How Much Does Liposuction Cost, and When Is a Price Excessive?

A question came in asking what counts as an excessive price for liposuction.

It's really hard to talk about pricing in plastic surgery, because there are so many variables that go into what it costs you as a patient. But here's how I think about it.

If you're having awake liposuction, the cost can vary wildly. It could be $4,000 all the way up to $20,000.

That spread isn't random. A handful of things drive it.

1. Where you live. If you're in a very high cost of living area, the prices are going to be higher there, just like the prices of everything are higher there.
2. What exactly you're having done. Are you having one area done, or five? The more work the procedure is, the more expensive it will be.
3. Your surgeon's experience. Younger surgeons who are newer in practice tend to charge less. Older, more established surgeons tend to charge more. My own prices have gone up over the 13 years I've been in practice, and that's pretty typical.
4. The type of practice. Is it a practice with bare-bones care? They give you good care, and they take care of you. Or is it a concierge-type practice, with a concierge nurse taking care of you and a lot of little add-ons? That will increase the price as well.

(For how all of that turns into the number on your quote, here's what's actually in a plastic surgery price quote.)

To me, excessive is when a price is way out of the norm: either way too low, or way higher than the average in your community.

The easiest way to find the norm:

Do that in the area where you'll actually be having surgery, and ideally before you book a consultation.

There are some surgeons who are way outside the norm because they're known for a particular thing. If that thing is exactly what you're seeing them for, that may actually be a reasonable cost for that person.

But in general, most of us are in the same kind of realm of pricing.

Chop shops can be less expensive, but they're often similar in cost to what you see in the community. These are the liposuction centers that really offer one thing: liposuction, with a few add-ons.

I don't like these places. I think the business model is really problematic, for a few reasons:

1. The surgeons. Every one of these chains I know of either has a history of employing, or currently employs, surgeons who are not board-certified plastic surgeons. You deserve a well-trained surgeon. (I've written about what's wrong with plastic surgery chop shops in more detail, and about how to check board certification.)
2. No anesthesia options. These places often don't offer the full breadth of plastic surgery, or the full breadth of anesthetic options. So they offer you awake lipo, because that's all they can really offer. They don't have the infrastructure to give you anesthesia if you need it. Every patient is different, and you should have options.
3. Patients who weren't good candidates. I've seen lots of patients who went to these places and had liposuction when they really weren't good candidates for it.

The best thing you can do as a patient is to see a plastic surgeon who does the full range of procedures. They'll be able to guide you to the best treatment for you, and sometimes it's not what you came in for.

Loose skin is the classic example: liposuction alone can't fix it, and sometimes a tummy tuck is the better answer.

• Awake liposuction can cost anywhere from about $4,000 to $20,000
• The price depends on where you live, how many areas you're treating, your surgeon's experience, and the type of practice
• Excessive means way outside the local norm, too high or too low. Call a couple of offices for quotes to find that norm
• A surgeon who's known for a specific thing may reasonably charge more for that thing
• Be wary of lipo-only chop shops: surgeons who may not be board-certified plastic surgeons, no anesthesia options, and patients who weren't good candidates
• See a surgeon who does everything, so the treatment fits you rather than the other way around