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Estimating Liposuction Prices

The costs involved in liposuction prices depend on many things. The factors in liposuction costs are the reason why some of the estimate prices below are so wide. It depends on the area of the body to be treated, geographical location of the clinic and the type of procedure involved. Delicate procedures could end up costing more even if it is to treat a small area. The bottom line is the amount of time and effort required of the surgeon to perform the surgery. The more time and effort required, the higher costs. The overall average cost of liposuction is between $1,500 and $7,500.

Generally larger areas will cost more to treat. Below is a breakdown of the average cost across the continental United States by the area of the body.

Average Prices for Liposuction by Body Region

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Abdomen: $3,000 – $7,500
Breasts/Chest: $3,000 – $7,500
Flanks: $2,000 – $5,000
Anterior Thighs: $1,700 – $5,000
Inner Thighs: $1,700 – $5,000
Outer Thighs: $1,600 – $5,000
Hips and Waist: $1,600 – $5,000
Arms: $1,500 – $5,000
Buttocks: $1,500 – $4,500
Facial Areas: $2,000 – $4,500
Back: $1,500 – $4,000

Factors Affecting Liposuction Prices

Geographical Location

The market for cosmetic surgery affects the fees associated with liposuction surgery. More densely populated metropolitan areas will typically cost more because of the higher demand and all rates are relative to their market. Any prospective patient shopping for a deal should consider commuting or relocating to another area that might be lower in demand and cheaper without compromising the quality of the surgeon.

Different Techniques

The technique used in liposuction also affects the costs because of the equipment involved. Facility and equipment fees make up a big fraction of the total cost. Laser liposuction is very different in equipment and technique from traditional liposuction. It is generally a smaller scale procedure so the total cost is less since the procedure is smaller. But per area of treatment laser liposuction costs are relatively higher because of the special equipment required for the relatively new technique.

The cost of liposuction will vary between each individual because liposuction pricing is made up of many fees and each fee is affected by many factors.

Itemization of Prices for Liposuction

There are different fees that make up the total price for liposuction surgery. When asking a surgeon for an estimate, often you will only get the surgeon’s fee. This is what the doctor will charge for his or her services.

Then there is the anesthesia fee which comprises of the cost for the drug and the cost of the administration if a certified anesthesiologist is required. Larger procedures will require a bigger dosage of the drug. Small procedures such as laser liposuction might require only local anesthesia which means only the treated area needs to be numbed and the patient is awake during the surgery. General anesthesia means that the patient is sedated.

Other fees include charges for facility and equipment. This means that the cost of the surgery room as well as the equipment used for the procedure will determine what the final bill will be. Laser liposuction tends to be a little higher than traditional liposuction because the equipment is relatively new to most clinics and the clinics will want to recover their expense of buying the machine by passing the cost on to their patients.

Liposuction For Men

There is a growing trend in the popularity of liposuction for men where liposuction and plastic surgery in general has long been associated with women. The procedures and techniques do not change just because the patients are male but there are patterns that can be made of the statistics. Some skeptics might speculate whether our society has reached a new level of vanity and male liposuction is a sign of the shift. More conclusively we can see that when it comes to male liposuction, certain areas of the body are more commonly requested treatment than any other parts and the rising trend has more to do with the availability of treatment with the development of new techniques.

Men Liposuction Areas of the Body

The most common areas where men typically request liposuction treatment are small areas where fat are hard to eliminate through exercise. Facial liposuction is a popular procedure for male liposuction patients since it can be very hard to lose fat in the facial area. Other popular procedures include fat removable in the area commonly referred to as “love handles” at the sides as wells as the notoriously stubborn abdomen where it is difficult to lose fat. This makes men liposuction more predictable compared to women liposuction where the request can be for treatment of any part all over the body.

Facial Liposuction

Facial liposuction can produce a slimmer and often more chiseled face while enhancing some feature generally regarded as masculine and attractive. This is a better option to a face lift or other facial plastic surgery procedure that might be higher maintenance or cost a little more. Most common areas of the face to receive laser liposuction are in the chin, the neck, and the jowls. It is effective in removing or reducing a double chin or eliminating unsightly neck rolls. The heat generated from the laser also causes the skin to contract resulting in tighter, younger looking skin as a side effect. Because the procedure is so small and incisions are tiny, recovery is typically quick and practically painless.

Treating Gynecomastia

A popular reason for liposuction among male patients is the treatment of gynecomastia. This is a condition where the breast of a man is enlarged and could be the result of an excessive accumulation of fatty tissue or glandular growth. In the case of fat accumulation, liposuction is a very effective method of reducing the enlarged breast. Otherwise, if the growth is glandular some medication and alternative treatment could be prescribed and there is nothing liposuction can do for that particular case. The only way to really know the cause of an individual’s gynecomastia is simply visiting a medical professional, have a test performed and getting diagnosed. Some plastic surgeons will be able to diagnose the individual or he will be referred to a doctor that can.

Cost of Liposuction for Men

Along the gender divide, liposuction for men tends to cost more than for women. This is for a number of reasons that add up against male patients. In general, the cost of a procedure depends on the area of the body for a number of reasons. First, the size of the area affects the cost and second, some parts of the body have tougher fat cells than others. The particularly fibrous areas are in the chest, back, and abdomen. These are all the favorite areas of the body that male patients request treatment for. Not to mention the fact that biologically, fat cells of a male are more fibrous than female fat cells regardless of where it is found on the body. Also, men are generally larger than women so the same treatment would statistically cost more for a male patient.

Liposuction Pricing Affected by U.S. Health Plan

The economic conditions have had quite an effect on many industries and cosmetic plastic surgery is no exception. The downturn in liposuction procedures and indicative of slower consumer spending but recent news of an additional tax on plastic surgery procedures could mean more trouble for some.

Thursday, November 19, 2009 the US Senate Democrats unveiled a plan to impose a five-percent tax as part of the health care overhaul. It is expected to raise an estimate 5.8 billion dollars over the next 10 years to help pay for the 849-billion-dollar plan.

For a long time the factors that determined the cost of liposuction remained relatively unchanged baring new techniques and developments. This tax will definitely affect some people’s decisions about undergoing the knife since elective plastic surgery procedures, including liposuction, are typically not covered by health insurance and paid by the patient.

The plan targets elective procedures meaning any corrective surgery to remedy deformities caused by congenital abnormality, injury, or disease will be excluded from the new tax. The tax is expected to go into effect beginning January 2010.

Growth of the plastic surgery market as a whole has not been hampered as hard by the recession as many would presume. Small procedures such as Botox injections have seen an eight percent rise but other procedures such as breast augmentations have been down 12 percent between 2007 and 2008.

Liposuction procedures have decreased by as much as 25 percent as stated by the ASAPS. There are many reasons to explain the slowdown. Banks have largely denied credit for most patients and procedures popular with younger women such as liposuction and breast augmentation are feeling the impact since younger women tend to pay for their procedures with credit.

Fears about their income and taking time off work have also played a role in many patients’ decision not to undergo liposuction and other plastic surgery procedures.

On the bright side, lower demand invariable should equate to lower prices. While this is not true across the board as the cost of liposuction procedures have remained pretty consistent, any shopper looking hard enough is sure to come across a deal that does not compromise the quality of service.