Cost is one of the largest contributing factors in the decision for someone to pursue cosmetic surgery. Price can often be an important differentiating factor to consider when comparing surgeons. A surgeon’s expertise specific to the procedure you are interested in, the quality of their results, and photos demonstrating high-quality results can often be reflected in a higher price. If a particular surgeon is more expensive but you appreciate their opinion and results more than another, speak with their office coordinator to review payment options. Be very wary of free consultations as these are often not thorough enough for the provider to give you full education on a procedure. Proper knowledge is essential for making an appropriate, informed decision regarding surgery. Prices range from $15,000 on the very low end, to above $60,000 for very experienced, high-quality surgeons on Park Avenue.
What Impacts the Cost of a Mommy Makeover?
The cost of a Mommy Makeover procedure can vary depending on several factors. One major factor would be geography. The larger the city (New York City for example), the greater the density of plastic surgeons. Generally speaking, New York and LA have the best high-quality plastic surgeons and, hence, the price tends to be the highest in these two cities. Board-certified plastic surgeons look to stand out by obtaining the highest level of training available within their field. A surgeon with advanced training and a well-established practice will often be more costly than a junior surgeon without the same credentials. Many warm-weather cities are known for offering inexpensive plastic surgery. While there are qualified providers in those places, it is important to research implications of seeking surgery away from home – downtime, hotel/travel expenses, and what would happen in the case of any complication. Another aspect of surgery that can affect cost is the associated surgical center and anesthesia fees. These are usually billed based on time in surgery, so how effectively a surgeon can achieve the desired result within a certain time constraint is a consideration. The average, uncomplicated mommy makeover typically takes around five to seven hours. Lastly, the type of practice the plastic surgeon maintains can affect cost. For example, a surgeon seeing many more patients within a given day with less time and attention per patient can charge less due to volume. In this case patients may often be seen by a lower-level provider (PA, RN) for many of their post-operative follow-up visits. On the contrary, some surgeons prefer to minimize patient overload to allow each patient a large amount of individualized care, and that type of extra attention comes at a higher cost.
A major element of any Mommy Makeover cost is the combination of plastic surgery procedures involved. The term “Mommy Makeover” can refer to any combination of breast surgery and body procedures to help a woman return to her pre- pregnancy baseline. That might include a breast augmentation using breast implants, breast lift or breast reduction combined tummy tuck surgery to remove excess skin and repair stretched abdominal muscles, along with liposuction to contour. The same combination of procedures included in a Mommy Makeover can be applied to a patient with extensive weight loss once they have achieved a stable goal weight through diet and exercise or bariatric surgery.
Does Insurance Cover a Mommy Makeover?
While a Mommy Makeover in and of itself is considered a cosmetic procedure, there are patient-specific elements which may be reimbursable by insurance if deemed medically necessary. These are limited to symptomatic large breasts treated through breast reduction surgery, most abdominal hernias, and some scar revisions. It is important to understand the nuances of insurance such as in-network vs out of network providers, payment schedules, and how your surgeon will plan to bill the insurance company. Insurance companies can also review claims within a certain time after surgery and recuperate any funds paid that are subsequently deemed frivolous. If you have questions about insurance coverage for any component of your Mommy Makeover surgery, discuss them with your surgeon’s coordinator. Never agree to proceeding with surgery without being ready and able to pay for the full quoted amount, in the event of a billing dispute with the insurance company.
Does Combining Plastic Surgery Procedures Save Me Money?
The short answer is yes; combining procedures such as in the case of Mommy Makeover surgery does have some cost-benefit. Most plastic surgeons will show a reduction in the surgeon’s fee component for each procedure when combined in a single surgery. You can ask your surgical coordinator for an itemized breakdown of each procedure and how the costs are affected when combined. The main reason for the cost reduction is that only one day is taken from the surgeon’s schedule to perform surgery compared to many, along with all your subsequent follow-up visits being scheduled together rather than double the time requirement. Another consideration is that anesthesia and facility fee components are often reduced because the time included to prep the operating room and recover a patient after surgery is condensed. These fees are based strictly on time and increase exponentially the longer each surgery takes.
Apart from economies of scale in the cost of surgery, another major benefit to consider is recovery time. When procedures are combined in a Mommy Makeover, the typical two-to-four-week recovery period is limited. Many women enjoy the convenience of minimizing recovery, so they can readily resume parenting, exercise, and travel without an extra delay. Certain times of year may be better for each person when planning their recovery. A teacher, for example, may only be able to consider having surgery during the window of summer break. In this case, they would opt to combine all recommended procedures to ensure they are recovered and can resume work normally in the fall. It is important to discuss all the implications of combining procedures with your surgeon so they can make appropriate recommendations according to your lifestyle and medical history. Certain conditions may make it impossible to combine procedures when this would put you at additional risk for compromising your health or future results. The length of time required for each individual procedure will also determine whether they can be combined safely without putting a patient at any unnecessary risk. Be wary of surgeons that try to combine more than 2-3 surgical sites at once. Too much surgery can be detrimental to your recovery and overall aesthetic results. Safety always comes first.
How Can I Schedule a Consultation?
The first step to schedule a consultation would be doing thorough research. There are many ways to find a plastic surgeon. Arguably the best way would be to receive a referral from another physician, such as primary care, dermatologist, or OB-GYN. These providers often see multiple patients with good results and can attest to those by referring their own patients somewhere. Friends are a secondarily good referral source, especially if they are patients themselves. When it comes to advertising, the most essential consideration is the plastic surgeon’s education, board certification ONLY by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and before/after gallery. If those components match your desired outcome, then they would be a good source of information to seek in consultation. You will often come across taglines such as “no downtime surgery” or “no anesthesia required”. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. There are no shortcuts to SAFE plastic surgery.
The next step would be contacting the office of a board-certified plastic surgeon to find a time to meet them. First impressions last a lifetime, so pay attention when speaking to the receptionist upon calling. Should you decide to have surgery, this is the team you will be dealing with multiple times per month for at least a year. The administrative team is a direct reflection of the surgeon’s ways of working. Another thing to clarify would be a potential timeline for surgery. This is sometimes best done before reaching out to qualified providers because they are booked one to six months out, on average. Knowing well enough in advance will give you adequate time to interview surgeons, get any preoperative lab work done, and feel confident moving forward with your scheduled procedure.