How do plastic surgeons determine the cost of cosmetic surgery?
Written by Mark Domanski, M.D.
The cost of plastic surgery can vary significantly depending on several factors, which often leads patients to wonder why prices differ so much. Many people ask: why do plastic surgery prices vary so widely? What am I actually paying for? And why is my plastic surgery quote higher than expected?
Understanding how pricing works can help you make informed decisions.
Here are the ways plastic surgery offices calculate the cost of procedures:
1. Does my plastic surgery need general anesthesia?
Procedures such as neck liposuction, earlobe repair, and upper blepharoplasty can be performed in the office using local anesthesia. This is akin to “going to the dentist, but nobody is in your mouth”. Such procedures are significantly less expensive because there is no additional general anesthesia and facility costs.
2. What is the cost of supplies?
Tox and fillers used for treating fine lines and restoring volume require product. These products are FDA approved and are the single highest cost to the practice for providing the service. Likewise, breast augmentation requires…(surprise, surprise) breast implants. Breast implants are specially ordered for each individual patient and are an important cost factor.
3. How much time does the surgery take?
A facelift requires more time to perform than an abdominoplasty. Since a surgical facility bills operating room time and anesthesia by fifteen-minute increments, longer surgeries will cost more. Surgeries that require the patient to be repositioned from front to back will also take more time – and are priced accordingly.
4. How risky is the plastic surgery?
When I started, a colleague of mine told me that I should charge a similar price for removal of breast implants as breast augmentation? I was surprised as the amount of time required can be less than for breast implant placement. Breast implant removal also does not incur the cost of new breast implants. My colleague emphasized that breast implant removal carries the risks such as of fluid collection and contour deformity that is not present in initial breast implantation and encouraged me to account for these factors.
5. Postoperative care required
Some procedures require 1-2 postop visits to remove stitches, check healing, and confirm results. Others require multiple postoperative evaluations to ensure proper healing. Surgical care does not end at the last stitch, but when healing is complete. Procedures that require significant time in the postoperative period need to be priced accordingly.
6. Surgeon’s Overhead
Some medical practice overhead is not up to the surgeon. Prevailing office lease rates, staff salaries, are determined by local market forces. This is why plastic surgery in areas such as Northern Virginia will be more than in the rural Midwest.
Remember that the scalpel and sutures are the same everywhere. A fancy office with an aquarium and tropical fish does not contribute to surgical results. But fish need to be fed.
Another aspect of a surgeon’s overhead is the surgeon’s “personal overhead.” Houses, ex-spouses, and horses are expensive. Worst of all are ex-spouses who like horses! I believe that surgeons who live reasonable lifestyles can offer patients quality procedures at reasonable prices.
7. What does the Surgeon’s Skill allow them to do?
Plastic surgeons undergo 6-8 years of training after medical school. (I personally did 12 years of total medical education after college.) As a result, plastic surgeons can perform:
• facial aesthetic surgery
• plastic surgery of the breast
• body contouring
• reconstruction after cancer
• plastic surgery after car accidents
• wound care
• skin cancer treatment
• peripheral nerve surgery
• hand surgery
A surgeon that is trained to perform a wider variety of procedures will be able to choose the procedures they perform – because their talents can serve a wide variety of patients. For aesthetic surgery, this means that board certified plastic surgeons will be more selective in terms of their patients and prices.
8. How likeable is the patient?
I know one famous plastic surgeon who says that they “only operate on people who they like.” If the surgeon or their office finds the patient argumentative or difficult, there is no price high enough to make the surgery worthwhile.
Cost of plastic surgery in Northern Virginia
The cost of plastic surgery in Northern Virginia is also affected by the above described important factors. These include the type of anesthesia used, the complexity of the cosmetic procedure, and the level of post-surgical care required–number of follow-ups . Additional costs, such as surgical supplies (for example, breast implants used in augmentation procedures),also play a role in determining the final price.
Geographic location is another key factor. Practices in Northern Virginia, including areas like Fairfax, Virginia, (DMV area, in general) often have higher operating expenses. Increased rent, staffing, and overhead costs may contribute to higher procedure pricing compared to other regions.
If you are looking for general guidance on the cost of aesthetic procedures in Northern Virginia, you can review our cosmetic surgery pricing to get an idea of plastic surgery costs in Fairfax, VA.
Sincerely,
