Extended tummy tuck in Turkey: for skin that wraps to the sides

If you've lost a large amount of weight, through diet, exercise or bariatric surgery, and you're left with a curtain of loose skin that doesn't stop at the front but wraps around your flanks and hips, a standard tummy tuck may not be enough. This is where the extended tummy tuck comes in. It's one of the more involved body procedures in our plastic and aesthetic surgery programme, and this guide explains, honestly, what it can and can't do.

It's general information to help you prepare, not medical advice.

What an extended tummy tuck does

An extended tummy tuck is a form of abdominoplasty. Like a full tummy tuck it removes excess lower-abdominal skin, tightens the tummy and usually repairs separated abdominal muscles (a gap called diastasis recti). The difference is reach: the incision is carried further around each side, toward the flanks and hips, so the surgeon can pull in and remove skin that laxity has left hanging around the whole waistline.

Front, sides and hips

After major weight loss, skin that was stretched for years often can't shrink back. On many people that loose skin isn't limited to the belly: it rolls over the top of the hips and gathers at the flanks (the "muffin top" that persists even at a healthy weight). A front-only operation can't reach it. By extending the incision, the surgeon re-drapes the skin around a longer arc, producing a flatter, smoother line that continues around the sides.

Muscle repair and contour

Pregnancy and weight gain can separate the vertical abdominal muscles down the midline, leaving a bulge that stays even in slim, fit people. During the operation the surgeon can stitch these muscles back together, rebuilding the core wall. Targeted liposuction of the flanks is often added to refine the contour where the extended incision reaches.

An extended tummy tuck is not a weight-loss operation. It removes loose skin and tightens muscle. It isn't a shortcut to a lower number on the scales, and it works best once your weight has already stabilised.

Full vs extended vs belt lipectomy

"Tummy tuck" covers a family of operations that differ mainly in how far the correction reaches. The right one depends on where your loose skin sits and how far it travels around your body. Your surgeon matches the technique to your anatomy, never the other way round.

If your loose skin genuinely circles the entire waist, including the back, a post-bariatric body-contouring approach such as a 360° belt lipectomy may correct more than a front-and-sides extended tummy tuck can. If your laxity is limited to a little skin below the navel, a mini tummy tuck may be all you need, and being told you need less than you asked for is good care, not a lost sale. For the standard operation, see our full tummy tuck guide.

Are you a candidate after weight loss?

An extended tummy tuck gives its best and safest results for people who are:

• at a stable weight, ideally maintained for several months, so the result isn't undone by further loss or regain;
• troubled by loose skin that wraps from the front around to the flanks and hips, not just the lower belly;
• non-smokers, or willing to stop well before and after surgery, because smoking badly impairs wound healing over a long incision;
• in good general health, with realistic expectations about the longer scar and a staged recovery.

Because this operation is so common after large weight loss, your surgeon's experience with post-bariatric bodies matters. For body-contouring work at SaluVista, that's Assoc. Prof. Emre G., an academic plastic surgeon whose practice includes body contouring after major weight loss. You speak with your surgeon before you travel, and a qualified human, not an algorithm, makes the final decision after examining you.

The scar, honestly

An extended tummy tuck leaves a permanent scar, and a longer one than a full tummy tuck. Removing more skin means a longer stitched incision. There's no way around it. The main scar runs low and horizontal across the abdomen and then curves up around each flank toward the hips, positioned so that underwear or swimwear can usually cover the front and most of the sides. A small scar around the repositioned navel is also usual.

The scar is raised and pink at first and fades over roughly a year to a paler, flatter line. It never disappears entirely. How it matures depends partly on your skin and genetics, which no surgeon can fully control. Anyone promising a "scarless" result is not being straight with you.

You are trading a longer scar you can largely hide for a flatter, firmer waistline. That trade is worth it for many people after big weight loss. Only you can decide if it's worth it for you.

Recovery, step by step

An extended tummy tuck is major surgery with a long incision. Recovery is staged over weeks to months. Rushing it risks the result. A realistic picture:

• First week: a short hospital stay, then rest. You'll feel tight and sore, move in a slightly bent posture at first, and wear a compression garment. Drains are sometimes used and removed early on.
• Weeks 2–4: most people take two to four weeks off work and normal activity, standing straighter each week. Light walking is encouraged to reduce clot risk; heavy lifting is not.
• Around 6 weeks: strenuous exercise and core work are typically resumed only around this point, or when your surgeon says so.
• Months ahead: swelling settles gradually over months, the final shape emerges slowly, and the scar keeps fading for about a year.

Because you travel for surgery, your recovery is planned around a safe stay in Istanbul and clear aftercare once you're home, with your surgeon reachable through the app.

Cost in Turkey

At SaluVista an extended tummy tuck starts from £4,200 (≈ €4,960). That's a guide "from" price, not a flat fee: the exact figure depends on how much skin is removed, whether flank liposuction is combined, and your overall health. Your final price is confirmed in a transparent, itemised quote after an individual assessment, so you can see exactly what's included.

For context within the family of operations, a mini tummy tuck starts from £2,520 and a full tummy tuck from £3,675; a 360° belt lipectomy, for skin that circles the whole waist, from £5,095. Price should never decide this. They do different jobs, and the honest answer is the operation that fits your body, not the cheapest line on a list.

Safety & combining procedures

Any major abdominal operation carries real risks. They include bleeding, infection, delayed wound healing, blood clots and, over a long incision, the chance of areas healing more slowly. These risks are managed with proper screening, but they can't be wished away. The UK's NHS guidance on cosmetic procedures is a good neutral primer on asking the right questions before any aesthetic surgery.

It can be tempting to combine an extended tummy tuck with other work (liposuction, a body-contouring stage, or breast surgery) in one trip. Sometimes that's reasonable; often it's safer to stage operations, because combining longer procedures increases operating and anaesthetic time and, with it, risk. A responsible surgeon prioritises safety over convenience. They'll tell you when two trips are wiser than one. Choosing a suitably qualified surgeon and accredited facility matters. The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) explains what to look for.

Combining procedures can be efficient, but it's never a discount worth taking if it stretches a single operation beyond what's safe for you.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• NHS — Cosmetic procedures
• ISAPS — International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Keep reading

Guide

Tummy tuck in Turkey — the full guide

Guide

Mini tummy tuck — is it enough?

Decide

Body contouring after major weight loss