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Liposuction for Patients from Utrecht

Free consultation

from $1,200

The price is fixed in the contract before surgery

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Real case
Liposuction: a patient's abdomen and flanks before and after surgery before after
Stubborn local fat that diet and exercise don't shift. Your plan is set at the consultation

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Liposuction and fat removal in Utrecht: price and key facts

Liposuction for patients from Utrecht at City Medical Centre starts at €1,100 (from $1,200). The first online consultation is free; the doctor names the final price and it is fixed in the contract.

Price
€1,100 (from $1,200)
Duration
1–4 hours
Anesthesia
local or general
Stay
home the same day (local anesthesia) or after 1 day (general anesthesia)
Recovery
back to work after 7–10 days
Final result
3–6 months after surgery
How it works
Send photos on WhatsApp or Telegram, get a free doctor assessment and the price, then confirm the plan and dates before anything is booked.

How it works · Liposuction prices

Information current as of 24 October 2026

Free online consultation on WhatsApp and Telegram

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Results

Liposuction and fat removal results
of our patients

All cases are real patients. Faces and identifying details are hidden.

Abdomen and waist

Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
Liposuction of the abdomen and waist: before and after surgerybeforeafter
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Comparison

Liposuction techniques

We use two liposuction techniques: tumescent (classic) and VASER (ultrasound). Compare the goal, the indications and the anaesthesia to choose the right technique together with your surgeon.

Tumescent liposuction

A special solution loosens fat for removal through a thin cannula

Tumescent liposuction: abdomen and thighs before and after surgery

from $1,200

Main goal
Removal of local fat with minimal blood loss
When it is done
Abdomen, flanks, thighs, back, arms, chin
Anaesthesia and stay
Local or general anaesthesia, home the same day or after 1 day

VASER liposuction

Ultrasound breaks down fat cells before vacuum removal

VASER liposuction: a male patient before and after surgery

Price at consultation

Main goal
Defined muscle relief and body contouring
When it is done
Athletic abs and delicate areas
Anaesthesia and stay
Local or general anaesthesia, 1–4 hours of surgery

The benefits and recovery times shown are averaged for each technique and given for guidance: the scope of correction and rehabilitation depend on your anatomy and individual features, and the surgeon confirms them at the consultation.

At the consultation the surgeon draws up a plan for your case and explains how your liposuction will go.

Free, before surgery and with no obligation.

Book a consultation

Zones we treat

One operation can cover several areas — you save on recovery time and on budget

  • Abdomen and waist

    The most requested area for women and men, often combined with abdominoplasty

  • Thighs (outer and inner)

    Fat deposits exercise doesn't reach

  • Back and lower back

    Back fat that spoils body contours

  • Arms and shoulder area

    Noticeable in warm weather

  • Chin and neck

    Little volume, a quick visible result

  • Knees

    A delicate zone that calls for precision

  • Chest (for men)

    Gynecomastia, pseudogynecomastia — the fat component

About the clinic

A clinic where you can feel at ease

Modern equipment, comfortable rooms and care for every patient

A doctor and a patient in a clinic ward

Contact us the way that suits you

We will answer your questions and find a convenient time for a consultation

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Request a free call

Liposuction is not for everyone

If your case can be solved without surgery, the doctor will tell you so at the consultation — and you will not spend money for nothing.

Suitable

A surgeon shows a patient on a model and a monitor how the body contour changes after liposuction
  • Local fat that resists diet and exercise
  • Uneven subcutaneous fat
  • Disrupted body proportions
  • Silhouette changes after childbirth or weight loss
  • Fat component of gynecomastia in men
  • Good skin tone and elasticity

Not suitable

A surgeon discusses the indications and contraindications for liposuction with a patient
  • Patients under 18
  • Being pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Endocrine obesity
  • Decompensated diabetes
  • Conditions affecting blood clotting
  • Serious heart, kidney or liver disease, cancer

Not sure the surgery is right for you?

Leave your number — the coordinator will call you back, and the surgeon will tell you whether liposuction suits you. No surgery booking needed.

Find out if it suits me
A surgeon goes through the treatment areas with a patient at the consultation

Prices

You know the price
before surgery

The final price is calculated individually after an examination and fixed in the contract.

Liposuction prices

  • First consultationFree
  • Flanks / waist liposuctionfrom $1,400
  • Thigh liposuction (outer)from $1,200
  • Thigh liposuction (inner)from $1,200
  • Torso liposuction — front abdominal wall, sides of abdomen and lower backfrom $3,600
Book a consultation

Find out your liposuction plan and price

The surgeon assesses the fat deposits and skin tone, listens to your wishes and chooses the right technique.

A nurse talks to a patient in a clinic ward

Message our coordinator

Free online consultation · Reply within 15 minutes

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A patient before liposuction in the operating room

all inclusive

What the price includes

From preparation for surgery
to post-op check-ups.

  • All scheduled dressings
  • Scheduled post-op check-ups
  • A personal coordinator on call
  • Compression garments fitted on the day of surgery
  • A stay in a comfortable
    hospital ward with meals
  • Individual recommendations
    for recovery
  • Remote progress monitoring
    by photos

from $1,200

Book a consultation

How it works

From consultation —
to your new contour

An agreed treatment plan, careful monitoring after surgery and post-op check-ups.

A surgeon goes through the liposuction plan with a patient on a monitor1

Consultation
and the surgical plan

The surgeon listens to your wishes, assesses the fat deposits and skin tone and rules out contraindications. A hormonal screening is also ordered — it helps predict the long-term result.

Paying the deposit by card at the clinic reception2

Booking the date
of surgery

We reserve a surgery date for you: the deposit can be paid by card at the clinic or online by bank transfer. The terms are fixed in the contract for medical services

A blood sample tube for tests before liposuction3

Check-up before
surgery

Blood tests (complete count, coagulation panel, biochemistry, infections), an ECG, a chest X-ray and, if needed, a GP consultation. All tests can be done at the clinic with no waiting.

The surgical team during the operation4

Surgery

Marking the areas and fitting compression garments. Under local or general anaesthesia the surgeon removes fat through 3–5 mm micro-punctures — from 1 hour for small areas to 3–4 hours for a combined procedure.

A hospital ward at the clinic5

Waking up
and monitoring

With local anaesthesia you go home 3–4 hours after surgery; with general anaesthesia you stay one day in a comfortable ward under medical supervision.

A surgeon and a patient in the ward during recovery6

Recovery

Compression garments for 30–45 days. First changes show at 2 weeks, once swelling subsides; the final result forms in 3–6 months. Check-ups at 7 days, 3 and 6 months.

Book a free consultation — the surgeon will plan every step with you.

A doctor discusses the liposuction plan with a patient
Book a consultation
A doctor discusses the liposuction plan with a patient

The recovery period after liposuction

After tumescent liposuction, recovery is much shorter than after a conventional procedure. Most patients return to work within 7–10 days. In the first week, mild swelling and a raised temperature are possible — a normal response to surgery. Compression garments are worn for 30–45 days: they fix the new contours and speed up tissue recovery. In the first month, bathhouse, sauna, pool and intense sport are off-limits. For the best result and faster recovery we recommend lymphatic drainage massage, pressotherapy and a gradual return to activity. First visible changes show 2 weeks after surgery, when the main swelling subsides; the final result forms in 3–6 months.

Post-op check-ups

After 7 days, at 3 months and at 6 months. Until the end of the year, get a post-surgery consultation with your surgeon to review results and get more information, at the clinic's expense.

Advantages

Why patients choose City Medical Centre

A surgeon discusses the liposuction plan with a patient at the consultation

Just find out — you lose nothing

At the consultation we discuss your wishes and assess the fat deposits and skin tone. Before surgery an endocrinologist rules out hormonal causes of the fat deposits — this improves the long-term result.

A surgeon on a video call with a patient after surgery

We stay with you after surgery

The surgeon follows your recovery and the new body contour at check-ups after 7 days, 3 and 6 months. Check-ups, dressings and aftercare advice are already included in the price of surgery.

A surgeon shows a patient a model and body contouring diagrams

A beautiful contour that fits your figure

Tumescent and VASER techniques, micro-incisions of 3–5 mm and precise volume control. Our aim is a smooth contour that keeps the natural proportions of your body.

A patient writes down a convenient visit time in her planner

Your schedule is our priority

We respect your time: we work 24/7, with easy booking and a personal approach — we adapt to your pace.

A surgeon shows a patient a tablet: no hidden fees

Fixed prices

After the consultation the surgeon defines the areas and the scope of surgery, and you get a clear price fixed in the contract — no hidden extras.

A surgeon visits a patient in the hospital ward after surgery

Round-the-clock care after surgery

With general anaesthesia recovery starts in a comfortable hospital ward under round-the-clock nursing care. The stay and meals are already included in the price.

FAQ

We answer what
people ask before booking

Other services at our clinic

Liposuction in Utrecht: price and what is included

Prices are in US dollars; the amount in brackets is an approximate conversion to EUR at the rate of 02.10.2026. The final price is fixed in your contract.

How much does liposuction in Utrecht cost?

Prices start from $1,200 (≈ €1,100) per area. The surgeon sets the final price at the free consultation, and it is fixed in the contract, with no hidden extras.

What is included in the price?

The operation under local or general anaesthesia and the surgeon's support throughout recovery. The price is per area and fixed in the contract.

How do I get my exact price?

Message us on WhatsApp or Telegram using the buttons below. A coordinator will answer your questions and book a free consultation where the doctor names the exact price.

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Liposuction in Utrecht: from consultation to result

Liposuction is a surgical method of removing excess subcutaneous fat from problem areas. It is not a weight-loss tool and does not replace diet or exercise: its purpose is targeted contouring. Patients from Utrecht most often ask about saddlebags on the thighs, a sagging belly, and fat on the back, flanks, arms or chin. Fat cells taken from treated areas do not grow back, so with a steady lifestyle the result lasts.

Here is the route in brief. Consultation and hormonal screening. Blood tests, ECG and chest X-ray at the clinic. Two weeks of preparation. Marking and compression garments on the day, then surgery under local or general anaesthesia. Observation, discharge, 30–45 days in compression and check-ups at 7 days and 3 months. Patients in Utrecht follow this same sequence.

Liposuction in Utrecht costs from $1,200 (≈ €1,100). The exact amount depends on which areas you want to correct — abdomen, flanks, thighs, back, arms, chin or knees — and on whether they are combined in one operation. The surgeon calculates it individually after the examination. The first consultation is free, and a coordinator will book it once you leave a request.

Stories of well-known people

Well-known people who spoke openly about this operation, in their own words.

All stories about this operation →

A city that moves on two wheels, and what that means for body contouring

In Utrecht, 51% of journeys within the city are made by bicycle, more than by any other mode. The bicycle parking station by Central Station holds 12,500 bicycles. For a body-contouring conversation, that shapes the questions people bring. Many people in this city are physically active in an ordinary, daily way, and still notice that one area stays stubborn: the lower abdomen, the flanks, the outer thighs, the back rolls under a waistband. Liposuction is meant for exactly this kind of problem. It removes local fat that has not responded to diet and exercise and reshapes the contour of chosen areas. It is not a method of losing weight, and the coordinators say so at the very start of every conversation.

Cycling is also a useful reference point when the doctor asks about your routine during the online consultation. Someone who rides to work or to lectures every day has a different baseline from someone who sits for most of the day, and that baseline matters for the plan. It affects how quickly you can expect to return to your normal routine and how the first weeks of recovery should be organised. The service foresees that most patients are back at work after 7–10 days. In the first month, intense sport is off-limits, and that includes brisk, sweaty cycling, so the doctor discusses how to bridge those weeks without losing the habit.

Utrecht is also a city of clubs and organised sport. SV Kampong has 4,500 members and is described as the largest amateur sports club in the Netherlands. The city hosted the Grand Depart and first stage of the Tour de France in July 2015 and the European Youth Olympic Festival in July 2013. None of this means the city's residents are uniformly slim or uniformly fit. It does mean that a conversation about "fat that does not go away even though I train" is a realistic one here. The doctor will look at your photos, ask about your habits and tell you honestly whether liposuction is the right tool or whether the question is really about weight, hormones or skin.

If your case can be solved without an operation, you will hear that at the consultation. The suitability list is clear: local fat that resists diet and exercise, uneven subcutaneous fat, disrupted proportions, silhouette changes after childbirth or weight loss, and the fat component of gynecomastia in men. Good skin tone and elasticity also count in your favour.

Weight that holds steady: what the national figures say

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that in 2024, 50.4% of Dutch adults aged 18 and over were overweight (BMI of 25 or higher), and 15.7% of them were obese (BMI of 30 or higher). In 2014 the figures were 49.4% and 13.3%. Another CBS release says that in 2023, 16% of adults aged 20 and over were obese, three times the 5% recorded in the early 1980s. These figures are about the whole country, not about Utrecht, and they should not be read as a statement about the city's residents. But they explain why the weight question comes before the contour question in every responsible consultation.

Liposuction works best when your weight is already stable. The doctor will ask how your weight has moved over the past years, whether you have just lost a lot, and whether you are planning a pregnancy or a new diet. Removed fat cells do not come back, but the remaining ones can grow if you gain weight. So a stable weight, a balanced diet and regular physical activity are the foundation for a lasting result. The service does not require a strict diet after the operation, but nutrition matters for keeping the new shape.

If your weight is unstable, the first step is a nutritionist or an endocrinologist, not an operation. Endocrine obesity and decompensated diabetes are on the list of reasons liposuction is not suitable. That is why the plan includes a hormonal screening and why an endocrinologist rules out hormonal causes of the fat deposits before any date is booked. This improves the long-term result, and it is also a way of protecting you from an operation you do not need.

There is a separate path for people whose weight problem is large enough to affect health. The Dutch basic package covers bariatric surgery for adults in defined situations: a BMI above 40, or a BMI of 35–40 with a related condition, or type 2 diabetes with a BMI of 30 or more. Strict conditions apply, and a lifestyle programme is typically tried first. Liposuction is a different thing from that route. If, after looking at your photos and history, the doctor thinks your situation belongs there, the coordinator will tell you directly rather than steer you toward contouring.

Compression garments between a 6.1 °C January and a 23.1 °C July

The compression garment is the most visible practical part of recovery. It is fitted on the day of the operation and worn for 30–45 days. It fixes the new contours and helps the tissues recover. The question patients in Utrecht raise most often is how that will feel in daily life, and the answer depends on the season in which the operation falls.

The climate figures from the De Bilt station for 1991–2020 give a realistic picture. The warmest month, July, has a mean maximum of 23.1 °C and a mean minimum of 13.0 °C; August is 22.9 °C and 12.5 °C. The annual mean maximum is 14.6 °C and the mean minimum 6.3 °C. A record of 37.5 °C was set in July, so a hot spell is possible, even though it is not typical. In a warm week a snug garment under light clothing is noticeably less comfortable, and it is worth planning softer fabrics, loose outer layers and cool rooms for sleeping. The doctor will tell you what is and is not allowed, and the coordinator can answer questions about how to wash and rotate the garment.

In winter the picture is different. January has a mean maximum of 6.1 °C and a mean minimum of 0.9 °C; February is 7.0 °C and 0.7 °C; December is 6.7 °C and 1.6 °C. The record low is −24.8 °C in January. In those months the garment is a thin extra layer, and for many people it is simply less of a nuisance. Relative humidity is 82% over a year and 89% in November and December, and there are about 25 snow days a year, so damp and cold are a normal background. The practical point is dressing: add layers over the garment rather than tightening it, and avoid anything that creates pressure points.

Neither season is better or worse medically. The service does not say that one time of year changes the outcome. The first visible changes appear around 2 weeks after the operation, when the main swelling subsides, and the final result forms in 3–6 months. What the season changes is comfort, clothing and the activities you can enjoy during the first month. The doctor will help you choose a date that suits your calendar, and the date is confirmed before anything is booked.

Insurance in the Dutch system: what is and is not covered

Many people in the Netherlands ask first whether their health insurer will pay. The Dutch health care institute (Zorginstituut Nederland) states that plastic surgery is covered by basic insurance only with a medical reason. Examples are a functional impairment, or a directly visible disfigurement caused by an accident, an illness or a treatment, and some congenital conditions. Surgery only to improve appearance is not covered, and neither is surgery for psychological or social reasons. For body contouring in the sense described here, you should assume it is a self-funded decision.

The same source is explicit about two cases that people often ask about. Liposuction for lipedema is not covered, and Botox without a medical reason is not covered. If you have been told that your problem is lipedema, you should know that the insurer's rule does not make it a covered operation. The service text does not describe lipedema treatment, so the doctor will only discuss what is in the plan: removing local fat and reshaping contours, with the usual suitability checks.

For plastic surgery that is covered, there is no co-payment, but the costs fall under the mandatory annual deductible (eigen risico). GP care is exempt from that deductible. Some insurers require prior approval, known as a machtiging, before covered treatment. If you think your situation might involve a medical reason, ask your insurer about this first. The coordinator can explain what documents are usually useful to have in front of you, but the decision on coverage belongs to the insurer and not to us.

What you can compare, whatever the insurance position, is clarity. The final price for liposuction is set by the doctor after the consultation and fixed in the contract before the operation, with no hidden extras. The price includes scheduled dressings, scheduled post-operative check-ups, a personal coordinator on call, compression garments fitted on the day, a stay in a comfortable hospital ward with meals, individual recovery recommendations, and remote progress monitoring by photos. When you write to the coordinator, you can ask for that list in writing and compare it with anything else you are considering.

Fitting recovery into Utrecht's calendar

The service describes a short recovery for tumescent liposuction: most patients return to work within 7–10 days. In the first week, mild swelling and a raised temperature are possible and are a normal response. Heavy lifting and physical exertion are best avoided for the first 7 days. For 4–6 weeks you wear the garment and avoid the bathhouse, sauna, pool and active sport. Alcohol and tanning beds should be avoided for at least a month. These are the fixed points, and a calendar can be built around them.

Utrecht's year has recognisable dates. Dutch public holidays include 1 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, King's Day on 27 April, Liberation Day on 5 May, Ascension, Whit Sunday and Monday, and 25 and 26 December. Good Friday is not a mandatory paid holiday. For someone planning around work, a long weekend at Easter or around Ascension can cover part of the first days at home. It does not replace the 7–10 days that most patients need, so check how many working days you really have before choosing a date.

The city's cultural calendar can also matter if you want to be fully recovered for a particular event. Le Guess Who? runs for four days in mid-November in venues across the city, and the Netherlands Film Festival is held every year in Utrecht in September and October. Both involve standing, walking and crowds, and neither is a good idea in the first weeks after an operation. If one of them is important to you, plan the operation so that the first month has passed before it. The final result takes 3–6 months to form, so do not judge your contour on the day of a festival. First changes show at around 2 weeks, and an interim result is expected at 1.5–2 months.

Students form a large part of the city: about 67,000 study in Utrecht, and just over 33,000 of them live in the city. Hogeschool Utrecht has about 37,000 students, and Utrecht University, founded in 1636, is the largest university in the Netherlands. The service is for adults aged 18 and over without contraindications, and there is no upper age limit. For students and young adults with a tight term schedule, the short recovery period and the option of local anaesthesia, with a return home 3–4 hours after the operation, make planning easier. Exam periods and placements are worth mentioning to the coordinator.

How an online consultation works when you live in a city of canals and bicycles

Utrecht is compact: the municipality covers 99.21 km², of which 93.83 km² is land and 5.38 km² water. The urban area has 489,734 inhabitants and the metropolitan area 656,342. The city had 378,140 inhabitants on 1 January 2026 and expects about 400,000 by 2030, 450,000 by 2039 and 488,000 by 2045. It is the capital of the province of Utrecht. About 52.5% of households are single-person households, and about 52% of residents are female. For many of them, the first consultation is simply a message on a phone in the evening.

That suits the way this service works. You send photos on WhatsApp or Telegram, the doctor assesses them and names the price, and you confirm the plan and the dates before anything is booked. The first consultation is free and carries no obligation. The coordinators reply round the clock, so a question that occurs to you on a dark December evening, when sunshine is only 55.5 hours for the month, can be sent immediately. January has 66.6 hours of sunshine, while May has 217.5 and July 213.9, for 1,714.6 hours in a year. The conversation does not depend on any of that, and it does not depend on your being near a particular building.

Useful photos are simple. Stand in even light, in plain underwear, and send the front, both sides and the back. Take them on the same day and in the same position, and do not hold in your stomach. Mention any previous operations, medicines and chronic conditions. The doctor needs to judge fat deposits, skin tone and elasticity. If the tone is reduced or stretch marks are present, the specialists may recommend preparatory treatments that improve the skin in advance.

The geography of Utrecht gives one small, honest comparison. The Oudegracht is the central curved canal, following part of an ancient Rhine branch, and the old Rhine bed is the Kromme Rijn. The Vaartse Rijn links the city to the Hollandse IJssel at IJsselstein, and the moat ring around the old town was partly restored as a waterway, completed in 2020. At an elevation of about 5 m, the city is flat, so walks along the water are an easy, low-impact form of activity. After the first week, a gradual return to activity is recommended, and short, gentle walks fit that advice well. Lymphatic drainage massage and pressotherapy are also recommended for faster recovery.

Preparation and the first weeks, step by step

Preparation starts with the consultation. The doctor listens to your wishes, assesses the fat deposits and skin tone, and rules out contraindications. Liposuction is not suitable under the age of 18, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, in endocrine obesity, in decompensated diabetes, with blood coagulation disorders, or with serious heart, kidney or liver disease or cancer. If you are not sure, the coordinator can call you back so that you can find out whether it suits you, and booking an operation is not needed for that.

Before the operation, you stop smoking, alcohol and medications that affect clotting, such as aspirin, 7–10 days earlier. The pre-operative tests are blood tests (complete count, coagulation panel, biochemistry, infections), an ECG, a chest X-ray and, if needed, a GP consultation. You will receive all instructions after the first consultation. In the Dutch setting, it helps to tell your own GP what you are planning, since your GP knows your history and medication.

On the day, the areas are marked and the compression garment is fitted. Under local or general anaesthesia, fat is removed through micro-punctures of 3–5 mm. The duration is from 1 hour for small areas to 3–4 hours for a combined procedure. A single operation can treat several areas, such as the abdomen and flanks, or the inner and outer thighs. With local anaesthesia you go home 3–4 hours afterwards. With general anaesthesia, you stay one day in a comfortable ward under medical supervision.

Afterwards, check-ups take place at 7 days, at 3 months and at 6 months. Swelling and bruising subside by weeks 4–5. Remote monitoring by photos lets the doctor follow your recovery, and the personal coordinator remains on call. Two techniques are used: tumescent, where a special solution loosens the fat for removal through a thin cannula, and VASER, where ultrasound breaks down fat cells before vacuum removal. VASER is intended for defined muscle relief, athletic abdominal definition and delicate areas. The doctor will explain which fits your anatomy.

Is January in Utrecht a good month to plan liposuction, given the cold and damp?

Medically, the service does not say that any month changes the result. What changes is comfort. January in the De Bilt normals has a mean maximum of 6.1 °C and a mean minimum of 0.9 °C, with about 6 snow days, so you would wear the compression garment under warm layers. That can be pleasant. The garment is worn for 30–45 days, and the first month excludes sauna, pool and intense sport anyway. The doctor will help you choose a date that suits your calendar.

How will a compression garment feel during a warm July or August in Utrecht?

July has a mean maximum of 23.1 °C and August 22.9 °C, with a record of 37.5 °C in July. In typical weather this is mild, but a hot spell makes a snug garment less comfortable. Choose loose outer clothing, keep the bedroom cool, and ask the coordinator how to wash and alternate the garment. Do not loosen it on your own to feel cooler, because it fixes the new contours and helps the tissues recover. Ask the doctor if something rubs or presses.

I cycle every day. When can I get back on the bike?

The service says that in the first 7 days you should skip physical exertion and heavy lifting. For 4–6 weeks, you wear compression garments and avoid bathhouse, sauna, pool and active sport. Most patients return to work within 7–10 days, and a gradual return to activity is recommended. Whether a short, calm ride to work is acceptable earlier depends on the areas treated and on how you feel. Ask the doctor for a specific recommendation at the consultation, rather than guessing from the average.

Does Dutch basic health insurance cover liposuction?

Not for appearance alone. The Dutch health care institute says plastic surgery is covered only with a medical reason, such as a functional impairment or a directly visible disfigurement from an accident, illness or treatment. Surgery only to beautify appearance is not covered, and neither is surgery for psychological or social reasons. Liposuction for lipedema is also named as not covered. If you think a medical reason applies, check with your insurer first, because some insurers require prior approval, called a machtiging.

What does the Dutch deductible mean if some plastic surgery is covered?

According to the institute, there is no co-payment for covered plastic surgery, but the costs fall under the mandatory annual deductible, called the eigen risico. GP care is exempt from it. That rule belongs to the insurance system and concerns only treatment that qualifies as covered. For contouring that is done for appearance, the price is simply fixed in the contract after the consultation. Ask your insurer for the exact current figure rather than relying on a general answer.

Should I lose weight first, given the national obesity figures?

Liposuction is not a weight-loss method. CBS reports that in 2024, 50.4% of Dutch adults were overweight and 15.7% of them obese, so weight is a common question. If your weight is unstable, the service recommends seeing a nutritionist or endocrinologist first. Removed fat cells do not come back, but the remaining ones can grow with weight gain. The doctor will ask about your weight history and, if needed, arrange a hormonal screening before the plan is confirmed.

What if my BMI is high enough that bariatric surgery is the real question?

In the Dutch basic package, bariatric surgery for adults is covered with a BMI above 40, or a BMI of 35–40 with comorbidity, or type 2 diabetes with a BMI of 30 or more. Strict conditions apply, and a lifestyle programme is typically tried first. That route is separate from liposuction. If your photos and history suggest it fits you better, the coordinator will say so, and you will not be pushed toward a contouring operation that would not solve the underlying problem.

Can I plan the operation around Easter, King's Day or Ascension to save working days?

You can use public holidays as a cushion, but not as the whole plan. The service describes a return to work within 7–10 days for most patients. Easter Sunday and Monday, King's Day on 27 April, Liberation Day on 5 May, Ascension, and Whit Sunday and Monday fall at different times, and Good Friday is not a mandatory paid holiday. Count your real working days, add a margin for swelling, and tell the coordinator your deadline so the date can be set realistically.

I live alone, as many people in Utrecht do. How do I manage the first day?

About 52.5% of households in the city are single-person households, so this is a normal situation. With local anaesthesia, you go home 3–4 hours after the operation. With general anaesthesia, you stay one day in a ward under medical supervision. The personal coordinator is on call round the clock, and progress is monitored remotely by photos. Still, arrange for a friend or relative to be reachable on the first evening, prepare simple food, and have the compression garment and instructions within easy reach.

When will I see the contour, and should I schedule an event for a specific month?

First changes show about 2 weeks after the operation, when the main swelling subsides. An interim result is expected at 1.5–2 months, and the final contour forms in 3–6 months. If you have a festival, wedding or season in mind, such as mid-November or the autumn film festival, plan so that at least the first month has passed. Do not expect the final contour on a fixed day, because every body adapts at its own pace.