Hospitals and surgery centers that don’t focus on plastic surgery are notorious for lack of price transparency, but cosmetic surgery is usually paid in advance so you need to know exactly what you will be paying. The costs will include the surgeon’s professional fee, the anesthesia provider’s fee, and the facility charges. Our policy is to have fixed rates, and the surgical fees include follow-up visits. Because we have our own fully accredited surgery facility, we can set the rates by procedure, as opposed to billing by time utilized as other surgical centers do. Billing by time can create unexpected additional expenses it for any reason the procedure takes longer than estimated. Combining procedures in one operation – such as tummy tuck + breast surgery for a mommy makeover – will generally save money over doing them at separate times.

Anesthesia fees are usually set by the anesthesia team, but for most things will have a predetermined rate.

Not included are any prescription medications that the patient will need at home after surgery. Also, with tummy tucks we strongly recommend a long-lasting numbing agent called Exparel, which is placed during the surgery and reduces discomfort afterwards. This is a line-item expense, and for procedures involving implants, there will also be a separate line item expense.

So if you are comparing costs, be sure to know what is included. Often what seems like a better deal isn’t if it is only an estimate or doesn’t include everything.