Liposuction questions, answered

Usually €2,200 to €7,000. One area costs €2,200 to €4,500, two areas €3,000 to €7,000, three or more €3,500 to €7,000. Men's chest surgery is €3,300 to €6,500.

Liposuction is not a weight-loss treatment. It removes pockets of fat that stay put despite a steady weight, diet and exercise. It does not remove cellulite or stretch marks, and it does not tighten loose skin.

One clinic, not five. We pass your enquiry to one Irish clinic, and they contact you to book a consultation with a surgeon. Nothing is booked until you say yes.

By law every doctor practising in Ireland must be registered with the Medical Council, and a doctor can only practise independently as a specialist if they hold specialist registration. For liposuction, look for an entry in the Specialist Division under Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. You can search the register yourself on the Medical Council's website.

Most people with desk jobs go back after about a week. Gentle exercise at three to four weeks, strenuous activity at ten to twelve weeks.

Irish health insurance plans normally exclude cosmetic surgery, apart from correcting disfigurement caused by a congenital condition, an accident or disease. Check your own policy before you assume either way. Revenue does not give tax relief on cosmetic surgery. Relief may be possible where surgery corrects a health issue, at the standard rate of 20%, so keep your receipts and ask your surgeon whether yours could count.

No. This site, and the clinic we work with, only deal with adults.

One small area under local anaesthetic in a day clinic, from about €2,200 to €2,500. Whether that suits you depends on the area and how much fat there is, which only a surgeon can judge.

Not automatically. It helps with fibrous fat and fine contouring. For a straightforward area, a skilled surgeon using traditional tumescent liposuction gets the same result. Ask why they prefer their method for your body.

Laser-assisted liposuction is surgery and removes fat for good. Non-surgical laser sessions remove no fat, and any change is small. Ask any provider which one they are selling.

Only if the muscle and a lean starting point are there. It reveals and shapes, it doesn't build. If you gain weight afterwards, the definition fades.

The fat cells removed don't come back. Ageing still loosens neck skin over time, and weight gain can add fat elsewhere in the face.

Small ones, a few millimetres, usually near the elbow and in the armpit. They fade over months.

It can reduce the inner-thigh contact if fat is the cause. If skin is loose, it won't.

Only if the problem is fat. Loose skin and separated muscles after pregnancy need a tummy tuck, and the HSE advises a physiotherapy referral through your GP if you're worried about the gap more than eight weeks after the birth.

Clinics usually count both sides as one area. Ask how your quote counts them.

If the bulge is fat, yes, it usually improves it. If it's loose skin after weight loss, a skin-removal operation may be needed.

Usually it is treated as cosmetic in private care. If it causes a health problem your GP can advise; Revenue only gives relief where surgery corrects a health issue.

A little at most. Skin that hangs needs to be removed.

The treated fat cells are gone, like liposuction. The remaining ones can still grow if you gain weight.

For several weeks, day and night at first. Your surgeon sets the time; it's often around six weeks.

For a healthy person, done by a specialist with an anaesthetist, serious problems are rare. No surgery is risk-free, and the risk rises with large volumes and combined operations.

Some change shows within weeks, but swelling hides most of it. Judge the result at three to six months.

Many operations go well. The risks of surgery are the same anywhere; what differs is the checking you can do, the aftercare at home, and the travel. The DFA's advice is the place to start.