Liposuction Newcastle: What Surgery Costs, What It Involves and the Non-Surgical Alternatives

If you are looking for liposuction in Newcastle, here is the straight version. Liposuction is surgery: a general or local anaesthetic, a cannula through small cuts, the fat suctioned out, stitches, a compression garment and a recovery that runs into months. In the UK it costs between £3,000 and £8,500 according to the NHS, which does not normally fund it for cosmetic reasons. RT Aesthetics does not carry out liposuction. What we run at our clinic in Whickham, Newcastle, are the non-surgical treatments that remove or reduce a pocket of fat without the anaesthetic, the scars or the time off, from £350 a session. This page sets out what liposuction involves, what it costs and what it does to your body, and then what each of the alternatives does and costs, so you can decide which one fits the problem you have.

What liposuction involves

A surgeon injects the area with a fluid that numbs it and shrinks the blood vessels, makes small cuts, passes a thin tube called a cannula under the skin and moves it back and forth to loosen the fat, then suctions the fat out. Some versions use ultrasound or a laser inside the cannula to break the fat up first, which is what Vaser and laser lipo mean. It is done under a general anaesthetic for larger areas and a local for smaller ones like the chin, and it takes one to three hours. You wear a compression garment for several weeks afterwards to reduce swelling and help the skin settle. The fat cells that are removed do not come back, which is the main thing liposuction and fat freezing have in common.

What liposuction costs in Newcastle and the rest of the UK

The NHS puts the cost of liposuction in the UK at about £3,000 to £8,500, and the private clinics in the North East sit inside that range depending on how many areas are treated, whether it is a general anaesthetic and who the surgeon is. On top of that there is usually a consultation fee, the compression garment, any follow-up appointments, and the cost of time off work, which for an office job is one to two weeks and for a physical job can be longer. Liposuction for cosmetic reasons is not normally available on the NHS. It can be for certain medical conditions such as lipoedema and lymphoedema, and if you think that may apply to you, your GP is the place to start.

Recovery and risks

The NHS lists bruising and swelling that can last up to six months, numbness that usually settles in six to eight weeks, scars at the cannula sites, fluid leaking from the cuts and swollen ankles as the common side effects, and says it can take up to six months for the area to settle completely. Stitches come out after about a week, gentle exercise starts at three to four weeks, and strenuous activity is off the table for ten to twelve weeks. The rarer complications are the ones any surgery carries: infection, bleeding under the skin, blood clots, an uneven or lumpy result, and a reaction to the anaesthetic. None of that makes liposuction a bad treatment. It is the right treatment for a large amount of fat that no non-surgical option will shift, and for someone who wants the biggest change in one go and can take the recovery. It is the wrong treatment for a small pocket, for anyone who cannot take two weeks off, and for anyone who wants to lose weight, because the NHS is clear that liposuction is not a treatment for obesity and will not remove cellulite or stretch marks.

Non-surgical liposuction in Newcastle: the alternatives and what they cost

Non-surgical liposuction is the name people use for any treatment that reduces fat without surgery, and there are four at our clinic, each suited to a different problem. Our non-surgical liposuction guide compares them in detail; the short version is here.

Fat freezing: the closest thing to liposuction without surgery

Fat freezing, also called cryolipolysis, draws a pinchable pocket of fat into an applicator and cools it until the fat cells die off. The body clears them over six to twelve weeks, and the reduction is in the region of 20% to 40% of the fat in the treated area per session. Like liposuction, the cells that go do not come back. Unlike liposuction, there is no anaesthetic, no cuts, no garment and no time off: the area is numb for a few weeks and that is the whole recovery. One area is £350 for a single session and £450 for two, with courses of three at £899 and £1,199. It is the treatment for love handles, the lower stomach, back fat, inner and outer thighs, the upper arms and the chin.

Emerald Laser: for fat across a wide area or a higher BMI

Emerald Laser shines low-level laser light into the fat layer, which opens the fat cells so their contents drain out and are cleared by the lymphatic system. It treats the whole midsection or both thighs at once rather than one pocket, and it has FDA market clearance for a BMI of up to 40, which is where most other non-surgical options stop. A course of ten sessions is £2,500 and includes a Body Ballancer lymphatic drainage session every time to clear what the laser releases.

Exilis Ultra: for fat with loose skin over it

Exilis Ultra Body heats the fat layer and the skin above it with radio frequency and ultrasound, so it reduces a little fat and tightens the skin in the same session. It is the option when the pocket comes with crepey or loose skin, after pregnancy or weight loss, because removing fat from under loose skin on its own leaves it looser, and it is one of the reasons people who have had liposuction come to us afterwards. A course of four sessions is £785 for one area and £1,285 for two.

EMSculpt Neo: for a soft stomach rather than a fat one

EMSculpt Neo contracts the muscle thousands of times in a thirty-minute session while heating the fat over it, so the stomach or bottom firms from underneath. A course of four is £2,000 for one area. It is the treatment when the tape measure is fine but the shape is soft, which no amount of liposuction fixes.

The double chin

Chin liposuction is one of the liposuction searches we see most from Newcastle, and the chin is the area where the non-surgical options are strongest. Fat freezing treats the chin as one area at £350 a session or £899 for three, HIFU reduces the fat pad and tightens the skin over it in one session at £995, and Emerald Laser runs a ten-session double chin course at £1,850. Our chin lipo alternatives guide and the double chin reduction page go through which suits which chin.

Liposuction or a non-surgical treatment: how to decide

Pinch the area. If you can hold the fat between your thumb and fingers and it is a defined pocket, fat freezing will remove a good share of it and the result will look like the area has been reduced rather than reshaped. If the fat is spread all the way round the middle, Emerald Laser treats the whole area at once. If the skin over the pocket is loose, Exilis tightens it while it reduces the fat, and fat freezing followed by Exilis is the usual plan. If you want a large amount of fat removed in one go and can take the recovery, that is liposuction, and we will say so at your assessment rather than sell you a course that will not do enough. Our guide to Vaser liposuction vs fat freezing sets the two side by side.

Questions people ask

Does non-surgical liposuction work?

Fat freezing removes a measurable share of a pocket of fat per session and the cells do not come back. Emerald Laser reduces fat across a wide area over a course. Exilis reduces a little fat and tightens the skin. None of them removes as much in one go as surgery, and all of them work best when the pocket is defined and your weight is roughly steady. We measure and photograph the area before and after so the result is something you can see rather than something you are told.

Can I get liposuction on the NHS?

Not for cosmetic reasons. The NHS may fund it for medical conditions such as lipoedema and lymphoedema, and your GP can tell you whether you qualify.

Is fat freezing permanent?

The fat cells that are treated die and are cleared, and they do not grow back. The cells that are left can still get bigger if you gain weight, which is true after liposuction as well.

Which is safer?

Every treatment on this page other than liposuction is non-invasive and CE marked, with no needles and nothing injected. Side effects are temporary: redness, tenderness and mild swelling, and after fat freezing a numb patch that can take around two months to fade, plus a rare risk of the treated fat becoming firmer rather than smaller, which we explain before you book. RT Aesthetics is a medically led clinic, so every plan follows our clinical protocols with a clinic medic and a qualified nurse practitioner on the team for any medical questions.

Liposuction near me: where we are

Whether you searched for liposuction Newcastle, non-surgical liposuction near me or fat removal near me, this is the clinic to talk to before you book surgery anywhere: The Knowles, Front Street, Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 4SN, about ten minutes from Newcastle city centre and the MetroCentre and about fifteen from Gateshead town centre, with free parking on Front Street and in the village car parks. Clients come from Sunderland, Durham, Hexham, Northumberland and Teesside, and evening appointments run until 8:30pm Monday to Wednesday. Your assessment is free and there is no obligation, 0% finance over 12 months is available on plans of £1,000 or more subject to a credit assessment, and we price match like-for-like clinic treatments. Call 0191 649 8699, text 07307 201681 or book a free assessment online.

Read more

• Non-surgical liposuction: every option compared
• Fat freezing in Newcastle
• Vaser liposuction vs fat freezing
• CoolSculpting vs fat freezing
• Chin lipo: the non-surgical alternatives
• Emerald Laser fat reduction
• Body sculpting and body contouring in Newcastle
• Inch loss treatment in Newcastle
• Love handles
• Mummy tummy treatment
• Fat removal in Newcastle: prices by area