How Much Does a Tummy Tuck Cost Australia in 2020?
Are you wondering about the current cost for a tummy tuck in Australia? You have come to the right place. ’Tummy tuck cost Australia’ is one of the top Googled questions patients have when thinking about cosmetic surgery.
Researching tummy tuck prices is frustrating, as you have probably noticed by now. It is hard to get a straight answer. Google, and you will be continually met with text saying the “cost will vary” and that the only way to get a price is to book a consultation.
Or even worse, vague answers like “prices start at $6000+”.
As a cosmetic surgeon, I don’t think that is fair. It’s like going down to the car dealership only to be told you can only find out the price of the car after you have spent all afternoon on the lot.
I know that you are busy and price is one of the most common questions there is.
In this article, I will discuss my pricing along with what I have found out about what other surgeons charge for a tummy tuck in Sydney and Newcastle.
Just tell me the price! How much is a tummy tuck in Australia really?
I have looked at prices in Newcastle, Sydney, and Australia in general. I have found that the range is something like $7,000 to 35,000. That’s quite a spread!
When I researched prices, I noticed that there is around a $1,000 to $10,000 variation in the cost from practice to practice and from city to city. What gives?
More frustrating is that many surgeons do not publish their prices at all. Others may instead give you a “base price” that you most certainly will not pay anywhere close to once they tack on fees and surcharges. This renders the published starting price as pretty useless, if you ask me.
What does the price include?
Let’s face it: Plastic surgery can be expensive. That is true in just about all developed nations. In Australia, the costs range between $7,000-35,000. Let’s take a look at what that includes.
Performing surgery is not a “one man” job.
When you go under the knife, there is normally a small team of people in the operating room. You have the surgeon, of course. But you also have the anesthetist and nurse(s), each of whom has a specialized job to keep everything running smoothly. They take the load off the surgeon so that s/he can focus on the task at hand. The nurses and anesthetists must be paid for their time. The anesthetic fee ranges from $600-900 per hour, for example.
Surgeon fee
Most patients assume that the surgeon walks away with the entire payment. That is not true, however. There are many costs associated with providing surgery services.
The total price you pay includes more line items than you think. For example, there is a surgeon fee, operating room fee, hospital fee, and anesthesia fee, and so on. The surgeon must pay for his staff and overhead costs, surgical tools, equipment, and more.
The surgeon fee is just a portion of the total price. For a standard tummy tuck, you are looking at a cost anywhere from $6,000 and up. For a lipo-abdominoplasty, the cost is typically at least $7,500.
Hospital charges
The hospital charges range from around $1,100 per hour up to $2,000. An overnight stay will usually cost $600-900 per day. With my surgical technique, most of my tummy tuck patients only need to spend one night in the hospital. Keep in mind other surgeons’ techniques can vary, and may require up to one week in the hospital for a standard tummy tuck. Extensive surgeries like body lifts may require a hospital stay of 5-7 days.
If you have an item number (post-weight loss patients only) and health insurance, you will not need to pay for the hospital.
Compression garments and after care
After care items such as scar gel for healing may be included. I also happen to provide compression garments to wear after your surgery. Not every surgeon does that, and not all compression garments are created equal. I believe they are an important part of your healing, so it’s included for that reason. No need to waste your time looking for tummy tuck compression garments online.
How I determine my tummy tuck rates
The price I charge depends on the type of tummy tuck. I base my pricing largely on the time it takes me to perform each kind tummy tuck and my expertise as a body contouring specialist.
- A skin-only tummy tuck takes me about 2 hours
- A mini Lipo-abdominoplasty (which includes extensive VASER liposuction) takes me around 3 hours
- A full Lipo-abdominoplasty (which includes extensive VASER liposuction) takes me around 4 hours
- An extended Lipo-abdominoplasty (which includes extensive VASER liposuction) takes me around 5 hours
- A body lift can take 6-7 hours
- A Fleur de lis tummy tuck takes around 5-6 hours
The longer a procedure takes, the more it will cost.
