Contact the Abdominal Team

What the examination establishes

Whether the fat is under the skin or inside the abdominal cavity, by feel: subcutaneous fat is soft and pinches between the fingers, while intra-abdominal fat produces a firm, round, distended abdomen that does not. Whether the skin has retained its recoil, judged by its texture and by how it behaves when lifted. Whether the muscle layer has separated, felt as a gap down the midline that widens when you lift your head against resistance. And whether a hernia is present, because that changes the operation rather than the plan alone.

What is asked about your history

Your weight over the past two years, and whether it is stable. Any pregnancies, and whether more are planned. Previous abdominal surgery, including caesarean sections, and where the scars sit. Any symptoms that could indicate a hernia. Your medications, including anything that affects clotting, and whether you smoke.

What to bring

A list of your current medications; your weight history over roughly two years; any previous abdominal imaging or surgical records; and photographs from a year or more ago if you have them, because a change over time is easier to judge against an earlier image than from memory. If you have been offered a plan elsewhere, bring it — reviewing it is a legitimate reason to book.

What happens if this is not the right operation

You will be told, and given the route that matches the finding: weight and medical treatment where the fat is inside the cavity, a skin-removing operation where the skin is the problem, a muscle repair where the layer has separated, further assessment where a hernia is suspected, or waiting where the weight is unstable or a pregnancy is planned. That is a result rather than a rejection.