Lee Coupland was going to the gym seven times a week in a bid for sculpted abs. But he took his body obsession one step further with a painful op called abdominal etching. Picture: BBC

A YOUNG dad travelled to Turkey and spent $7,170AU to get a surgically enhanced six pack.

Lee Coupland, from Leeds, was going to the gym seven times a week in a bid for sculpted abs, but he took his body obsession one step further with a painful op called abdominal etching.

The procedure sucks the fat from between the stomach muscles to create perfect definition.

Lee Coupland in the lead up to the ‘abdominal etching’ procedure. Picture: BBCSource:Supplied

The 31-year-old joiner flew to Istanbul to go under the knife in his first ever operation.

Appearing on Reggie Yates’ Extreme UK: Dying For A Six Pack on BBC3, he said: “I think more and more people will think it’s an option for them and it will become as common as boob jobs and nose jobs for women.”

The Turkish doctor who treated Lee revealed he had seen seven other British men for the same operation in the last year.

But it’s not a fitness dodge — men with more than two centimetres fat are not considered for the procedure.

The 31-year-old flew to Istanbul to take part in the procedure. Picture: BBCSource:Supplied

During the op, Lee’s fat was melted down by ultrasound and drained to emphasise his muscles.

Lee said: “In that procedure the surgeon got me to tense up and actually feel where my grooves are so they could draw on my natural lines.

“The second part of the procedure is laser lips which is where they create a thick scar line in the groove I can actually feel a hard line where the shape of the abdominals are.”

The result is a permanent six pack.

Lee, who says his body obsession came from a childhood admiration for wrestlers, says the result was worth every penny.

He said: “It’s quite a lot of money but at the same time I think it’s affordable as well ... it’s not celebrity prices.”

Lee Coupland’s fat was ‘melted’ down by ultrasound and drained to emphasise his muscles. Picture: BBCSource:Supplied

He added: “One way of looking at is for a woman when she gets dressed to go out she can put her fake hair in, she’s got her make up to put on, chicken fillets to put in, there’s lots of enhancements a woman can use.

“A man can only really get dressed and do his hair.”

Following the procedure, Lee had to wear a corset while his body recovered from the surgery.

He explains: “I wore the corset for first four to six weeks, four weeks permanently, only taking it off to wash. I was living and sleeping in it.

Leewill need to continue exercise to maintain the defined look. Picture: BBCSource:Supplied

“It was quite uncomfortable to get used to as you can imagine. A bit undignified. Even though it was black it looked like a Baywatch suit — it wasn’t very flattering.”

Seven weeks after the operation, Lee is still waiting for the sensation in his chest to appear.

He is also aware that he will still have to work out to maintain the look.

He said: “The procedure itself can only enhance what you already have.

“It’s not a miracle, you’ve still got to work hard to maintain it, you’ve still got to have a level of muscle and tone underneath.”

Dad of-two Lee, who runs a joinery business, has now reduced his gym time from seven times a week to two or three times so he has more time at home with seven-year-old Coby-lee and six-year-old Trent.

Now with new partner Melanie, he admits the gym obsession cost him his relationship with the children’s mum.

He said: “We had two children together but we ended up splitting up due to my commitment to the gym.”

Now he’s had the operation, he’s determined not to make the same mistake again.

He said: “Maybe people don’t know the blood, sweat and tears, the expense and the diet control that goes into that.

Lee had to live in a corset while his body recovered from the procedure. Picture: BBCSource:Supplied

“For me at the moment time’s very limited I’ve got two kids, I’ve got a business to run and time is of the essence so this is one of the main reasons and the main factors.

“This procedure I felt has just given me a little bit more family time, time off the gym, a bit more of a normal life.”

Melanie, who was against the surgery at the start, has now been convinced Lee has done the right thing.

“She thought I was crazy at the time and she was worried about me having the operation and the aftermath of it,” said Lee.

“But she’s been very supportive of it and she loves the results.

“She has seen the change in me so I think overall it’s been for the good, she’s happy.”

Happy with his new tum, Lee says he would definitely recommend the abdominal etching as long as the motivation is still there.

He added: “Those thinking of doing this need to make sure this is something that you’re willing to do and maintain and it’s not as a remedial measure it’s an enhancement.

“It’s not going to make you thin overnight and if you don’t keep it up you’re going to go back.”