Navigating the Cost of Plastic Surgery in Austin, Texas: A Comprehensive Guide
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Introduction:
Welcome to the Levesque Plastic Surgery blog, your go-to resource for insights into plastic surgery costs in Austin, Texas. If you've been contemplating cosmetic enhancements and find yourself wondering about the price tags attached to procedures like tummy tucks, facelifts, and breast augmentations, you're in the right place. Let's delve into the factors influencing plastic surgery costs and answer some common questions about expenses in the Austin area.
Understanding the Costs of Plastic Surgery:
Before you embark on your plastic surgery journey, it's essential to comprehend why these procedures come with a price. From surgical fees and facility costs to anesthesia and post-operative care, each element contributes to the overall expense. In this section, we'll break down the key factors influencing the cost of plastic surgery and what you can expect when investing in your transformation. Also to factor in to the cost is: Austin is for better or worse becoming one of the most expensive regions in Texas for overall expenses from housing, to food, and healthcare is no different.
So typically the cost of a plastic surgery procedure can be broken up into four main components.
Surgeon's Fees: These are the fees paid to your surgeon. Remember if your seeing a board certified plastic surgeon they would've completed at least 6 years of post medical school training and also having on average 2 years of post training independent practice in addition to successfully passing a written exam and passed an in person oral examination where seasoned plastic surgeons review each surgeon's cases to evaluate their expertise.
Also remember that that fee does not just go directly home with your surgeon. Those fees go to cover overhead of a plastic surgery practice: including payroll of the office staff (nurses, patient coordinators, front office etc.), rent, medical supplies, malpractice insurance, employee benefits etc. After the team is paid an all expenses are paid then the remaining would typically go to the surgeon. Many aesthetic practice have high expenses given the need for marketing expenditures, staffing requirements and it is not uncommon to see overhead being 55%-70% of revenue so it would we be a inaccurate to expect that your surgeon is taking home the entire surgeon fee home. An remember typically post operative visits are included in the surgeons fees so next time your looking at a $4000 surgeon fee and thinking that really expensive think about what you would be paying an attorney or accountant per hour or HVAC technician to complete a task. Remember this is also your body and not the best place to be saving money. I would also compare a plastic surgery surgeons fee to those of orthodontist, oral surgeon as I have seen some fairly astronomical fees for dental work as well.
Anesthesia Fees: If you are having a procedure under intravenous or general anesthesia you should have an anesthesia provider present for the case to monitor you while your surgeon is performing surgery. In Texas, this is most commonly a certified nurse anesthetists but could also be an anesthesiologist. Is an anesthesiologist needed compared to a CRNA? The short answer is there are great anesthesia providers either MD or CRNA and what is most important is experience in working with cosmetic patients rather than a provider that usually works in orthopedics or obstetrics.
Facility Fees: Depending on whether your surgeon operates in their own operating room or utilizes independent surgicenters there may be a charge to cover the facility. That fee would go toward covering all the supplies necessary to complete the procedure: drapes, sutures, medications, etc) and the pre operative and post operative nurses and rent etc. of the surgicenter. When you're seeing a surgeon such as Dr. Levesque that performs many procedures under local anesthesia the facility fee is not part of the cost and thus can save thousands of dollars let alone be safer for patients because total elimination of general anesthesia.
Post Procedure Care: The fees associated with your care afterward could include prescription medications such as narcotics, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics. These costs can be covered by insurance or without insurance are typically not too much given programs such as Good RX and use of generic medications. For some procedures post operative lymphatic massage would be recommended or garments such as Spanx or Fajas. Fees for garments and massage can pile up quickly and you should check with your surgeon to discuss the recommendations and protocols.
How Much Does Plastic Surgery Cost in Austin, Texas?
We try to be as transparent as possible with our surgical and non surgical pricing.
This can always be found at Menu of Services Page
Many practices will avoid the question and say you need to come in for an evaluation before we can give you your price. I agree that specific pricing can only be given after an in person examination, however I think it fair to given a general range of pricing for typical procedures patient's may be interested in. It does little good to have a consultation if your thought of how much the procedure costs is way off from the actual costs. Lets be frank. Plastic surgery is a luxury and in a city such as Austin it will be considered expensive by a lot of patients. At Levesque Plastic Surgery we strive to always provide great value with not only the results of your procedure but also the individualized and private way we deliver your care. Our pricing based on what we know of other surgeons is well within the averages and much lower with the procedures we can perform under local anesthesia such as facelift, neck lift, browlift, eyelid lifts.
Additional information on pricing can be obtained from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
(a) Tummy Tuck Pricing:
Tummy tucks if it was not for the price and recovery time would likely be the most popular procedure of all of plastic surgery because lets be honest most mothers could benefit from the tightening of the muscles, lipocontouring of the midsection and removal of any stretch marks or extra skin. Tummy tucks can be expensive given the time involved in performing the procedure. Additionally this can be combined with flank and back liposuction or Lipo 360 or breast lifts or augmentations. For the tummy tuck alone most surgeons will take 2-3 hours depending on patient size. Adding other procedures quickly adds time. Almost always there will be an anesthesia and facility fee so this is why the tummy tuck can be a little pricier. In Austin you can expect to see upward of $12000+
(b) Facelift Expenses:
Facelift typically does not involve implant costs and typically the reason facelifts are more expensive than other procedures is the time involved with performing the procedure. There is also a premium placed on the procedure as the stakes are higher for the result as there is no hiding your facelift result whereas a procedure on the body that doesn't have a great outcome could perhaps be covered by clothing. This could be 3-4 hours depending on what is done and whether fat grafting, brow lift, eyelid lift or other procedures are performed. If performed under a general or intravenous sedation the facility and anesthesia costs alone would like be in the $ 6000+ range, and in total north of $20,000 for most of the surgeons.
(c) Breast Augmentation Price Breakdown:
Breast augmentation will typically have the additional costs of the implants themselves. There are some minor differences whether you select saline, silicone, and by different manufacturers. For example we use implants that can go from $400 per implant to ~$1200 per implant depending on the manufacturer and type of implant. Additionally the manufactures sell the implants at different costs to the surgeon. Implants made be listed as a separate item on your quote or just be bundled into surgeon fee. Also many surgeons including myself will place the implants using an insertion device such as a Keller funnel, this is like a cake piping bag, that allows insertion of the implant with minimal manipulation to the implant shell and not touching the skin which might have just a little bacteria even after surgical skin preps. These can cost ~ $120 each as well. Breast augmentation is probably the procedure by which you will see some crazy internet marketing advertisements like $2999. This is unrealistic as implants, anesthesia, facility costs will be in that range let alone the other costs of the practice so don't believe those crazy good deals. There's always fine print.
You can probably can expect to pay anywhere from 7-8k for a breast augmentation in Austin.
Why Is Plastic Surgery So Expensive?
The plastic surgeon that is responsible for your care, if they are board certified, will have completed a minimum of 6 years of post medical school residency. In my training program this was typically 80+ hours a week in the hospitals/clinics/emergency rooms etc. learning all aspects of plastic surgery. Additionally they will have perhaps done extra year of aesthetic or cosmetic focused training before then practicing independently. A written exam will have been passed followed by oral examination meaning they will have at least practiced a couple of years on their own. Independent practice is really when surgeons come into their own and thus a board certified plastic surgeon will at a minimum be in their mid 30's and spent typically 10 + years working toward the goal of becoming a well rounded and safe plastic surgeon.
So the surgeon fee is going toward the expertise and training of your surgeon and to support their team. Let's be honest no surgeon can achieve great consistent results without a great team. While plastic surgery can certainly be expensive compared to accountants/ lawyers/ dentists etc. I would challenge that the value proposition for plastic surgery is quite fair and typically surgeon's fees are a fixed amount compared to per minute fees that can exist with other professionals. The vast majority of surgeons care for their patients post procedure without additional fees.
Financing Options for Plastic Surgery:
Many plastic surgeons will participate with financing partners such as Cherry, Alphaeon, or CareCredit. These may have special promotion terms such as no interest for 6 months or 12 months. With these products it is important to know the specifics of the product as to what the APR is if not paying off the balance in the promotional period. The other options are typically a fixed interest rate for a number of months up to 60 months. The interest rate or APR is typically provided by the companies performing a credit check. These processes are handled externally by the respective companies.
Our current financing options can always be found in our patient resources section.
Levesque Plastic Surgery Financing Partners
Conclusion:
As you navigate the world of plastic surgery costs in Austin, Texas, remember that each procedure is an investment in your confidence and well-being. For a detailed menu of services offered by Levesque Plastic Surgery, visit our website [insert internal link to the menu of services]. Your journey to enhanced beauty begins with informed decisions and the guidance of skilled professionals. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards a more confident you.