Contact & abdominal assessment

If something is wrong now

Do not wait for a routine appointment. Sudden breathlessness, chest pain or a swollen painful calf, a wound that has come apart, skin at the closure turning dark, blistered or black, a fever with spreading redness or a foul-smelling discharge, fluid collecting until the abdomen is tense, or a belly button turning dark needs emergency or same-day care. Contact your treating team first; if the team cannot be reached, call the hospital main line, and for a red-flag finding go to the nearest emergency department.

Arranging an assessment

Where the wound has healed, the abdomen is comfortable and the concern is the scar, the belly button or returning laxity, appointments are made through the hospital outpatient line or through the appointment service described on the appointments page. Say that you are asking about an abdomen after previous body contouring surgery so that the right clinic time is booked.

What to bring

Bring the operating note from the previous operation if you can obtain it, along with the date, the name of the surgeon and any aftercare instructions you were given. Bring a record of your weight over the months since the operation, because the direction it has moved is part of what decides whether a revision is worth doing. Bring a list of your medicines and allergies, and mention any condition that affects healing.

What the assessment covers

The closure line along its whole length, the umbilicus for colour, sensation and position, whether fluid is collecting, how the abdominal wall repair is holding, how much skin remains and how mobile it is, the position and quality of the existing scar, and the weight history. Standardised photographs are taken so that change can be judged at the next visit. You should leave knowing whether anything needs to be done now, what the abdomen is likely to do next, and what a second operation could realistically change.

Fees, records and privacy

This site does not quote prices, because the plan depends on the assessment and is discussed directly at consultation. Clinical photographs are taken for planning and follow-up and are not published or used for teaching without a separate consent that you are free to refuse.