Liposuction Cost

The purpose of this page is to help you get a rough guide to liposuction cost, and how to get a precise cost estimate at the time of your liposuction consultation.

This information should be helpful wherever, or by whomever, you have your liposuction performed.

Few people really have much of an idea of how much liposuction costs. If your are considering having liposuction done, you will fairly early on want to have a rough idea of what you are going to pay. Then, if you decide to go ahead and have liposuction performed, you will at that point want to know fairly precisely what you will pay for it, so that you can avoid any surprises.

The cost of liposuction of course varies, depending on several factors: the number of areas treated, the type of area treated (body site), the amount of fat to be removed from the areas, etc. Usually, the liposuction cost per body area decreases if more than one body area is treated, since it is relatively easier and more efficient to treat one more area than it is to treat the first area.

See also: Overview of liposuction: background, information, patient's comments and more links; planning your liposuction, and liposuction home page

There is wide fee variation among doctors who perform liposuction, and there is regional variation in fees as well. Costs of liposuction may also include a facility fee, prices for liposuction compression garments worn after surgery, fees for blood tests or laboratory tests, or other fees. Some doctors prescribe certain treatments after liposuction, such as ultrasound, massage, or Endermologie, and there may be fees for these as well (we do not prescribe these treatments, since our patients do fine without them, and we have yet to find strong evidence that they are helpful).

Amount of fat to be removed: Liposuction is not a quick procedure. It takes considerable time to perform. Therefore, if you have a lot of fat that needs to be removed, it takes considerably longer, and the cost will probably be higher. Most of our patients are very physically fit and are not overweight, so the figures below apply the vast majority of the time. In cases where a patient is significantly above ideal body weight, the cost of liposuction is adjusted accordingly.

Male vs. Female: The fat is more difficult to remove in men than it is in women. This is because the fat is more fibrous, or tougher, and it takes longer to remove than fat in women. Also, men in general are larger than women. Therefore, the costs for male liposuction are somewhat higher.

Our fee schedules could serve as a rough guide which hopefully will be helpful in getting a ball-park idea of liposuction cost.. Because we only perform tumescent liposuction totally by local anesthesia, there is no need for general anesthesia or for hospital use. So there are no fees for anesthesiologists, hospital fees, or other hospital-related fees. In my practices, both in the Oak Brook Facility, and at the University of Illinois Chicago, (both in the Chicago area) there are relatively small fees for garments, preoperative blood testing, and prescriptions which amount in total to a few hundred dollars (approx. $350), plus the charge for the liposuction surgery itself. For women, this fee for liposuction is generally $2,000. for the first area treated ($3,000. for men). Additional body areas are considerably less than the "first area" fee. In order to keep it simple, predictable, and understandable, in our office there are no other costs. That is to say that there are no separate "facility fees," hospital fees, anesthesia or anesthesiologist fees or costs, and no fees for post-operative visits. We do not prescribe post-liposuction treatments.

Ask about other costs, charges, or fees. There are lots of ways of figuring liposuction prices, so (if you have your liposuction performed elsewhere) you will want to ask about what other costs, charges, or fees you may incur before, during or after your liposuction procedure. These fees or charges may be billed by your doctor, or even billed by some other person/entity/hospital. These could include: garments, tests, operating room time, anesthesiologist time, incidental charges formedications, etc. There may or may not be substantial fees for incidental items. If there are, it is not necessarily the case that these are meant to drive the price higher without your realizing it. Rather, your doctor has probably tried to make your entire package cost within reason, and there are simply different ways of pricing the liposuction procedure relative to the office visits, supplies, garments, other incidentals and etcetera. Just as there are different ways of pricing any service. Presumably, if the cost of the procedure is lower, incidentals may be higher, and vice versa.

Also you should arrive at an understanding of how your doctor counts the areas to be treated, if number of areas is used to figure the cost of liposuction. Usually the upper and lower abdomen are counted as two different areas. The waist and hips are separate areas. The lateral ("saddlebag," or outer thigh. front (anterior), back (posterior), and inside (medial) thighs can all be large areas and are usually counted separately. This can be a little confusing, so there are some examples in the links below. Since it would be very unusual to require liposuction on one side of the body but not the other, the left and right thighs (or whatever area is in question), would not likely be counted as separate areas by your doctor. But you should ask.

The important thing for you is to be able to accurately anticipate what your total cost for the liposuction procedure will be in advance, so that you don't get any unwelcome surprises.

Although there is usually some cost savings on a per body site basis when additional sites are done at the same time, one way to save is to have liposuction performed on fewer areas, or on only one body site. One caveat: you will probably want additional sites done later. However, if price is a major obstacle, and you do not want to get financing for liposuction, this might be a good way to go. The reason is that you get to see how the procedure works for you, that is give it a "test drive." So you get the ability to pay as you go. If you are happy with the procedure, the results, and your doctor, you can always go back and have more areas treated at a later date. Medically, there is essentially no significant disadvantage to breaking up one large, multiple site procedure into two (or more) smaller liposuction procedures performed at separate times. If you do it this way, the total cost of treatment would probably be slightly to somehat higher than if you had all areas treated in one sitting, but you can spread your expenses over time. We reduce the "first area" charge for our previous liposuction patients when they have new areas are treated at a later date.

Liposuction financing / Cosmetic surgery financing: Because it is usually much more expensive in the long run, liposuction financing (cosmetic surgery financing) is not often recommended. Usually other sources of financing will be lower cost alternatives. Even credit card cash advances are usually less expensive. However, liposuction financing does exist, and arrangements can usually be made through the doctor's office (or they can point you to sources for cosmetic surgery financing).

Other factors affecting liposuction cost which apply in certain cases:

If you are traveling to have your liposuction in Chicago, your travel expenses would of course be a part of your total costs. But, when properly arranged, airfare and other travel costs usually do not make a major impact on the total cost of your liposuction.

Ultrasonic Liposuction. We do not perform ultrasonic liposuction; the costs for ultrasonic liposuction are usually somewhat more, in part because of the cost of the additional equipment required. Although the costs may be slightly to significantly higher for ultrasonic liposuction, these increased prices should not be a significant factor in determining whether ultrasonic liposuction should or should not be favored over non-ultrasonic, tumescent liposuction. There are other reasons which are more significant.

Another factor is whether lasers are used in your liposuction. Laser treatment can affect the cost of your liposuction if laser is used as part of your liposuction procedure. Lasers are not routinely used in liposuction, but they can be useful in a few areas, such as for tightening loose neck skin. The addition of laser treatment at the time of liposuction increases the cost of the procedure somewhat to significantly.

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liposuction cost example: cost of abdominal liposuction including prices of garments, etc.

liposuction cost example: cost of neck liposuction including prices of garments, etc.

liposuction cost example: cost of abdominal and hips liposuction including prices of garments, etc.

liposuction cost example: cost of hips thighs and abdomen liposuction including prices of garments, etc.

liposuction cost example: cost of buttocks liposuction including prices of garments, etc.

liposuction cost examples: all body area examples on one page.

(Cost of liposuction garments. Cost of liposuction preoperative tests. Cost of liposuction office consultation and post operative visits.)


		Why tumescent liposuction (with local anesthetic only) is so much better and safer* - click here*

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		liposuction home - index to 50+ pages of liposuction information

chin and neck liposuction

	tips on planning your liposuction procedure consultation visit - what it's like see liposuction surgery pictures contact page testimonials


	liposuction: planning testimonials pictures schedule


	Jeffrey Melton, M.D., S.C., Chicago and Oakbrook Center Mall, Oak Brook, Illinois (630) 928-0240 www.drmelton.com