A fleur de lis abdominoplasty adds a vertical incision up the midline to the usual horizontal one. That second incision is what allows skin to be tightened side to side as well as top to bottom, and it is chosen almost entirely by patients who have lost a great deal of weight. It is a longer operation than the standard version the national average is drawn from, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons average cost of a tummy tuck of $8,174 as a surgeon fee excluding anesthesia, operating room facilities and other related expenses.
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What the second incision costs in theatre time
The vertical component lengthens the operation, and theatre time is the meter the anesthesia and facility lines run on. So the increase over a standard abdominoplasty appears on three lines rather than one: a larger surgeon fee for a longer and more complex closure, a larger anesthesia bill, and a larger facility bill. A quote that raises only the surgeon fee for a fleur de lis is worth reading again.
Why it is a weight-loss operation rather than a cosmetic upgrade
The trade-off is a permanent vertical scar in exchange for tightening that a horizontal incision cannot deliver. Patients who have lost a great deal of weight often have exactly that pattern of excess and accept the trade readily; patients who do not have it gain nothing from the second incision. This is a clinical judgement made on examination, and this record does not make it. What it does is price what is published.
Where the panniculectomy question comes in
Massive weight loss patients are also the group most likely to have a pannus, and the ASPS panniculectomy page says health insurance may cover that reconstructive procedure in some instances, while publishing no average for it. If part of what is being removed is an overhanging apron, the funding route for that part may be different from the funding route for the cosmetic tightening, and that is a conversation to have with the insurer in advance.
Questions people ask about fleur de lis tummy tuck
How much does a fleur de lis tummy tuck cost?
No national average is published for the variant. The ASPS average for abdominoplasty is $8,174 as a surgeon fee excluding anesthesia and facility, and a fleur de lis is a longer operation than that standard case.
Why does it cost more than a standard tummy tuck?
The vertical incision lengthens the operation, which raises the surgeon, anesthesia and facility lines together rather than the headline alone.
Who is it for?
Generally patients after substantial weight loss whose skin excess runs side to side as well as up and down. The examination decides it.
Could insurance cover part of it?
Possibly the panniculectomy component. ASPS says insurance may cover panniculectomy surgery in some instances and advises consulting the insurer in advance.