Service
Liposuction
Liposuction is a procedure that removes excess fatty tissue under the skin from a specific area of the body. It changes the shape of that area — it is not a weight-loss method.
What concerns does it address?
Who is it for?
Liposuction is done for deposits of fatty tissue that remain even when your weight is stable and your diet and exercise are regular.
Being slim is not a requirement; what matters is having a stable weight and skin that can retract after the volume is reduced.
Which areas are treated?
Liposuction of the abdomen
After pregnancy, the abdomen is most often not only a matter of fatty tissue.
Liposuction of the legs
The outer and inner thighs ("saddlebags"), knees, lower legs and ankles. For the legs, compression stockings are worn in the first days in addition to the compression garment.
Liposuction of the arms
With excess skin on the upper arm → Excess skin after weight loss
Liposuction of the chin and neck
How is it done?
It is done with the tumescent technique. A solution is first injected into the fatty tissue under pressure, which constricts the blood vessels and firms the tissue — so the fat is removed without blood and with less bruising. The fatty tissue is then suctioned out with thin cannulas through openings of two to five millimetres, placed in hidden spots and skin creases.
The area is marked before the procedure, standing, because once the injected fluid enters the tissue the contour is lost. The compression garment is put on straight away, while you are still on the operating table.
How do we do it at Barbel? We use our own line of cannulas, developed over years, which become active only when they are at the site the fat is being removed from — this avoids channels and dents along the path of the cannula.
At most around ten per cent of body weight is removed at one time; exactly how much depends on the indication and your build, and a larger extent is divided into several procedures.
When is the procedure not suitable?
Liposuction is not a procedure for more significant obesity — it comes only once weight has been dealt with. It is also not planned when the skin lacks the tone to draw back after the volume is reduced — a skin lift is then needed, on its own or in the same procedure.
General reasons for postponing a procedure (pregnancy, breastfeeding, inflammation, a clotting disorder, smoking): When is a procedure postponed?
How do we prepare for the procedure?
The compression garment is chosen at the examination — the clinic has garments in all sizes, they are tried on before the procedure and you do not buy them yourself.
Liposuction is a procedure for the cooler months: the garment is worn for six weeks and is hard to tolerate in summer heat.
Anaesthesia
Before a procedure under general or regional anaesthesia, you are seen by the anaesthetist, who works full time at the clinic; the same doctor is also present during the procedure. The anaesthetic assessment and the anaesthesia for larger operations are included in the price of the procedure. What happens before, during and after anaesthesia is described on the Anaesthesia page.
Recovery
Most people have moderate to mild pain, which responds well to painkillers. In the first days fluid seeps from the openings — this is expected, especially on the parts you lie on; bruises also appear there within a few days. You can shower from the third day, when the gauze dressings come off; an ointment for bruising is applied to the bruises. From the fifth day, manual lymphatic drainage two to three times a week helps.
Bruises change colour and move down towards the lower parts of the body, often also to places where there was no liposuction — this is a normal course. After two weeks, clothes are noticeably looser for most people; after two months the swelling has mostly gone.
Procedures are grouped into four recovery profiles: A, outpatient (home straight away, no restrictions apart from dressing changes), B, minor procedure (home the same day or after one night, marks are visible for about a week), C, major procedure (one to two nights in the clinic, sick leave and planning in weeks) and D, functional procedure (sick leave and return to work). This procedure belongs to profile B. How long recovery takes and what it depends on is described on the Recovery after surgery page.
What can the procedure not do?
Liposuction does not remove cellulite, does not tighten the skin and does not change the distribution of fatty tissue in the rest of the body.
The fat cells that are removed do not come back. If your weight increases significantly after the procedure, the shape keeps changing — the fatty tissue that remains elsewhere grows as normal.
Risks
Expected — numbness of the treated area, a feeling of hardness that eases over weeks. Occasional — uneven contours, a collection of fluid.
Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?
Price
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Liposuction of the arms | €1,500–1,800 |
| Liposuction of the abdomen | €2,500–3,000 |
| Liposuction of the flanks | €1,200–1,500 |
| Liposuction of the abdomen and flanks | €3,500–4,000 |
| Liposuction of the thighs | €2,500–3,000 |
| Liposuction of the knees | €1,000–1,500 |
| Liposuction of the lower legs | €1,200–1,400 |
| Liposuction of the whole legs | €2,800–3,200 |
| Liposuction of the buttocks | €1,900–2,200 |
| Liposuction contouring of the lower leg and ankle | €1,200–1,500 |
Specialist and team
Specialty: plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
When the procedure is done under sedation or general anaesthesia, the anaesthesia is led by a specialist in anaesthesiology, resuscitation and intensive care who works full time at the clinic.
In the operating theatre, the surgeon is assisted by head nurse Martina Šereg, with the help of nurses Kristina Jurešić and Mateja Tomorad, and in recovery the care assistant Mirjana Kovačić is with you. Martina also looks after preparation, scheduling and contact after the procedure.
Who will operate is decided at the examination, based on the findings and the type of procedure. You know the name of the surgeon before the procedure and meet them at the examination.
What happens at the examination?
The first examination lasts 30 to 45 minutes on average. The surgeon examines the area you are concerned about, asks about illnesses, medicines, allergies and previous operations, and talks with you about what you expect. If the procedure is appropriate and likely to help, you receive a plan: which procedure is proposed, under which anaesthesia, what recovery looks like and what is included in the price. If the procedure is not needed or would not give you what you expect, you will hear that at the examination too.
What if the result is not as agreed?
The result of a procedure is assessed at a follow-up visit, once the swelling has gone down and the scar has matured, not in the first weeks. If it differs from what was agreed at the examination, the same surgeon carries out the correction.
→ Poliklinika Barbel's correction policy
In the same visit
- Excess skin removal — dermolipectomy and body lift — when there is excess skin as well as fatty tissue, the skin lift is sometimes done in the same procedure.
- Buttock augmentation — the fatty tissue taken can be used for a fat transfer in the same procedure.
- Facial fat transfer — the fatty tissue taken can be used for a fat transfer in the same procedure.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of compression garment is worn? For the abdomen, a belt with a Velcro fastening is enough; for the thighs, "Bermuda" shorts; for the whole body, a garment with shoulder straps from below the knees to the chest. After three weeks the legs can move on to compression tights.
What if an uneven area is left after the procedure? A minor unevenness or leftover fatty tissue can be removed with a smaller liposuction under local anaesthesia. We wait at least a year before a correction — in that time a large part of the unevenness disappears by itself.
How long do I wear the compression garment after liposuction, and why? As a rule, six weeks. When some of the fatty tissue is removed, the skin above it is left loose; the garment holds it against the tissue beneath while the swelling goes down, so that it firms up there. Without the garment the skin does not tighten as it should and excess may remain.
How much does the result depend on care after the procedure? The larger the procedure, the more it depends on it, but it always does. Healing takes weeks and months and happens almost entirely at home, so the instructions you receive when you go home, about the wound, physical activity and the scar, are part of the procedure, not a recommendation.
Medical review: doctors of Poliklinika Barbel · October 2026.