How much does plastic surgery actually cost?

September 15, 2012 9:29 PM

How much, realistically speaking, would I have to save up for plastic surgery in New York?

I'm obviously not doing this right away (no full time job). It is something I'd have to save up for, hence the question.

But it's clear that I am unattractive, it is actively hurting my life, and it is keeping me from living the lifestyle I want for myself. It doesn't seem much different for me than saving up for a car if you want to get places. That said, there is not much information out there, especially on spam-flooded online searches, on how much plastic surgery actually costs, let alone by region.

Details: I am in NYC. Objectively speaking I would probably need liposuction (nothing major, but I haven't been able to lose weight for 10 years), breast implants (again, nothing major, even just a low B-cup would be fine), possibly a nose job (I actually had a consult for one in high school but it never happened because I'd have had to miss too much class). I have no idea how to even choose a plastic surgeon at all, let alone a reputable one. I have basically no idea how this works.

(Please, no "everyone is beautiful inside" crap. This is a real and researched thing. I have plenty of proof at this point that I am not attractive, and if you are more attractive, your life improves.)

posted by dekathelon to Health & Fitness (19 answers total)

I can only give third-hand info re: liposuction: a friend's friend had liposuction on her upper and lower abdomen about three years ago from a reputable plastic surgeon in the Chicago area. The bill ran around $10K, and that included plastic surgeon's fees, facility fees, anesthesia and follow up. I have no idea if this is still the going rate but that's apparently how much it cost her at that time. Hope this helps.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 10:12 PM on September 15, 2012

A Park Avenue plastic surgeon doing breast implants will cost between $10,000 and $15,000. Figure closer to the 15k. That cost was 5 years ago. The family member who had it done said it changed her life because it changed the way she viewed herself.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:26 PM on September 15, 2012

If you decide to go the plastic surgery route (although judging from your previous questions, that isn't your problem) please go with a board certified plastic surgeon. Most cosmetic procedures are not a magical fix and will never turn out 100% how you expect them to, and some will carry significant risks and complications. Liposuction in particular is pretty much worthless at your age (24) since your body is still changing and developing.

During your consultation, you should ask to see the surgeon's work with the before and after pictures of their prior work. If you get weird vibes from the doctor or staff, move on, there are plenty of others. Never feel pressured into anything.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 10:27 PM on September 15, 2012

Have you been to that site RealSelf.com? I thought the reviews seemed fairly legitimate, but I could be wrong.
posted by désoeuvrée at 10:35 PM on September 15, 2012

So I know quite a few people who've had plastic surgery and I'd say the nose job is the most life changing in terms of just plain old becoming "prettier". A good nose job is quite a thing and I bet more people have had them done than you'd think. Probably budget $8-18K depending on what you want/ need done. They may very well recommend a chin implant at the same time. Get several consults.

Lipo is great if you're basically thin and want to shape a bit but if you can't lose weight you're wasting your money until you get that sorted out. You'll just regain it somewhere weird like your shoulders or your upper back. One of my friends has been down this road a few times and yeah... she looks a bit oddly misshapen at this point.

In general be careful and don't be in a rush, especially with your face. There are a LOT of mediocre to terrible surgeons out there and you desperately want this so you might not listen to the alarm bells inside your head if the price is good. If Meg Ryan, with all her money and connections, can end up looking like a horror show so can you. Get personal recommendations and give yourself a 6 month cooling off period after the initial consult before you go under any knives. Go to multiple doctors for consults. Getting a bad surgery fixed costs a lot more than getting it mucked up in the first place. Don't assume fancy office = good surgeon, half the girls in my high school had their noses "fixed" by the same small town guy before college and they all look great. Better than a lot of Hollywood people honestly.
posted by fshgrl at 11:27 PM on September 15, 2012

Depends on the borough and hospital you decide to go to. I'd suggest a stand up liposuction, less anesthesia and it will give a truer result since you want it to look a certain way standing up. It would be better in Manhattan for that and it's about $5,000-10,000 average.

Breast implants are less in staten island and would cost about $5,000-7,000.

I'm not sure about rhinoplasty.

The most important thing is finding a doctor you like. You don't have to find one to do it all. Most places have free consultations and payment plans. If this is what you want, make appointments for the free consultations.
posted by Yellow at 4:23 AM on September 16, 2012

For prices, I agree with everyone here but Dr's will tell you that when you go for (free) consultations. You won't necessarily have to pay it all at once. You might be asked to pay, say, half of it before the surgery and the rest later.

I found (well, my parents found, I was a kid) one surgeon because the Dr I'd been going to forever worked with a certain plastic surgeon regularly. If you have a regular Dr who you like, you could ask them who they'd tell you to go see if you broke your nose. (Just as a starting point.) I found another through an ad in New York Magazine's Best Doctors issue. He wasn't even one of the "Best Doctors"! But I did check him out beyond just liking the ad, of course. The first one is very specialized, but the second one might do noses if he's still around, PM me if you want.

I'm obviously not doing this right away (no full time job).

If you can scrounge up the money somehow, this is the perfect time to do it, especially anything on your face. Healing from facial surgery (I'm assuming you've never had any) can be really slow and you can look seriously messed up for quite a while. Not having to go back to work after your allotted week off would be a great help. Not that you should rush into a decision, just keep that in mind.

Oh, and don't let anyone talk you into extra stuff at consultations. In my experience Dr's like the idea of chin implants but I've seen very few people who don't look much worse with a chin implant. One crazy Dr said I should get a face lift. I was about 27. That's why you go to consults, to weed out people like that.
posted by DestinationUnknown at 4:56 AM on September 16, 2012

I have a friend who went this route, although she was employed and owned a home.
posted by thinkpiece at 6:22 AM on September 16, 2012

Given how much plastic surgery costs it would probably be a good idea to invest in a few therapy sessions first just to make sure your expectations on what plastic surgery will do are realistically calibrated. Your prior questions indicate you are a bundle of self-hatred and self-doubt. You've been told repeatedly that your lack of self-confidence is likely seriously affecting your ability to form relationships, but it looks like you haven't made an efforts to pursue more therapy or anything else along those lines except for continuing to obsess about how you feel you're ugly. Plastic surgery improves the self-confidence of people who are generally happy with themselves but have one or two major things bothering them. It does not provide help for those suffering from chronic, debilitating self-esteem issues.
posted by Anonymous at 8:46 AM on September 16, 2012

This has nothing to do with my self-esteem. It is about catering to the market. In one of my old questions someone said she wished she'd done this a lot earlier to be more successful in relationships, and I've been thinking about that.
posted by dekathelon at 9:31 AM on September 16, 2012

"Catering to the market" is a very poor reason for plastic surgery and your statement underscores schroedinger's point. As mentioned above, if you're going to get plastic surgery, you really, really, really want to get it done right. Getting plastic surgery involves research and risk assessment -- therapy is a very important part of that.

(There are a lot of people here who are very worried about you. It would have been very easy to ask your question without the self-loathing statements, but you didn't.)
posted by stowaway at 9:45 AM on September 16, 2012

So, I've never had the "be prettier" kind of surgery, only the "correct problems" kind. But I would seriously caution you about the market thing. The market changes. People will be all about those huge implants for a few years, then they'll find them tacky. This becomes a life long process of having surgeries to keep up, and then you'll just look weird. You've seen those women who look all sad and plastic and weird. I'm all for getting rid of the bump on your nose if it's always bugged you (I'd love to do it myself) but it has to be for yourself. It can be about a somewhat cold and objective decision to look better and not a self esteem thing, but it still has to be for you. I hope that makes sense.
posted by DestinationUnknown at 10:39 AM on September 16, 2012

Regardless of how it makes you feel afterwards, I think you should put thoughts/plans about tens of thousands of dollars on elective surgeries on the backburner until you take care of more fundamental concerns, regarding your health and finances. If you're in a more secure place, financially and emotionally, you'll likely have a better outcome. There are studies showing poor prognosis for patients with depression, anxiety, and/or unrealistic expectations for how their lives will be changed.
posted by availablelight at 10:43 AM on September 16, 2012

I know someone who had her nose changed, and it did indeed have a big impact on her options in life.
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:05 AM on September 16, 2012

Saving up for somes surgeries also involves saving for future procedures. Breast augmentations have a surprisingly limited lifespan, and might require adjustment or replacement in 12-15 years. In other words, getting one means you are committing to getting at least two...

People here are worried about you. You sound awesome, but your question history indicate that you do seem to be struggling with self esteem issues. Also, I know a few women who seemed genuinely happier after cosmetic surgery, but their surgeries were very targeted (ie, the girl who gets a nose job, because her large, twice-broken nose is the only thing that bugs her) and fixed things that might objectively be considered flawed (usually from some damage or defect). Getting multiple surgeries indicates this isn't the case, though. You know? Especially since so many procedures lead to, or require, further procedures down the line...
posted by vivid postcard at 4:46 PM on September 16, 2012

This is a little out of left field, but have you had a good bra fitting?

I would spend a couple hundred dollars on great bras that fit you perfectly before spending thousands on surgery.

If you think you have both a weight problem and no breasts, there's a strong chance that you're not wearing the right foundation garments.

This might be a good place to start.
posted by Sara C. at 6:32 PM on September 16, 2012

Since people asked: I've had multiple bra fittings, but when there is nothing on your chest to fit, there is only so much that can be done, i.e. nothing.

I've already gone to the dentist. I had to pay out of pocket, but they gave me the prescription stuff for free. This is an entirely separate issue.
posted by dekathelon at 8:04 PM on September 16, 2012

But have you spoken with a therapist? You are focusing on the minutest, one-off messages people give you ("One commenter said she wished she got plastic surgery", "This person asked about a bra fitting") while ignoring the overwhelming message from everyone else that the way you think about yourself is tremendously damaging and almost certainly having more of an effect on your interpersonal relationships than the size of your boobs or your weight ever will.

I apologize for the aggressiveness. But question after question is about the trouble you have with romantic relationships and friendships, whether in forming them or navigating already formed ones. You are fixating on this idea that if only you were gorgeous it would all be so much easier and better. Sure, being gorgeous will absolutely make it easier for you to form relationships, if you believe dudes hitting on you is equivalent to forming normal, healthy relationships. But it will be of little use for forming friendships, and of no use whatsoever in sustaining any sort of relationship, friendship or romantic. Boobs do not give you social skills.

I wonder if it isn't tempting to fixate on that because the alternative--that fundamental aspects of your personality and view of the world must be explored and changed--isn't so much more intimidating and difficult to approach.
posted by Anonymous at 8:55 PM on September 16, 2012

The plastic surgery consultations are usually free, so it might be better to talk to various plastic surgeons in the city.

With that being said, from a financial perspective it might be better to save your money rather than spending it on liposuction. You said that you can't get plastic surgery done right away since you don't have a full time job.

But what you can do is start leading a healthier lifestyle (eat within calorie range and regular, consistent exercise) so that you can work on losing weight without shelling thousands of dollars.

It's amazing how much someone's face shape and body (including boob area!) can change after gaining or losing weight.

----
Also, with the physical work (whether that means through surgery or weight loss through diet and exercise) comes mental work. You need to work on your insides so that you can feel better about your outsides. I can't stress how important shroedinger's message above is because you can be as rich as Donald Trump or as beautiful as Beyonce (or whoever you think is beautiful) and still be miserable and lead a shitty social life which is obviously not your goal. Get therapy and plastic surgery, but don't get plastic surgery without therapy.
posted by livinglearning at 2:51 AM on September 17, 2012