Simone Matthews felt a tummy tuck was the 'perfect way ' to mark her 50th birthday . With her 50th birthday approaching , Simone Reeves decided that celebrating with a cruise or party wasn ’ t going to be enough . Neither was she interested in new clothes or a fancy meal . Instead the grandmother from Kent treated herself to a new stomach . The £4,800 operation was , she says , the ultimate 50th birthday treat to herself . Simone , who has three grown-up children , is one of a growing number of women said to be marking their milestone birthdays with surgery . And she says the decision to go under the knife just weeks before her 50th was one of the best she has ever made . Explaining her decision she said : ‘ A tummy tuck was something I had thought about but the time never seemed right . ‘ Then I was facing a new decade , my circumstances had changed dramatically and it seemed not only the perfect time , but also the perfect way to mark the occasion . ‘ It was a lot of money to spend on a birthday treat but I felt I deserved it , and because I had divorced and downsized , for the first time in my life I had the money available . ‘ Now thanks to my operation I have entered my fifties looking and feeling better than ever. ’ Entering her forties had been a very different experience for Simone , who found she was increasingly conscious of what she calls her ‘ jelly belly. ’ After giving birth to Ben , now 34 , Candice , 28 , and Nicholas , 27 , by caesarean , she had always been unhappy with the scar . Then aged 41 she underwent a hysterectomy and the additional scarring meant her tummy ‘ never recovered. ’ She explains : ‘ I was left with an apron of saggy skin that I absolutely hated . I knew no amount of exercise would change it . ‘ I did my best to hide it in Spanx underwear and always wore shorts over my bikini . I just assumed that at my age it was too late to fix or worth worrying about . ' But that changed when in 2001 Simone separated from her husband Peter after 21 years of marriage . She says : ‘ Peter was wonderful and had always accepted my body . It was never a problem for him so I tried to not let it be a problem for me . ‘ But I never expected or imagined that I would be single again at my time in life and couldn ’ t even imagine dating again with my stomach as it was. ’ Approaching her 50th she decided to take action . She said : ‘ We ’ ve all heard the phrase fabulous at fifty but to be honest I felt anything but. ’ So she began researching tummy tucks on line and booked a consultation with Transform : ' I was incredibly nervous but the surgeon put me at ease by explaining in great detail how he would perform the operation . After three children and a hysterectomy Simone 's stomach was left sagging and throughout her forties the grandmother became more and more conscious of her 'jelly belly ' During her tummy tuck operation surgeons removed 2lb of excess skin leaving it firmer and flatter . ‘ He wasn ’ t at all surprised that I was considering surgery as a birthday gift to myself which made me feel better . In March 2012 Simone underwent the procedure – allowing 12 weeks recovery time ahead of her big day . During the three hour operation surgeons removed more than 2lb of excess skin from her stomach . She explains : ‘ When I came round I felt very sore but despite the bandage I could already feel the difference . It just felt so flat. ’ It was six weeks before the dressing was removed . ‘ I was absolutely amazed . There was a thin scar but the apron had gone . I thought my stomach looked wonderful already , ' she says . The 50-year-old is delighted with her new look , revealing it to friends and family at her birthday party . Over the following weeks she continued to heal and unveiled her new body to family and friends on the evening of her 50th in a figure hugging black dress . She says : ‘ I would never have been able to wear it before . I felt wonderful and it truly was a fabulous day and I think having the surgery helped me face my fifties with confidence I might never have had. ’ Shami Thomas a spokesperson for Transform who arranged her surgery said she had noted a high number of patients having surgery to mark a milestone birthday like Simone . 'For many people surgery is a life long wish and they wait until their 21st , 30th , 40th or 50th birthdays to make it a reality , ' she says : ‘ On average patients spend £4,000 on a procedure , which is a large amount of money so having it done for a birthday can help patients see it as a ‘ treat ’ when they might not usually consider spending money on themselves . ‘ We see a lot of women having surgery for their 50th birthdays , but most always say they wish they had done it sooner . ’
Simone Matthews spent £4,800 on a new tummy for her birthday . She was unhappy with caesarean scar after three births . Surgeons removed 2lb of excess skin during the procedure .