How is the cost of plastic surgery procedures determined?

One of the most common questions we get is related to cost of plastic surgery procedures. To pull back the curtain a bit, I want to share why procedures cost what they do.

There are 3 components that go into a plastic surgery quote:

• Surgeon’s professional fee – this is determined by duration and complexity of surgery, and level of experience. In some markets- particularly big metropolitan areas- costs can be relatively high and are related to years of experience and frankly gamesmanship in consumerism (the greater the cost, the greater the perceived value and cache: a business strategy that does not necessarily ensure quality. But who feels comfortable going to the cheapest guy?) We don’t do that. We like to keep costs to our patients down as best as we can.
• Anesthesia provider- also determined by time surgery takes and regional rates that come from cost of living and of practicing medicine
• Facility costs – this includes equipment, staff, supplies, medications, and garments. Surgery time and regional costs for rent and staffing impact cost. For this reason it may be worth traveling to an accessible city which is more affordable with less overhead passed onto the patient (like coming to Baltimore from DC or Philadelphia!)

Keep in mind that cost determination goes beyond just surgery time. While one surgeon’s time in the OR might seem short, this often reflects a greater surgical mastery and not a lower level of complexity. As a renowned plastic surgeon once said- “It took me 30 years to be able to do this in 30 minutes.”

And more to think about- pairing surgeries is cheaper than performing each surgical procedure independently. Cost is money, time to recover, and getting everything you need addressed in one procedure (or as few as possible). One nonstop flight is cheaper than 2 individual flights with one takeoff, staff and service. It is well worth discussing whether you are a candidate for combining surgeries with your plastic surgeon.