Donegal at a glance
- Babies born, 2024
- 1,610to mothers living in County Donegal, CSO; 36% were first babies
- Average age of mothers
- 32.82024, CSO (Ireland: 33.3)
- Births per 1,000 people
- 9.62024 births against the 2022 census, 24th highest of the 26 counties
- Women in County Donegal
- 84,289CSO Census 2022
- Nearest consultations
- Dublinabout 3 hours 20 minutes by car
- To Dublin
- 3 hours 20 minutes243 km by road from Letterkenny, outside rush hour
Letterkenny is over three hours from Dublin. Ask which check-ups can be by video or nearer home before you book, and plan a night away after the operation.
What it costs
A tummy tuck with a breast lift in one operation costs from about €17,500. On their own, a full tummy tuck is €8,000 to €12,000, a breast lift €6,000 to €8,100 and liposuction €2,200 to €7,000. The county makes little difference to the price. See our price guide.
Check-ups from Donegal
A tummy tuck has more check-ups than most operations. Plan on about five trips: the consultation (some surgeons like a second), the operation and a few nights in hospital, wound checks and the drains coming out in the first two weeks, and a review months later. From Letterkenny to Dublin that's about 33.2 hours in the car altogether, all of it with someone else driving after the operation.
That's a long drive home after a few nights in hospital. Many people book a night near the hospital. On any trip of three hours or more, the HSE advises loose clothes, getting out to walk, compression stockings and calf exercises, because sitting still after surgery raises the risk of a clot.
Help at home
- Someone needs to drive you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours.
- Full-time help with the children for at least the first two weeks.
- Someone to lift the children until about week six.
- Lifts for every check-up and school run while you can't drive.
Read recovery with small children.
Choosing a surgeon
Every doctor practising in Ireland must be registered with the Medical Council, and only a doctor with specialist registration can practise independently as a specialist. For a mummy makeover, check that the surgeon is on the Specialist Division in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, using the Medical Council's online register.
Ask where the operation happens, how many nights you'll stay, who gives the anaesthetic, whether they'd do it as one operation or two, and who you ring at night once you're home.
Is it the right time?
It isn't the time yet if:
- you might have more children
- you're still breastfeeding, or stopped in the last six months (for breast surgery)
- your youngest is still a small baby and the tummy muscles haven't had time and physio to recover
- your weight is still going down or up
- you smoke and won't stop well before surgery
- you can't yet line up help at home for the first weeks
Questions from Donegal
Do I have to go to Dublin for a mummy makeover from Donegal?
From Letterkenny, the nearest places where plastic surgeons see private patients are Dublin (about 3 hours 20 minutes by car) and Galway (3 hours 35 minutes). Dublin itself is about 3 hours 20 minutes by car.
How many nights will I be away from my children?
A few nights in hospital after a tummy tuck, usually one after a breast lift on its own. Some people add a night near the hospital if the drive home is long.
Is a mummy makeover cheaper in Donegal?
Not really. Prices sit in the same range around the country: from about €17,500 for a tummy tuck and breast lift together.
Who will contact me?
One clinic, not five. We pass your plan to one Irish clinic and they contact you to arrange a consultation. Nothing is booked until you say yes.