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 Reeves 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 .