Plastic Reconstruct­ive Surgery

There are many reasons you may consider private plastic reconstructive surgery. Maybe you were born with a skin or soft tissue defect. Maybe you have tissue damage due to surgery for breast cancer or a sarcoma. Perhaps you have old scars that you’d like to make less noticeable.

Plastic reconstructive surgery can also address the physical changes that can follow bariatric and medical weight loss surgery. By targeting issues like excess skin and weakened muscles, we can help you feel more comfortable and confident after significant weight loss.

You might also be recovering from a traumatic injury caused by an accident, impact or violent event. Our expert team specialises in surgery to support your recovery from a range of conditions, including burns, facial injuries and injuries to your hands, arms, legs or feet. We focus on restoring function and movement, easing discomfort and modifying your appearance.

While the idea of having surgery may come with feelings of anxiety, our team is here to help you make the choices that are best for you. Our extensive expertise across a variety of procedures allows us to create a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs.

Plastic reconstructive surgery can be a long process, often involving more than one procedure to get the results you want. Our expert plastic surgeons guide you through each step and explain the best surgical options for your case. They combine the latest plastic reconstructive techniques with compassionate care to help you achieve the best possible outcome.

Soft tissue coverage and complex wound treatment

There are many factors that can affect soft tissue damage. Whether you have a large wound or extensive scarring involving more than your skin — such as your muscles, tendons and bones — our experts can help.

Our surgeons often use microsurgery in plastic reconstruction procedures that require better skin coverage for hard-to-treat wounds. With microsurgery, we can reconstruct areas where you may have lost muscle, tendon or bone, including in breast reconstruction. We do this by moving skin from one place to another to cover your wound.

The techniques we use include:

• Skin graft: We remove a thin section of healthy skin from one part of your body and transfer it to cover your wound.
• Local flap: We transfer tissue next to the wound to cover the damage — particularly in small areas, such as skin cancer excisions.
• Pedicled flap: We move a section of healthy tissue with a connected blood supply through a skin tunnel to a nearby damaged area.
• Free flap: We remove healthy tissue completely from a different part of your body and transplant it to the damaged site, carefully reconnecting the blood supply.

Sarcoma plastic reconstruction

During sarcoma surgery, the surgeon often has to remove not only the tumour, but also tissue surrounding the area (margin). This can result in scarring and damage. With plastic reconstructive surgery, we can help improve the scarring and work to repair damage. Your consultant will guide you to the best option for plastic reconstruction and answer any questions you may have along the way.

Post-bariatric and medical weight loss body contouring

Our surgeons specialise in addressing the unwanted side effects of bariatric and medical weight loss surgery, such as excess skin or weak abdominal muscles, which sometimes lead to hernias. Post-bariatric and medical weight loss body contouring procedures may include:

• Removing loose skin
• Lifting the skin and tissues in your arms, tummy, breasts or buttocks
• Redistributing fat
• Removing excess breast tissue in males (gynecomastia)

In addition to addressing medical concerns, post-bariatric and medical weight loss body contouring can support your psychological well-being by:

• Modifying your appearance and helping you feel more confident
• Providing a sense of completion to your weight loss journey
• Helping prevent skin infections and irritations caused by excess skin

Our plastic surgeons will work closely with you to make sure plastic reconstructive surgery is a good fit. Typically, we recommend waiting until your weight has stabilised before having skin surgery. Once you’ve had surgery, we’ll guides you through the next steps — including wearing supportive garments and doing physiotherapy to help with your recovery.

Flexible Payment Options for Plastic Reconstructive Surgery

We offer options when it comes to paying for private plastic reconstructive surgery. You can choose to self-pay or use private medical insurance. We also offer convenient, self-funding payment plans through our partner Chrysalis Finance.

Our team works to provide you with the most exact estimate possible. Have questions? Our experienced billing specialists are here to guide you through every step. You can call for a price estimate or more information on +44 20 3423 7500.

What’s Next?

The decision to have plastic reconstructive surgery can be the start of a long but very worthwhile journey. At Cleveland Clinic London, we’ll guide you through it all. From helping you get the quick booking for your first evaluation to the surgery itself, we’re here for you. We want you to feel confident and comfortable, so we take the time to answer all your questions and listen to your needs. This is a journey, but it’s one you won’t have to make on your own — we’ll be by your side.