How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong?

By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 23rd June 2023. Welcome to our guide on tummy tuck negligence claims. In it, we offer guidance to those who’ve had a tummy tuck gone bad or tummy tucks gone wrong by botched surgery.

We explain how they could get compensation for the harm they’ve suffered from a botched tummy tuck. We give guidance on botched signs of a bad tummy tuck. If a tummy tuck has gone wrong, you’ll see how much compensation you could receive if you’ve suffered abdominoplasty gone wrong.

There’s an insight into compensation payouts for a tummy tuck gone wrong in 2022. Plus, we answer questions of ‘how long do you have to claim for a tummy tuck gone wrong?’ and where to get help after a botched or bad tummy tuck.

Have you been the victim of a tummy tuck gone wrong?

If you have been the victim of tummy tuck negligence, you may rightly be thinking about making a personal injury claim. From bad tummy tuck scars to severe stomach pain, there are many things that can go wrong with this procedure. At Accident Claims, we have helped many people launch tummy tuck negligence claims for a tummy tuck gone wrong.

You can reach us on 0800 073 8801 to discuss your case if you’ve noticed signs of a bad tummy tuck and have had this confirmed. But, before you do so, continue reading to find out more about this type of claim.

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Cosmetic Surgery Claims – A Guide To Compensation For Bad Flat Stomach Surgery

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Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong Claims Guide

In this guide, we will cover the process of claiming cosmetic surgery compensation after a tummy tuck. A tummy tuck is type of operation also known as an abdominoplasty surgery which is used to remove extra skin, scars, stretch marks and fat from the stomach area.

All medical professionals have a responsibility to provide you with the correct level of care. If they fail to do so, this is known as medical negligence. If you can prove you were caused harm due to medical negligence, you may be able to make a cosmetic surgery claims.

This guide will provide examples of how a tummy tuck could cause you harm and the impact the harm could have on your quality of life. Furthermore, we will explore the compensation you could receive following a successful claim.

For more information on claiming after a tummy tuck or flat stomach surgery that caused you harm, get in touch with our team.

What Is A Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck surgery, which is also referred to as Abdominoplasty, is a cosmetic surgery procedure that improves the shape of a person’s abdomen/tummy area. It involves tightening the abdominal muscles as well as removing fat and excess loose skin. A tummy tuck is designed to get rid of those stubborn fat areas that cannot be removed via exercise.

It is not deemed a quick weight loss fix nor is the procedure typically available via the NHS because it is deemed to be cosmetic surgery. The average cost in the UK is around £4,500 to £6,000. You should carefully check the credentials of the surgeon carrying out the procedure to reduce the risk of something going wrong.

Tummy Tuck Risks

As is the case with many cosmetic procedures, there are a number of tummy tuck risks worth knowing about. Some of the signs of a bad tummy tuck could include:

  • Suboptimal aesthetic result
  • Inappropriate scarring
  • Swelling that will not go down
  • Skin discolouration
  • Fat necrosis
  • Asymmetry
  • Changes in skin sensation, such as numbness
  • Poor wound healing
  • Skin loss
  • Fluid accumulation
  • Infection
  • Bleeding
  • Anaesthesia risks

Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong – Signs Of A Bad Tummy Tuck

While this guide focuses on claiming for a tummy tuck gone wrong, it is important to mention that not all tummy tuck surgeries will form the basis of a valid claim. As we mentioned, to claim for a tummy tuck gone wrong, you would need to demonstrate that the level of care you received fell below the correct standard and caused you to suffer avoidable harm as a result. 

There are different ways in which a tummy tuck could cause avoidable harm. For example, you could experience physical pain and suffering as well as psychological harm. 

Should you wish to talk to someone about signs of a bad tummy tuck and find out if you could make a claim, our team are here to help.

Tummy Tuck Surgery – Understanding Cosmetic Surgery Claims

It is important to be aware that not every problem with tummy tuck surgery will lead to an eligible claim for compensation. There are risks to every surgery, and in some cases, things could go wrong without anyone being at fault. 

However, medical professionals owe their patients a duty of care to provide an expected standard of care, whether surgery is elective or medically necessary. A failure to uphold their duty of care towards a patient could result in the patient suffering avoidable harm. Should this happen, it could be possible for an injured party to claim compensation. 

Cosmetic surgery claims relating to tummy tucks could result from incidents such as:

  • Improper monitoring of a patient’s anaesthesia
  • A failure to properly sterilise surgical equipment
  • Errors by the surgeon while performing the surgery
  • Inadequate aftercare

To learn more about surgical error claims, please call our team. An advisor from our team could answer any questions you might have. They could also check your eligibility to claim compensation for a tummy tuck that has gone wrong. Should you be eligible to claim, an advisor could connect you with one of our experienced solicitors. 

Steps To Take If Something Goes Wrong

There are a number of things you could do if you’ve experienced tummy tuck complications. You should first seek medical advice if you’re suffering pain or suspect an infection. This is primarily to ensure you get the right advice and treatment. However, if you’re looking to make a compensation claim, there are some additional steps you might want to take.

How to prove a claim for a tummy tuck gone wrong

You may want to start gathering evidence relating to your botched tummy tuck and the negligence that caused it. Some examples of what you could do include:

  • Gathering all the details about the surgery. This may mean asking for your notes from the clinic that treated you. You should also keep letters and any other details the clinic has sent to you.
  • Getting photographic evidence. You could take photos directly after surgery, and then throughout the recovery process. That way,  you should have a good visible picture of how you have healed and what’s gone wrong.
  • Writing your own report. If you write down everything that has happened and how you’ve suffered, this could also provide evidence of what you’ve been through.
  • Keeping other documents related to costs and losses. These could be payslips that show loss of income, bank statements, bills and receipts. This can help you claim special damages as part of your claim.
  • Speaking to a legal professional.  We would strongly urge you to take legal advice if you’ve experienced signs of a bad tummy tuck that a doctor has confirmed. We could help you with free legal advice and our solicitors work on a No Win No fee basis.

Can I Claim If My Tummy Tuck Has Gone Wrong?

If a tummy tuck has gone badly, you may wonder if you can claim compensation. However, not all incidents of tummy tucks gone wrong will form the basis of a valid claim. 

In order to seek medical negligence compensation, you must be able to demonstrate that a medical professional has failed to provide the correct level of care and caused you avoidable harm as a result.
Contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if you have concerns about your care. You could also make a complaint to the General Medical Council (GMC) about the doctor if you feel this is necessary.

Claiming for botched tummy tucks abroad

Some people travel abroad for surgery of this type. It is essential that, just as in the UK, those looking to book a tummy tuck surgery abroad thoroughly check out their medical professionals prior to going ahead with the surgery. If you have travelled overseas and suffered harm from surgical negligence, we may be able to assist you. Please call our team, and we’ll assess whether we could help you claim for a tummy tuck gone wrong abroad.

Can You Claim If You Are Not Happy With The Results?

This depends on the results of the tummy tuck. If a poor job was carried out, or mistakes were made and this has caused psychological injuries, you may be able to claim for a botched tummy tuck. If you were simply expecting better results than you received, you may not be able to.

Claims For Severe Scars After A Tummy Tuck

Undergoing a tummy tuck procedure will often result in a scarring injury. However, you would only have the basis for a claim if the scarring is much more excessive than what you were led to believe.

Not all scarring may lead to a claim, as scarring is common for surgical procedures. However, if you have unusual, disfiguring, or abnormal scarring caused by a botched tummy tuck, you could potentially claim compensation if caused by negligence. To find out more, get in touch with us today.

DVT Compensation Claims

DVT stands for deep vein thrombosis. This is one of the risks associated with a tummy tuck. Your medical history must be carefully considered to determine whether or not you have a greater risk of developing DVT – a blood clot. If this has not been taken into account, you could claim compensation for surgical errors.

Infection Claims

If you have contracted an infection after having a tummy tuck because of poor practices, or poor hygiene at the clinic in question, there is a very high chance you could be entitled to compensation.

Infections are just one example of tummy tuck complications you may experience after a tummy tuck has gone wrong. An infection could cause serious issues to the surgical site and lead to long-lasting sickness.

Call us today to find out whether you could make botched tummy tuck claims for infections.

How Long Do You Have To Claim For A Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong?

How long you could have to claim for a tummy tuck gone wrong is something you may be wondering. The usually personal injury claims time limit of 3 years could apply from the date of the incident or, it could be from the date you became aware that you suffered harm from medical negligence. 

There are exceptions however. If you want to know how much time you have to take action, please call our team. We would be happy to assess your case, to see if you could claim. 

What Damages Can I Claim For When Making A Tummy Tuck Negligence Claim?

When making tummy tuck negligence claims, one of the main things you want to know is how much compensation you are going to be entitled to. We are going to give you a helping hand by giving you a breakdown of how compensation is calculated.

First and foremost, it is pivotal to know that compensation can be split into two parts. The first head of claim is general damages, which is the amount of money you will get for the injuries you sustained through the negligence of a surgeon. This is calculated using the medical report that is provided by a doctor, and so it is based on the injuries you have suffered, the extent of them, and the impact they are going to have on your daily life.

The other part of compensation is something a lot of people are not aware of, and this is special damages.

Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong – Other Settlement Amounts

The second head of claim is special damages. This is a form of compensation that you could seek if your botched tummy tuck had caused you financial losses. For example:

  • Your income may have been affected if you were unable to work
  • You may have spent money towards your treatment or care
  • You may have sought out costly cosmetic surgery to repair the damage

In order to claim special damages, you would need to provide evidence of your financial losses or costs. For example, you could provide payslips and bank statements to show loss of earnings.

A tummy tuck that has gone wrong can affect people financially in several ways. We could provide you with a free consultation during which you could receive advice as to the losses and needs you could be able to seek compensation for in your claim.

How Much Compensation After Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong?

How much compensation will I get for a tummy tuck gone wrong? Unfortunately, it is impossible to say without knowing the ins and outs of your case.

If you would like a more specific estimate, you can give us a call. Please don’t rely on a personal injury claims calculator, as these only ever give an extremely rough estimate. Therefore, the best way to get a good understanding is to refer to the table below, which shows the average payout for various injuries relating to a botched tummy tuck. These figures are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines.

Edit
The type of injury you have suffered Some extra notes The typical payout for this injury
Psychiatric Damage Severe £54,830 to £115,730
Psychiatric Damage Moderately Severe £19,070 to £54,830
Psychiatric Damage Moderate £5,860 to £19,070
Psychiatric Damage Less Severe £1,540 to £5,860
Scarring (abdominal) Where a laperotomy left scars but no injury was found In the region of £8,640
Some scarring on Other Parts of the person A number of noticeable laceration scars £7,830 to £22,730.
Some scarring on Other Parts of the person Large number of scars or one disfiguring one £7,830 to £22,730
Some scarring on Other Parts of the person One scar that is noticeable or a number of littler scars £2,370 to £7,830
Mental Anguish Fearing you were about to die £4,670

Call us for further guidance

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the level of compensation for signs of a bad tummy tuck or surgery gone wrong you could be entitled to. However, if you cannot find the injury that you have sustained in the table above, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us for more information on botched tummy tuck compensation payouts.

No Win No Fee Botched Tummy Tuck Negligence Claims

If your tummy tuck was botched, and you meet the medical negligence eligibility criteria, you might wish to get help with your claim. Solicitors with experience working on such claims could help to gather evidence that your tummy tuck has gone wrong due to a medical professional breaching their duty of care and could work on obtaining a settlement for you.

One of our solicitors could work on your claim under a type of No Win No Fee arrangement known as a Conditional Fee Agreement. Under this arrangement, you will not have to pay any service fees to your solicitor upfront or while your claim is ongoing. Furthermore, should your claim be unsuccessful, you will not be expected to pay them for their work.

Should your claim be successful, you will pay your solicitor a success fee. This is a small percentage with a legal cap that is deducted from your compensation award.

To learn more about our solicitors, who could take on medical negligence claims for botched tummy tucks on a No Win No Fee basis, please contact our advisors. You can contact them by:

Useful Links

We hope you have found this guide useful in your quest to discover more information about signs of a tummy tuck gone wrong and tummy tuck negligence claims. Now, if you require more assistance regarding a botched tummy tuck, the links below may assist.

Clinical and Medical Negligence – How to make a claim

This takes you to our guide on medical negligence in general. You will find plenty of information on these sorts of claims, including how to launch a claim for a botched tummy tuck. Furthermore, you can see how much compensation you may receive.

Information about tummy tucks from the NHS

This takes you to the NHS page on tummy tuck procedures. Here, you will find out plenty of information about this procedure, including costs, recovery time, risks and signs of a botched tummy tuck.

All about plastic/aesthetic surgeries from the NHS

This takes you to the NHS page on plastic surgery procedures. You will find out plenty of information about the risks, complications, and techniques used, plus much more.

How to Make a Hospital Negligence Claim

This is a guide to claiming compensation after a hospital has treated you negligently.

Finally, we hope this guide to tummy tuck negligence claims has been helpful to you. Furthermore, if you’ve had signs of a bad tummy tuck gone wrong, we could assist you. Our solicitors could help in claiming botched tummy tuck compensation. Therefore, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.