertical strips of the rectus muscle can separate down the midline, leaving a bulge that no amount of exercise or fat removal corrects, because the problem is the position of the muscle rather than the fat over it. Repairing it means suturing the sheath back together in the midline.
A mini-abdominoplasty treats skin below the navel only, with a shorter scar and no repositioning of the navel. It suits a small proportion of patients — most people who want a tummy tuck have laxity above the navel too, and a mini version leaves it untreated.
This is not a weight-loss operation and it does not treat visceral fat, the firm fat inside the abdomen behind the muscle wall, which responds to weight loss and not to surgery.
Who may be suitable
Considered for adults with excess abdominal skin, muscle separation, or both, at a stable weight, in good general health.
Weight stability matters more here than almost anywhere else. Losing significant weight after an abdominoplasty leaves loose skin again; gaining it stretches a repaired muscle wall. Surgeons generally advise reaching a stable weight and maintaining it for several months first.
It is generally advised to have finished having children, because pregnancy after a muscle repair can separate it again.
Smoking is a major contraindication. The lower abdominal skin flap depends on a blood supply that nicotine constricts, and smokers have a substantially higher rate of wound breakdown and skin loss along a scar that is already long.
Previous abdominal surgery, hernias and significant medical conditions all change the plan and are assessed individually.
Why patients choose it
Where muscle separation is present, repairing it addresses a bulge that diet and exercise genuinely cannot, and can improve core strength and, in some patients, associated back pain.
Excess skin — particularly the overhanging apron that follows major weight loss — is removed permanently, along with the skin irritation and infection that can occur underneath it.
Stretch marks on the skin that is removed go with it. Those above the navel remain, though they may be drawn lower and appear less prominent.
How treatment works
Consultation and examination
Day 1
Skin excess, fat distribution and muscle separation are assessed separately, along with any hernia and previous abdominal scars, since all three change what operation is appropriate.
Planning the scar
Day 1–2
Scar position is marked, taking into account where you wear clothing. Whether a full or mini abdominoplasty applies is decided here, and whether liposuction is combined with it.
Pre-operative tests
Day 2
Blood tests, ECG and anaesthetic review, with clot-risk assessment. Blood-thinning medication is planned where indicated.
Surgery
Day 3
Under general anaesthetic, generally two to four hours depending on extent and whether muscle repair and liposuction are included.
Hospital stay
Day 3–5
One or two nights. You are walked early, wearing compression stockings, specifically to reduce clot risk.
Drains and wound checks
Day 5–10
Drains removed once output falls, wounds checked, and the compression garment fitted.
Fit to fly
Day 10–12
Confirmed by the surgical team. This is deliberately later than for most procedures because of clot risk.
Settling
3–18 months
Swelling resolves over three to six months; the scar fades over twelve to eighteen.
What happens in Istanbul
Body contouring surgery requires a stay of eight to twelve days, longer than most other procedures because of the risk of blood clots after surgery on the trunk and limbs. Consultation, examination and pre-operative tests take the first day or two, followed by surgery and one or two nights in hospital. You then remain in Istanbul for review, drain removal and wound checks. Departure is confirmed by the surgical team rather than by your booking — flying too soon after body surgery is one of the clearest avoidable risks in medical travel.
Recovery
This is the longest recovery of any procedure in this department. Drains are usual for several days. A compression garment is worn for six to eight weeks.
You walk on the first day — early mobility is the main protection against blood clots — but bent forward at the waist for the first week or two, because the abdomen has been tightened. Standing fully upright comes gradually.
No lifting and no strenuous activity for six weeks, and no abdominal exercise for eight to twelve, so that the muscle repair is not put under load while it heals. Desk work resumes at two to three weeks for most people; physical work takes longer.
Swelling settles over three to six months, and the lower abdomen is usually the last part to soften. Numbness of the skin between the scar and the navel is expected, often permanent in part. The scar is red and firm for months and fades over twelve to eighteen.
Risks and considerations
General anaesthetic carries its own risks, and this operation carries one of the highest complication rates in aesthetic surgery.
Venous thromboembolism — blood clots in the leg that can travel to the lung — is the most serious risk, higher here than in most cosmetic procedures because of the combination of a long operation, abdominal tightening and reduced mobility afterwards. It is the reason for early walking, compression stockings, blood-thinning medication where indicated, and a delayed flight home.
Seroma, a collection of fluid under the skin flap, is the most common complication and may need repeated drainage over weeks.
Wound breakdown, most often at the centre of the scar where tension is highest, is not unusual and is markedly more likely in smokers and in patients with diabetes. It can take weeks to heal and leaves a worse scar.
Other recognised risks include infection, bleeding, permanent numbness, fat necrosis, asymmetry, "dog ear" folds at the ends of the scar sometimes requiring revision, a scar that sits higher or wider than planned, distortion of the navel, and recurrence of muscle separation.
The scar is permanent and long. Its final appearance depends partly on how your skin heals, which cannot be promised in advance.
This information is general and educational. Whether a procedure is appropriate for you can only be determined by a qualified medical professional after an individual assessment, including your medical history and an examination.
Common questions
Do I need a tummy tuck or liposuction?
They treat different problems. Liposuction removes localised fat but does nothing about loose skin or separated muscle — in someone with poor skin elasticity it can leave the skin looser than before. A tummy tuck removes skin and repairs muscle but is a much bigger operation with a long scar. If your skin is firm and the issue is a fat deposit, liposuction may be enough; if you have loose skin or a bulge from muscle separation, it will not be. The two are often combined. An examination settles it, and a clinic that recommends one without examining you is guessing.
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