Liposuction in Edinburgh
Removes stubborn pockets of fat from areas such as the abdomen, flanks, hips, thighs and arms. It is not a weight-loss treatment, and it is done as a day case in our Edinburgh hospital.
- Your consultants
- Anaesthetic
- Local or general, depending on extent
- Surgery time
- 1 to 2 hours
- Hospital stay
- Day case
- Time off work
- 1 to 2 weeks, depending on areas treated and your work
- Guide price
- From £4,100
Contents
Who is an ideal candidate?
Liposuction is most appropriate for patients who:
- Are at, or near, a stable goal weight
- Have localised fat deposits rather than generalised excess
- Have reasonable skin elasticity, so the skin can redrape over the new contour
- Are in good general health, aged 18 or over, with realistic expectations
Where there is significant loose skin, liposuction alone can leave laxity behind — in those cases your consultant may recommend an excisional procedure instead, such as a tummy tuck or arm lift. This is exactly the kind of judgement your consultation is for.
What the procedure involves
At consultation, your consultant examines the areas that concern you, assesses your skin quality, and is honest about what liposuction can — and cannot — achieve for your shape. On the day of surgery, the treatment areas are marked while you stand, then infiltrated with tumescent fluid: a dilute local anaesthetic solution that numbs the area and minimises bruising. Fat is then removed through small incisions of a few millimetres using a thin cannula, with standard or power-assisted (MicroAire) liposuction, working evenly across the area to keep the contour smooth. Smaller single areas are usually treated under local anaesthetic; multiple or larger areas under general anaesthetic. You go home the same day.
What liposuction can and can’t do
Liposuction works well on stubborn pockets of fat in the right person. It is not a way to lose weight, and knowing its limits now saves disappointment later.
It can
- Remove localised pockets of fat that have not shifted with diet and exercise at a stable weight.
- Improve the balance between areas, such as flanks or outer thighs that are out of keeping with the rest of your shape.
- Treat the hips, outer thighs, abdomen, flanks, back and arms through cuts of a few millimetres.
- Help clothes fit more evenly.
It can’t
- Help you lose weight. It removes fat from chosen areas only, and does not treat generalised excess weight or the fat around your internal organs.
- Tighten loose skin. Where skin has lost its spring it can be left looser, and a tummy tuck or arm lift may suit you better.
- Remove cellulite or stretch marks. Both are in the skin itself, and liposuction does not treat them.
- Stop fat building up again. The fat cells removed do not return, but the ones left behind can still grow if your weight goes up.
- Treat every area equally well. The inner thighs respond less predictably, and your consultant will tell you what each area can achieve.
Your consultant will tell you at your consultation which of these apply to you.
What does liposuction cost?
- Consultation
- £200, with the consultant who would operate. A second consultation is free if you want one before deciding.
- Your quotation
- Written, sent by secure email after your consultation, and valid for 90 days.
- Paying
- Due two weeks before surgery. Interest-free finance over 6 or 10 months is available for treatment at Waterfront.
- Aftercare
- Included for 12 months: nurse reviews, dressing clinics, your consultant's follow-up and the treatment of any complications.
The guide price for liposuction at Waterfront Private Hospital is from £4,100 under local anaesthetic for a single smaller area, and from £5,850 under general anaesthetic depending on the extent of treatment. The price you are quoted in writing after consultation covers the consultant’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee where applicable, the hospital and theatre fees, and your routine post-operative reviews. See our guide prices for all procedures.
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Questions before you book?
Ask anything about liposuction, its recovery, risks or cost, any time and in plain language. If you would like, our team can contact you afterwards.
General information, not a substitute for a consultation.
Patients often ask
Quick answers
Can I spread the cost?
Will the same surgeon plan, perform and review my liposuction?
Is liposuction a weight-loss treatment?
Which areas can be treated?
Will I need a general anaesthetic?
Does the fat come back?
Will my skin tighten after liposuction?
How long until I see the result?
How is liposuction paid for?
Our liposuction specialists
You meet your consultant at your first appointment. The same consultant plans your treatment, carries it out and sees you afterwards.
Mr Omar Quaba
Consultant Plastic Surgeon
GMC Specialist Register (Plastic Surgery) · BAAPS · ISAPS · Board Certified in cosmetic surgery
Mr Ken Stewart
Consultant Plastic Surgeon
GMC Specialist Register (Plastic Surgery) · BAAPS · BAPRAS · Board Certified in cosmetic surgery
Mr Will Anderson
Consultant Plastic Surgeon
GMC Specialist Register (Plastic Surgery) · BAAPS
Ms Ewa Majdak-Paredes
Consultant Plastic Surgeon
GMC Specialist Register (Plastic Surgery) · BAAPS · BAPRAS · Board Certified in cosmetic surgery
Risks, and how often they happen
Every operation carries risk. Here they are in three groups. The figures come from UK national guidance and published studies, averaged across many patients, so your own risk may be higher or lower. Your consultant will go through what applies to you, and every risk is in your written consent.
Expected Almost everyone, and they settle
- Bruising that fades over two to three weeks.
- Swelling that settles over several weeks. You see a difference at two to three months, and the final shape takes six months or more.
- Numbness or tingling over the treated areas, usually temporary.
- Small scars of around 5mm where the cannula went in, red at first and settling by 12 to 18 months.
Uncommon Some patients, and some need further treatment
- An uneven contour or a difference between sides, such as dents or ripples. Small ones often settle as the swelling goes down; some need a touch-up.About 1 in 30
- Fluid collecting under the skin (seroma), which may need draining with a needle.Under 1 in 20
Rare but serious
- Bleeding or infection that needs hospital treatment or a return to theatre.Under 1 in 200
- A blood clot in the leg or lung (DVT or PE). We assess your risk and you are up and walking from the first day.Under 1 in 1,000
- Fat entering the bloodstream and reaching the lungs (fat embolism), which can be life-threatening.Very rare
- A serious reaction to the anaesthetic, if you have a general anaesthetic.Very rare
For the long term
- Weight gain affects the result. A stable weight keeps the new shape, because the fat cells left behind can still enlarge.
- A touch-up is occasionally needed to refine an uneven area, once everything has settled at six months or more.
- Skin still ages. Liposuction does not stop skin loosening with age or with later weight change.
Where these figures come from
- Ahmed et al, Eur J Plast Surg 2025; Habbema, Dermatology 2011. For: Contour irregularity; Seroma.
- Kaoutzanis et al, Aesthet Surg J 2017. For: Bleeding or infection needing hospital care or reoperation; DVT / PE.
- Nogueira et al, Liposuction and fat embolism: a literature review, Rev Bras Cir Plast 2015 (citing Grazer and de Jong 2000). For: Fat embolism.
- NHS, Liposuction; BAAPS, Liposuction (not a substitute for losing weight). For: Not weight loss; cellulite; lumpy results; settling time.
- Royal College of Anaesthetists, Anaesthesia risk: anaphylaxis. For: Serious reaction to the anaesthetic.
Aftercare and recovery
Your recovery is led by the consultant who performed your surgery. You go home the same day. A compression garment is optional: some patients find one helpful for swelling, and your nurse can advise on fit and how long to wear it. Walking is encouraged from day one; most patients return to work within 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the areas treated and the nature of their work, and avoid strenuous exercise for 6 weeks. Bruising resolves over 2 to 3 weeks and swelling settles over several weeks — a visible difference emerges at 2 to 3 months, with the final contour taking 6 months or more. A nurse reviews you at one week — and more often if needed — and your consultant sees you again once the result has settled. Between reviews, our nursing team is your first point of contact, and the surgeon who operated on you remains responsible for your recovery.
- Day of surgeryHome the same day with your written aftercare guide. Waterfront is a day hospital.
- Week 1Nurse review: wound checked, dressings changed, questions answered.
- Week 2Back to desk work. Physical work from the end of week 2.
- Week 4Gentle exercise: walking and light stretching.
- Week 6Most activities. Final shape settles over 3–6 months.
- 6 monthsYour consultant reviews the settled result. Sooner if you need it.
- 12 monthsNurse reviews, dressing clinics and the treatment of any complications are included.
Typical timings. Your consultant and nurse will tailor them to you.
Written by
Mr Omar Quaba, MBBChir, FRCS (Plast), GMC 4586300, is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon with over 20 years of experience in plastic surgery. Based at Waterfront Private Hospital in Edinburgh, he is fully accredited on the GMC Specialist Register and specialises in advanced cosmetic procedures. Full member of BAAPS.