Beauty Link is a concierge, not a hospital. We introduce you to cosmetic hospitals the Ministry of Health has licensed, in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, at no cost to you.
Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS, Beauty Link team records
Why there is no single price
Healthdirect says costs are different in each case, and you should ask your surgeon about fees before the operation. For the surgeon's share, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) points to their experience, their location and the kind of lipo you have. The NHS says the price depends on where you go and the body areas being treated.
Sources: healthdirect Australia, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS
What a liposuction quote usually includes
ASPS lists the parts that can make up the total cost of liposuction:
- the surgeon who does the suction
- the anaesthetist
- the hospital or surgical facility
- tests and x-rays before surgery
- compression garments for after
- medicines on prescription
The NHS says most people stay in hospital overnight after liposuction. Healthdirect says some people need a short hospital stay. Ask how many nights your quote covers, and what a longer stay would add.
Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS, healthdirect Australia
The things that change your quote
Which areas, and how many. Healthdirect says liposuction is most often used on the thighs, buttocks, abdomen, arms, neck and under the chin, and also on areas such as the back. ASPS names the hips too. ASPS says special care is needed when large amounts of fat are removed, usually more than five litres. Ask how each extra area changes the plan and the quote.
Technique. ASPS describes several methods. Traditional liposuction uses a hollow tube called a cannula and suction. Other methods add vibration, ultrasound (VASER is a newer form), a laser or a water jet. Ask which method your quote assumes, and why your surgeon suggests it. One risk healthdirect lists for ultrasound methods is burns to the skin or deeper tissue.
Anaesthesia. Lipo is done under a local or a general anaesthetic, per healthdirect. The NHS says general anaesthesia is usual, and an epidural may be used for lower parts of the body. Your doctor recommends the type, and anaesthesia fees are one of the costs ASPS lists.
Other surgery at the same time. Some people have liposuction alongside another procedure, such as a tummy tuck. Healthdirect also says there may be loose skin after liposuction, and a different procedure may be needed to remove it. ASPS notes that soft, thin skin from stretch marks, weight loss or ageing reshapes less well after suction. If loose skin worries you, see our tummy tuck cost guide.
Sources: healthdirect Australia, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS
Garments, medicines and check ups
After surgery you wear a compression garment or an elastic support to reduce swelling. The NHS says it should be worn all the time for several weeks. You may take antibiotics and pain relief. Stitches usually come out after about a week, unless they dissolve. Healthdirect says to expect pain for many days. How long each of these lasts for you is a question for your surgeon.
So ask the hospital:
- How many garments are included, and can I buy more there?
- Are medicines to take home part of the quote?
- Which follow-up check ups are included, and when is stitch removal?
Sources: NHS, healthdirect Australia, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
What the hospital quote leaves out
- Time in Vietnam. The NHS's published advice is not to fly for 5 to 7 days after liposuction, because surgery and air travel both raise the risk of a blood clot. Your surgeon will say what applies to your own recovery.
- Insurance. Do not count on Medicare, which healthdirect says does not cover liposuction; private health funds often will not either. For travel cover, Smartraveller says a basic policy rarely includes medical tourism, so look at a specialised one.
- Complications. Leave room in your lipo budget for problems, since Smartraveller says a complication can add cost. Healthdirect suggests asking if there will be extra costs for further surgery due to complications.
Sources: NHS, healthdirect Australia, Smartraveller
Why a lower quote is not the whole story
Smartraveller asks you to consider all possible costs. Set any saving against risk, the NHS says, because standards abroad may be lower. Smartraveller wants three things checked: local accreditation for the hospital, the surgeon's qualifications, and how the lipo risks you are told compare with what you hear in Australia. If a hospital abroad suggests much lower risks than you hear at home, Smartraveller says to be wary.
ASPS lists risks that include infection, fluid build up, uneven contours, changes in skin feeling, blood clots and the need for revision surgery. For the broader safety picture, read whether plastic surgery in Vietnam is safe.
Our own view: a lipo quote should not be your first and only step, because some people should not be approved for surgery at all.
Sources: Smartraveller, NHS, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Questions to ask before you compare quotes
Ask each hospital to list what its quote includes. At your consultation, ask for these answers in writing:
- Which areas, which technique and which anaesthesia does this quote assume?
- How many nights in hospital are included?
- Are tests, garments, medicines and stitch removal included?
- What happens, and what is the cost, if I need care for a complication?
- What if I need further surgery later?
- How many days after surgery should I plan to stay before I fly home?
Sources: healthdirect Australia, NHS, Smartraveller
How Beauty Link helps you compare
To make quotes easy to compare, we open a WhatsApp chat for you, a Beauty Link advisor and each hospital's staff. Each hospital explains who it is, what lipo options might fit, and what its written quote covers. The advisor stays in that chat to help with messages and translation.
Once you book, we arrange your pickup from the airport in Vietnam. A Beauty Link advisor checks in while you heal there and again after you fly home. You never pay Beauty Link for this help, since our fee comes from the hospital. See also our plastic surgery cost guide, the liposuction in Vietnam guide and how we check a hospital.
Sources: Beauty Link team records
Questions
There is no lipo price list on this site. A quote can cover the surgeon, anaesthesia, the hospital, tests, garments and medicines, and the NHS says the price changes with the body areas treated. Ask how many hospital nights are included. Healthdirect says costs differ in each case, and to ask your surgeon about fees and costs before the procedure.
No. Per healthdirect, the suction takes fat from just under the skin and leaves the visceral fat around your organs where it is. Healthdirect says it reshapes certain areas by removing fat from them.
That is not what lipo is for. Healthdirect says it suits people of normal weight with firm, elastic skin and excess fat in certain areas. ASPS says it is not a treatment for obesity or a substitute for diet and exercise. Your surgeon can tell you whether it suits you.
The NHS says results are generally long lasting if you keep a healthy weight. ASPS says a healthy diet and fitness help keep the change, but large weight gain can alter it. Your surgeon can tell you what to expect in your case.
The NHS recommends no flights for 5 to 7 days after liposuction, because of the risk of a blood clot. Stitch removal is often around the one week mark, so ask whether you should stay for it. Your surgeon sets your date and says what fits your own recovery.
No. Comparing lipo quotes with us costs you nothing; our fee is paid by the hospital.
Sources: healthdirect Australia, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS, Smartraveller