The two-minute check
- Stand and pinch below the belly button: thick fat with firm skin points to liposuction; thin, folding skin to a tummy tuck.
- Lean forward: skin that hangs like an apron needs removing.
- The HSE muscle check: lying down, lift your head and feel for a gap above and below the navel. More than two fingers is a separation; physio first.
What each costs and takes
Liposuction of the stomach costs €2,200 to €4,500 in Ireland, usually with about a week off a desk job. A tummy tuck costs €5,600 to €7,900 for a mini and €8,000 to €12,000 for a full one, with four to six weeks off work and exercise.
Both together
Liposuction of the flanks is often added to a full tummy tuck to shape the waist: €10,400 to €11,500. For liposuction alone, our sister guide liposuctiondublin.ie covers it area by area.
What neither does
A tummy tuck is not a weight-loss operation. Surgeons generally want you close to a healthy, stable weight first, and many look for a weight that has held steady for around six months. Neither removes fat inside the abdomen, around the organs.
Questions people ask
Can liposuction tighten loose stomach skin?
Hardly at all. Loose skin needs removing.
Which has the shorter recovery?
Liposuction, by weeks.