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The Rib Remodelling Procedure
There is a limit to what diet and training can do to your waistline — and for many people, that limit is bone. The lower ribs set the width of the natural waist, and no amount of fat loss or core work changes the skeleton. Rib remodelling is the one procedure designed to change it: reshaping the lower ribs inward for a narrower waistline, with a result that becomes part of your frame.
It's an established, published technique — in the peer-reviewed literature since 2021, performed by plastic surgeons internationally, and in Australia delivered exclusively by FRACS specialist plastic surgeons. Here's exactly how it works.
Request a consultation45–60 min
Typical procedure time
Day surgery
At accredited facility
FRACS
Specialist plastic surgeons
Brisbane
Accredited facilities
The anatomy
The frame that shapes your waist
The natural waist sits at the level of the lower ribs. The lowest two pairs — the “floating ribs” (11 and 12) — attach only to the spine at the back and end free in the muscle of the flank, and the pair above (rib 10) is similarly mobile. In many people, especially with a straighter or wider lower rib cage, it's the outward flare of these ribs that limits how narrow the waist can be.
Because the floating ribs anchor only at the spine, they can be reshaped inward without destabilising the chest. That single anatomical fact is what makes the whole procedure possible. More on the anatomy.
The technique
How the reshaping works
01
Bone-preserving
Older surgery removed sections of rib. Rib remodelling keeps every rib. A piezoelectric (ultrasonic) instrument — which reshapes bone precisely while sparing the surrounding tissue — creates a controlled, partial fracture of the outer layer of each target rib, the way a green branch bends and gives without breaking through. The rib is guided inward to a planned new contour.
02
It heals in place
Then biology takes over: held in position, the ribs consolidate — heal — in place over the following weeks. The change becomes permanent, part of your frame. It's the same rib cage you always had, sitting closer to the midline.
03
Planned in 3D
Every case is planned in three dimensions on your own CT scan and carried out under real-time ultrasound guidance — precision from planning to theatre.
The day
The day of surgery, step by step
The procedure takes around 45 to 60 minutes, typically as day surgery or with one night's stay. Some patients combine it with flank liposuction where soft tissue also plays a role — a decision made on your individual plan.
01
Anaesthesia — general anaesthesia administered by a specialist anaesthetist, usually with nerve blocks for a comfortable recovery.
02
Confirmation — the target ribs (typically 10 to 12 each side) are confirmed on live ultrasound.
03
Access — through small points on the back and flank, placed where clothing covers them.
04
Reshaping — the ultrasonic instrument reshapes each rib inward to the planned contour, with symmetry checked side to side.
05
Support — a fitted corset is applied before you wake, holding your new contour from the very first moment.
8.59 cm
Average waist reduction
5 - 17cm
6–13 cm
Typical published range
0.17%
Serious complications. Compare risks1
2,351
Cases studied
The outcome
Your result
Published studies report a mean waist reduction of 8.59 cm, and roughly 6 to 13 cm depending on the technique and your anatomy — with serious complications such as pneumothorax rare, at 0.17% across the largest global dataset of 2,351 cases, Compare with risks of other procedures1. What determines your result is your own frame, which is exactly what the CT planning process maps before anyone operates. Outcomes vary between individuals. See the full evidence.
The corset supports the ribs while they consolidate over roughly 8 to 12 weeks, and most people are back at desk work within one to two weeks. The full recovery guide.
Scope & planning
What it is — and isn't
Rib remodelling reshapes the skeletal frame at the waist. It doesn't remove abdominal fat (that's liposuction), and it works best for healthy adults with stable weight and good bone quality — which your consultation and CT assessment confirm. Like all surgery it carries risks, uncommon but real; you'll find them in full on our Risks & Safety page, and your surgeon will cover them with you personally.
Built around a proper plan
Your fees come as a complete written quotation after consultation — surgical, anaesthetic and facility costs itemised, tailored to your plan. From first consultation to final review, your care stays with one specialist surgical team, in Australia.
Request a consultationAustralian regulations require a referral from your GP or another independent medical practitioner, at least two pre-operative consultations (including one in person with your surgeon), screening for body dysmorphic disorder, and a minimum 7-day cooling-off period after informed consent before surgery can be booked. This procedure is available to patients 18 and over.
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