Liposuction

You can watch what you eat and train regularly, and still find that a few areas simply won’t budge. Local pockets of fat on the tummy, hips, thighs, arms or a double chin can wear you down day after day. Liposuction offers a real, lasting answer to something neither diet nor exercise can fix on its own.

Also known as lipoaspiration, this cosmetic surgery procedure removes surplus fat cells through fine cannulas. It isn’t a treatment for obesity, and it isn’t a way to lose weight. The point is to reshape your figure by targeting specific pockets of fat.

With close to 2.1 million procedures carried out worldwide each year, liposuction is still one of the most performed cosmetic surgeries, according to ISAPS. Recent advances, in particular the VASER technique and tumescent liposuction, have sharpened precision and reduced trauma to the tissues.

What is liposuction?

More than just fat removal

You watch what you eat, you keep moving, and yet some areas won’t shift an inch. Those rolls around the tummy, the hips or the thighs that hold out against everything you try, you know them all too well. Liposuction finally gives you a way to be rid of them for good.

In practical terms, your surgeon slips fine cannulas through tiny incisions of 2 to 5 mm to draw off the surplus fat cells. The aim isn’t to make you lose weight: it’s to reshape your figure by targeting precisely the areas that bother you. And since the fat cells that come out don’t come back, the result holds over time.

With close to 2.1 million procedures a year worldwide, liposuction is one of the most performed cosmetic surgeries, according to ISAPS. Recent progress, VASER and the tumescent method in particular, has made it more precise and gentler, with a much quicker recovery. At Body Expert, our surgeons know these techniques inside out and use them every day at our clinic in Istanbul.

Why so many patients choose Turkey

Every year, more than a million aesthetic procedures are carried out in Turkey, according to ISAPS. Turkish surgeons are trained to international standards, and their sheer day-to-day volume gives them an expertise few European practitioners can match.

At Body Expert, you’re not dealing with a middleman: you’re looked after directly by our clinic in central Istanbul. That direct relationship means prices with no mark-up, straight talking with the medical team and English-speaking support at every step. Like the sound of that closeness? Take a look at our liposuction in Istanbul package.

Our liposuction techniques in detail

Our flagship technique, VASER liposuction (Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance), uses ultrasound to break down the fat cells selectively before they’re drawn off, sparing more of the nerves, vessels and lymph channels around them. The upshot: our surgeons lift away the targeted fat with real precision, while helping the skin redrape better afterwards.

Tumescent liposuction is the other main technique we offer. Before drawing off the fat, your surgeon infiltrates the area with a solution of saline, lidocaine (for comfort) and adrenaline (to limit bleeding). This method remains a benchmark for safety, as the scientific data confirms. It’s particularly suited to cases where there’s a large volume of fat to remove.

We also carry out high-definition (HD) liposuction for patients who want to go further. It works the superficial and deep layers of fat to bring out the natural muscle lines. Often paired with fat transfer (reinjecting the harvested fat), it’s genuinely sculpting work. A 2023 review by Willet et al. reports a satisfaction rate of 92.6% among the cases that recorded it, 0.2% major complications and an overall complication rate of 14.4% (mostly minor) across 6964 procedures.

Are you a good candidate for liposuction?

The ideal profile

Wondering whether liposuction is right for you? The best candidates are healthy adults, with a BMI under 30 and skin that still has some elasticity. Your expectations need to stay realistic: our surgeons reshape your figure, but liposuction will never stand in for a balanced lifestyle. If your BMI is over 35, bariatric surgery is likely a more fitting first step.

When we’d recommend it

Our surgeons point you towards liposuction when you have local pockets of fat that hold out despite all your efforts. The most treated areas are the tummy (see our dedicated page on tummy liposuction), the thighs, the arms, the hips and the love handles. Liposuction also refines the double chin and the neck very nicely.

When liposuction isn’t the answer

In all honesty, some situations rule the procedure out: significant obesity with a BMI over 35, severe cardiovascular disease, clotting disorders, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and autoimmune conditions that aren’t under control. If that’s you, don’t worry: non-surgical options exist, such as cryolipolysis, focused ultrasound or radiofrequency. Our doctors will steer you towards the option that suits you best.

What you gain by choosing Body Expert

The maths is quickly done: you make savings of up to 70% on the prices charged in the UK. There are no hidden fees and no middleman. Your dedicated, English-speaking coordinator is with you from the first consultation right through to the end of your follow-up, over a full year. And a question outside office hours? Our English-speaking helpline stays reachable 24/7.

What happens during your liposuction?

On the day, your surgeon starts with careful marking of the areas to treat, done standing up so the body’s natural gravity is taken into account. The anaesthetic is then matched to your case: local with sedation for one or two small areas, general for more extensive work.

The operation takes one to three hours, depending on the number of areas. The protocol is meticulous: the tumescent solution goes in, the VASER ultrasound is applied if that’s the technique chosen, the liquefied fat is drawn off with the latest cannulas, then a careful final shaping for smooth, balanced contours.

Throughout, your vital signs are monitored non-stop. Our partner clinic follows strict hygiene protocols and keeps resuscitation equipment within immediate reach. Your safety comes first.

Your recovery, step by step

After surgery, you stay in Istanbul for seven to ten days under our team’s watch. In the first days, our nurses come by each day for care and dressings. Pain is usually mild, well managed with suitable painkillers. You’ll wear a compression garment for four to six weeks to help the skin redrape and bring the swelling down.

What follows is gradual and clearly mapped out. For the first two weeks, the ask is mostly rest, regular care and, at times, lymphatic drainage sessions. Most of our patients go back to work between the first and second week. For sport, reckon on four to six weeks before you ease back into it.

The results, for their part, show little by little. Your figure takes shape within the first weeks despite the swelling, sharpens up clearly after two to three months, and you see the final result between three and six months. To keep it as long as you can, three ingredients: good skin elasticity, a stable weight and regular exercise.

Safe results: what the studies say

Got questions about the risks? That’s completely normal, and we want to be straight with you. A 2024 meta-analysis by Comerci et al. in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (29368 patients, 39 studies) puts the overall rate of any complication at 2.62%. Taken separately, the most frequently reported issues are contour irregularities (2.35%, often correctable), temporary hyperpigmentation (1.49%), seromas (0.65%) and haematomas (0.27%). These individual rates come from different study subsets, so they are not meant to be added together. Serious complications, such as infections (0.02%) or deep vein thrombosis (0.017%), stay exceptional.

At Body Expert, we bring those risks down further still: careful candidate selection, a full, personalised pre-operative work-up, and the VASER technique, which is gentler than the standard method. And if a result doesn’t fully satisfy you, a corrective touch-up can be considered at least six months after the original procedure.

How much does liposuction cost?

Let’s talk budget, plainly. Going through Body Expert, you make savings of up to 70% on the prices charged in the UK.

Our packages are transparent and genuinely all-inclusive: the procedure, your hospital stay, post-operative follow-up and compression garments. The stay also covers your transfers, your accommodation and English-speaking support from start to finish. The full breakdown, by technique and by number of areas, sits in our price list a little higher up this page.

For a figure matched to your body shape and your goals, the simplest thing is to ask for your free quote: it’s no-obligation, and you get an answer within 24 hours.

Which procedures pair well with liposuction?

Liposuction often teams up with other procedures for a more balanced overall result. Many patients choose to add a breast augmentation to rebalance the figure once the fat has been removed. The harvested fat can also be reinjected into the buttocks (BBL) or the breasts (breast fat transfer): two benefits from a single operation.

How do you get started with Body Expert?

It all begins with a request for a free quote. Fill in our contact form, and we’ll set up a video appointment with your surgeon. To get ready for it, we simply ask for your recent test results, photos from the front and side (we’ll send you the instructions) and your medical history in the form provided.

Your surgeon looks at your situation, answers all your questions and puts together a treatment plan made for you. You come away with a clear quote, a precise timeline and the peace of mind of knowing you’re in good hands. The hardest part, in the end, is making the decision. The rest, we’ll handle.

In summary

Liposuction is still the most performed contouring surgery in the world, and for good reason: it targets precisely the local pockets of fat that hold out against sport and diets alike. Tummy, hips, thighs, arms, back or a double chin, the aim is never to make you slimmer on the scales, but to reshape your figure for the long term. The cells that come out don’t come back.

The choice of technique matters. VASER liposuction, gentler on the tissues, encourages the skin to tighten nicely and makes for an easier recovery, while the tumescent method keeps its place for larger volumes. Either way, recent scientific data confirms a reassuring safety profile, provided the procedure is carried out by experienced surgeons on well-chosen candidates.

That’s exactly what you’ll find at Body Expert, in Istanbul: surgeons who operate day in, day out, a journey that’s 100% on site, English-speaking support from the first message to the last check-up, and savings of up to 70% on UK prices. Still weighing it up, unsure about the recovery or the areas to treat? Talk it over with our surgeons. Your free quote arrives within 24 hours, with no obligation whatsoever.

Sources and references

1. Comerci, A. J., et al. (2024). Risks and Complications Rate in Liposuction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 44(7), NP454-NP463. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38563572/
2. Bartow, M. J., Szymanski, K. D., & Raggio, B. S. (2025). Liposuction. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563135/
3. Willet, J. W., Alvaro, A. I., Ibrahim, A. K., & Javed, M. U. (2023). A systematic review of efficacy and complications of high-definition liposuction. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 152(1), 57-63. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36728192/
4. Aljerian, A., Abi-Rafeh, J., Hemmerling, T., & Gilardino, M. S. (2024). Complications of aesthetic liposuction performed in isolation: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Plastic Surgery (Oakville), 32(1), 19-32. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38433796/