Service
Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)
A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is an operation that removes excess skin and the fatty tissue beneath it from the abdomen and, where needed, stitches separated abdominal muscles back together in the middle. It is also called abdominal tightening.
What concerns does it address?
- Stubborn fat deposits
- Problems after previous surgery
- Tummy after childbirth
- Excess skin after weight loss
Who is it for?
The abdomen after pregnancy or after major weight loss is often not a matter of one thing but of three: skin, muscle and fatty tissue.
When is the right time?
When your weight has been stable for at least six months, breastfeeding has finished and you are not planning another pregnancy, which would stretch the skin again and separate the muscles again. After childbirth, for most women this means at the earliest six months to a year. If you are still losing weight, we wait: the skin we would remove now would be loose again in half a year.
What exactly is done?
Through an incision in the lower abdomen, the excess skin is removed and the remaining skin is tightened. If the abdominal muscles are separated, they are stitched together in the middle.
Four extents, four different procedures:
- Mini tummy tuck — the lower abdomen only, without moving the navel.
- Tummy tuck with navel repositioning — the whole abdomen; the navel is moved because the skin is moved.
- Tummy tuck with correction of diastasis — the separated muscles are stitched together along with the skin.
- Fleur-de-lis tummy tuck — when the skin is stretched both lengthways and across: a vertical incision is added to the horizontal one, which narrows the abdomen at the waist. The scar is larger.
→ Separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis recti)
In most women, the caesarean section scar falls within the area of skin that is removed anyway.
How is it done?
A tummy tuck at Poliklinika Barbel almost always begins with liposuction: the upper and lower abdomen, the flanks, the area above the hips and part of the back are marked while you are standing, before the operation, and shaped in the same procedure.
The incision runs low, in the lower abdomen, in a slight W shape, so that underwear covers it. The skin with the tissue beneath it is separated from the abdominal wall upwards, to the lower edge of the rib cage, and the navel is detached from the surrounding skin and stays on its stalk. The separated muscles are stitched together in the middle, in the lower and upper abdomen, with a permanent suture. The skin is then pulled down, measured and the excess removed, and the navel is brought out through a new opening to its place and fixed. The incision is closed with stitches inside the skin, with no external stitches; two drains remain, one on each side, and a full-body compression garment is put on while you are still on the operating table.
When is the procedure not suitable?
In smokers, the risk that the long incision heals poorly and that the skin edge dies is considerably higher, so the smoke-free period is not skipped here. An abdominal hernia, if there is one, is planned together with the 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 full-body compression garment is chosen and tried on before the procedure.
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
For the first few days you walk slightly bent forward, because the skin is tight; standing upright comes by itself over a week or two. The drains are removed when the amount of fluid falls, usually in the first few days. The compression garment is worn for six weeks. Walking from the first day helps circulation.
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 C. How long recovery takes and what it depends on is described on the Recovery after surgery page.
What can the procedure not do?
A tummy tuck removes excess skin and tightens the abdominal wall. It is not a weight-loss method, it does not remove fatty tissue from deep inside the abdomen and it does not prevent the abdomen from changing after another pregnancy or a larger weight gain.
The scar after a tummy tuck is permanent.
Risks
Expected — tightness when straightening up, numbness of the skin above the incision that fades over months. Occasional — a collection of fluid (seroma) that is drained with a needle, slower healing of the wound edge, a wider scar, "dog ears" at the ends of the incision that are later flattened under local anaesthesia, a navel that heals more slowly.
Rare — death of part of the skin along the incision, most often in smokers; a clot in the leg veins, which is why you get up and walk early.
Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?
Price
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Mini tummy tuck | €3,000–4,000 |
| Tummy tuck with navel repositioning | €5,000–6,000 |
| Tummy tuck with correction of upper diastasis | €4,500–5,000 |
Anaesthesia is included in the price. Follow-up visits in the first three months and dressing changes are included in the price of the procedure.
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
- Separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis recti) — the muscles are reached through the same incision anyway.
- Hernia surgery — an abdominal hernia, if there is one, is planned together with the procedure and treated in the same operation.
- Mons pubis correction — a lift of the pubic area is often done in the same procedure, with the scar in the same line as the lower edge of the abdomen.
Frequently asked questions
Is a tummy tuck a weight-loss method? No. It removes excess skin and tightens the abdominal wall; body weight does not change significantly as a result. That is why it is done when your weight is stable, not while it is falling.
Can I get pregnant later? Yes, the procedure is no obstacle to pregnancy — but a new pregnancy stretches the skin and muscles again and can undo the result.
Will my tummy be flat? The procedure removes skin and tightens the wall; it does not touch the fatty tissue deep in the abdomen, around the bowel — that depends on your weight. How flat the abdomen will be depends on that, and this is discussed openly at the examination.
How long do I wear the compression garment after a tummy tuck? As a rule, six weeks. The garment reduces swelling and protects the stitch that joins the abdominal muscles, so it is not taken off before the doctor says so at a follow-up visit. It is chosen and tried on before the procedure.
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.
Who is with me if I stay overnight in the clinic after the procedure? You stay overnight when the doctor judges it necessary and this is agreed with you. You then spend the night in a room in the recovery unit, which has a bed, a television and a bathroom. A nurse is with you all night and a doctor is on call. The overnight stay and night care are included in the price of the procedure.
→ How long do you stay in the clinic after surgery?
Medical review: doctors of Poliklinika Barbel · October 2026.