Liposuction Cost & Procedure Information

Liposuction cost consists of three components: the surgeon’s fee, the anesthesiologist’s fee and the location cost. This procedure in the United States should be around $2000 for the surgeons fees. If you opt for general anesthesia, an anesthesiologist has to be present, and this specialist will cost you around $800. 

The liposuction cost for the actual procedure will vary, as mentioned before, depending on where and how many body parts you want to be treated. Since this cost depends on the fat that will need to be trimmed, phone estimates are often not a good estimate. Once you get to the doctor’s clinic, he will be better able to tell you how much your surgery can cost you. Average prices though, are given below, to give you a rough idea of the price range:

• The upper and lower abdomen: $3500 to $7000
• The lower abdomen only: $2000
• Arms: $1500 to $5000
• Female Back: $1500 to $4000
• Buttocks: $1500 to $4500
• Chin, cheeks, jowl and neck: $2000 to $4500
• Anterior Thighs and Knees: $2000 to $5000
• Inner Thighs and Knees: $2000 to $5000
• Hips and Waist: $1600 to $5000
• Outer Thighs: $1600 to $5000

General Information:

Over the last decade the cosmetic surgery industry has grown exponentially as safer and more effective methods have been discovered. With these changes Liposuction has become widely the most popular procedure. This surgery removes fat deposits from your body giving it a more defined or contoured shape. 

When you gain weight your body creates new fat cells and when you lose weight the fat cells shrink to a smaller size, but they never go away. The only way to get rid of them is through a procedure like liposuction. It is important for people to understand that this is not a method for weight loss or a cure for obesity. It is used to permanently remove fat cells from stubborn areas which diet and exercise together cannot do. The general areas that can be treated using this procedure are:

• Arms
• Buttocks
• Abdomen
• Neck and Jowls
• Hips
• Knees
• Inner and Outer thighs (known as saddle bags for women)
• Legs
• Flanks (referred to as love handles in men)
• Enlarged male breasts (condition known as gynecomastia)

Recent Advances:

It has always been the goal of surgeons to have cosmetic surgeries be as quick as possible with the least amount of off time for the patient. With the advancements in recent years the procedure has become safer and more effective. Just a few years ago a patient would use a general anesthesia which put them to sleep during the surgery. The instruments that were used were fairly large which required larger incisions and more stitches. Also having the anesthesia increased the cost to the patient which has now been removed.

The new methods have much smaller tools which allows the patients to have small incisions, no stitches and no scars whatsoever. Areas of the body like the chin, stomach, back, chest, sides and thighs are now easier for the patient to have sculpted. Before extracting the fat the surgeon is able to melt or dilute the fat making it easier for it to be removed. There is no more anesthesias only a local anesthetic to numb the area. This has allowed for liposuction to become an outpatient surgery which can be done in a doctor’s office or clinic.  This reduces the cost for the patient as well as the side effects of the surgery

Benefits of Liposuction:

People have many different reasons for choosing this procedure. The major physical benefits associated with getting liposuction are:

• Improved body contour and shape
• Removal of excess skin
• Fat deposits removed
• Almost invisible scars
• Improved skin tone

Some of the biggest benefits of this type of procedure are not physical but mental. By ridding your body of stubborn fat deposits you will look better. This can translate to more confidence and self esteem. Both of these have the tendency to overflow into all areas of life including work, friendships, and your love life. If your problem areas are a source of frustration or create a lack of confidence then this surgery might be able to help you.

How Long Does Liposuction Take:

The time required for liposuction depends upon the amount of work being done by the surgeon. Generally they last from 30 minutes to a few hours and most patients are able to go home on the day of the surgery. Even though it is an outpatient procedure, Doctors require that you have someone drive you home after the surgery. They will monitor you for a few hours and in certain cases some people spend a day or two in the hospital if their medical history shows they might need closer watching.

The Liposuction Process:

• Your Doctor will prep you before surgery then give you a mild sedative. Then he will inject you with a local anesthetic to numb the area. Your doctor will ask you questions as he/she is performing the procedure. A lot of times you are encouraged to watch tv.
• Once the area is fully numb the surgeon will make a very small incision and insert the Cannula (surgical device). If you are doing a wet technique which is very common you will be injected with a tumescent solution to firm up the area and fill it up.
• Before removing the fat your surgeon will break up the fat by either melting it or breaking it up. The common ways this is done is by laser, water jet or ultrasonic device.  Using these devices they create tiny canals which will allow for the fat to be easily sucked out.
• Now that the fat has been melted or broken up it is removed by the surgeon using the tiny canals as pathways.
• Once the surgery is completed you will be wrapped with a special compression garments which give support to the area as well as protect the area of incision. These garments also allow for draining of any excess fluids. These garments will be worn by the patient for a few days during recovery
• You will be monitored by the staff for at least an hour after your surgery and you will be fully coherent and able to move around. As stated earlier you will be required to have someone drive you home
• Most patients are able to go back to work within 1 to 7 days depending upon their bodies natural recovery as well as the amount of work that was done.
• Since the incision sites and instruments are so much smaller the amount of pain, swelling and bruising should be minimal. You could experience mild pain which is normal.

Liposuction Methods:

There are many different techniques that a surgeon can use when doing your liposuction. The most common is known as the Tumescent method. With Tumescent liposuction the surgeon injects large amounts of fluids into the area of operation. The fluids have numbing agent as well as medicine that reduce blood loss. The purpose of adding large amounts of fluid is that it causes the fat cells to become swollen and firm. This allows for easier extraction during the surgery and the excess fluid is actually absorbed by your body.

Here are some of the different methods that surgeons are using along with a brief descrption:

• Super Wet Technique: This requires the injection of liquid and local anesthetic which is approximately half the volume needed in the tumescent technique.
• Ultrasonic Technique:  Known as UAL or ultrasonic assisted liposuction, requires a large amount of tumescent fluid and then a metal probe or paddle to deliver ultrasonic energy and heat into the fat. This process is similar to melting the fat which enables it to be easily extracted.
• Power Assisted Techniques: Known as PAL, they use energy from and electric motor or compressed air to produce rapid movement of the canula. It is generally either a spinning motion or an up and down motion.
• Laser Liposuction Technique: This requires a micro cannula that delivers a laser energy into the targeted areas to heat up the fat.
• Cool Lipo Technique: Like other laser liposuction techniques it uses laser wavelengths to dissolve or melt the fat prior to extraction. This technique is best for smaller areas such as the face, chin and neck.
• Water Jet Assisted Technique: This method uses a slightly pressurized stream of liquid (saline) to dislodge and extract the cells at the same time. Where a lot of the other techniques try to melt or dissolve the fat this one takes the cells intact.

The method you choose will be depend upon the targeted area as well as the amount of fat that is to be removed. You and your surgeon will go over many different options to ensure you get the one that is right for you.

Liposuction Recovery:

Every person is different when it comes to their recovery times. On average it takes 1 to 7 days for someone to return to work. Most patients return to normal within a month. As mentioned earlier you will be required to wear a compression garment. This speeds up the recovery process and allows for the excess fluid to drain from your body.

Bruising and swelling are normal and the amount has been greatly reduced do to smaller instruments. Within a few days the bruising will go away, unless you are someone who bruises easily. In that case it could take up to two weeks.  The swelling can take longer to subside, anywhere from 2  weeks to 2 months in extreme cases. There might also be some numbness which will go away within a few weeks to a few months.

If you experience pain it will be generally mild, unless you have a very low pain threshold. Over the counter or prescription pain medicine can be used to combat the pain and can be used until it is gone.

Are you an Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate is someone who is healthy and is having a hard time with fat in problem areas. These areas should be ones that are not responding to diet and exercise.  Again this is not a treatment for someone who is obese or someone who just wants to lose weight.  If your fat deposits are not going away with adequate exercise and diet or if these fat deposits are out of proportion with fat other areas of your body you might want to use liposuction. You should have good skin elasticity which will allow for your skin to adjust well to the procedure. If there is excess skin after the surgery you might need extra procedures to handle that issue. It should be known that both men and women are prime candidates for this surgery.

Those Who Aren’t Right For Liposuction

As with anything in life there are some people who should not or cannot have a liposuction procedure. There are a variety of reasons for this, but if you have any of the following you will need to find a different avenue to get rid of the fat deposits.

• Pregnant women
• If you have Diabetes
• Uncontrolled Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Risks and Side Effects of Liposuction:

While our instruments and techniques have been refined it is good to note that any medical procedure can have risks and side effects. By being as healthy as possible prior to your surgery you can minimize the risk as well as the side effects.  The general side effects are bruising, swelling, pain, numbness, and time lost at work.

Liposuction Cost:

Since liposuction is what is known as an elective surgery it is not covered by most insurance. So this will be an out of pocked cost for the person getting liposuction. As with any purchase, the cost can be a major factor in determining where you get your procedure performed. The quality of the work is more important than the actual cost.

There have been a growing number of people who are going to foreign countries to get elective plastic surgery done. With this growing number there has also been a major increase in botched procedures or so called horror stories. You should find a surgeon that you feel comfortable with as well as a price that you can handle.

Do not substitute cost for quality. By doing this there can be a number of serious repercussions. These can include:

• Excessive liposuction which leads to a very unnatural look and even disfigurement
• Incomplete liposuction which can lead to an unnatural look or even no evidence of any work being done
• Depressions in your skin from uneven work
• Large scars at the incision point

Needless to say most people would rather pay more than have any of the above issues. The cost of your liposuction will vary depending upon different variables.

• Number of areas treated- There is a cost for every single area that is being worked on. You will pay more for more areas
• Size of the patient- The bigger the patient  the bigger the bill
• Degree of difficulty for surgeon- Sometimes there are different factors that increase the difficulty for the surgeon which will increase the cost.
• Geographical Location- a surgeon in Beverly Hills, California will most undoubtedly charge more than one in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• Surgeons Expertise- If you are going to a surgeon who is widely renowned and has performed many thousands of procedures you will pay more. It is important to note that most people feel it is worth it to pay more for a quality surgeon. A surgeon who is not busy may offer discounts to new patients to garner their business.

If you are shopping around by calling surgeons offices you need to be aware of something called the global liposuction fee. This is a lump sum fee that includes all of the surgical fees and any other non surgical fees. When you get a price over the phone make sure that you are getting the global liposuction fee and not just the surgical fee. 

Once you meet with a surgeon get a written estimate of the total cost of the procedure. Be wary of any surgeon who will not give you all the details of cost of the surgery when you are in their office. You want to work with someone who is completely open and honest from the start.

Payment Methods

You can definitely write out a check for your procedure, but we are aware that most people simply cannot afford to do that. There are a couple of options that you can consider if you do not have the cash in your bank account. First you can use a credit card as most offices do take plastic. Definitely think through using a card carefully because most financial experts would say that’s a bad financial move.

If you feel you can pay if off quickly it might be a viable option. Another option is to use a private finance company. Most surgeon offices work with one or many different private finance companies to help serve their clients.  This has become one of the most used methods of payment. You will generally have a low payment with a lower interest rate than most credit cards.

Choosing a Surgeon:

Once you have decided that this is the procedure you want to have done then you must find a surgeon. You can always use one in your local area, but some people fly to different parts of the country to have liposuction done. If you are flying across country you will want to bring someone with you who can check on you in your week of recovery. Treat it like a vacation and stay in a hotel so you are close to your surgeon just in case of any complications.

We recommend calling a number of offices and setting up personal consultations before choosing a surgeon. These consultations are generally free and they will give you a feel for the person you will be working with. Feel free to ask as many questions as you want and share any concerns you have with the surgeon. Remember this is a major thing you are undertaking and you want to feel completely confident you are working with the right person for you. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a surgeon:

• Comfort- make sure you feel comfortable with the surgeon and the way they explain everything to you
• Cost- also you must make sure that this is a procedure you can afford
• Expertise- the more expertise the surgeon has then generally the better chances of great work. Ask the surgeon how many procedures they have done and ask if you can see before and after pictures of some clients.

Having proper expectations is also something that is incredibly important with choosing a surgeon. By seeing the before and after pictures you will get a better sense of what can be achieved with liposuction. I would shy away from trying to find pictures online due to the ability of these pictures to be photo-shopped.

Ask your doctor what kind of results can be expected for you. Again do not be afraid to ask these kinds of questions. Your surgeon should be very straightforward and give you the results that will come from the surgery. If you think you are going to have abdomen liposuction then look like Mario Lopez the next day you are sadly mistaken. There are limitations to the procedures and you can ask your surgeon about these as well.

Conclusion:

After reading this guide, hopefully you have a better sense of whether you want to have this procedure done. You can always refer back to this page if you are unsure of any part of the process or have any concerns.  So first you need to decide which body part or parts that you want to have liposuction performed on. Next you must be honest with yourself as to your health level.

This procedure is for healthy people who want to lose fat deposits that will not go away with diet and exercise. It is not a procedure to stop obesity or for short term fat loss. If you use it for that you will definitely increase your chance of side effects or gaining the weight back and it looking unnatural. Also if you have any health issues contact a few surgeons and explain the situation to them. They will let you know whether or not you should or can have liposuction based off your personal situation.

Now it is time to scout out surgeons and find the one that you feel with be the best fit for you. They will go over the costs and find a surgery date for you. We wish you good luck with your procedure and are excited for all the positive benefits both physical and mental that you will experience. We hope this guide has helped you to make a decision to better your life in a major way.