Can I get an Abdominoplasty on the NHS?


Cosmetic Surgery Enquiry

Unfortunately, like other forms of cosmetic surgery, Abdominoplasty's are not available on the NHS because they are viewed as being elective surgery. Elective surgery is when you choose to undergo the operation yourself when the procedure is not done for health reasons (i.e. when you have a problem that is threatening your life). In general, the NHS will only pay for clinical surgeries, those that are done to improve the health of the person because they would die, or have a much reduced standard of life, without it. However, if you go to your doctor they can assess whether you would be able to get an Abdominoplasty on the NHS because they feel that it would improve your mental or physical health (such as depression) if you had one. As is the case with any surgery that is technically elective, you will need to get your case approved by a Primary Care Trust (PCT). To get this approval you will need to have a session with a psychologist who will assess your mental condition and whether it could be significantly improved through having an Abdominoplasty.

Furthermore, you may be able to get an Abdominoplasty through the NHS if you have a birth defect that would require Abdominoplasty to fix, or if you have any abnormalities that have been caused by pregnancy. However, you should be aware that it is only special cases that get Abdominoplasty paid by the NHS and they are rare. If, though, you want to have and Abdominoplasty operation you can still go private and get the treatment done through a private surgeon.

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