Is Liposuction Affordable?

Liposuction, called ‘lipo’ for short, is a medical surgery performed to remove fat otherwise unremoved through exercise or diet. It is the most common cosmetic surgery in the United States. It uses suction to remove fat from body parts like stomach, thighs, arms, buttocks or neck.

Liposuction may be the most performed cosmetic surgery in the US, but does that really tell us whether it is affordable? It doesn’t. Affordability depends entirely on an individual’s income and budget. What would be affordable for Elon Musk, for example, wouldn’t be for us.

In terms of how much cosmetic surgeries, in general cost, we will try to gauge whether we can consider Liposuction an affordable surgery or not. There are various factors to be considered, of course, in each Liposuction. Factors like the expertise of the surgeon, the extent and area of surgery, the geographic location and many more come into play when considering costs.

Liposuction Costs

Now, getting down to business, how much is a liposuction?

According to a report on cosmetic surgeries published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2023, Liposuction costs an average of $4,711, while submental (facial) Liposuction costs $3,194.

If we consider only the cost of Liposuction itself, it turns out to be around $3,500 to $3,600, but factors like consultation fees, medical tests, surgeon fees, anesthesia fees, etc., make it go above $4,000. Now, the cost also depends upon the type of procedure, such as laser-assisted Liposuction, power-assisted Liposuction, radio-frequency-assisted Liposuction, and such.

The Affordability of Liposuction

Liposuction can definitely not be considered affordable for the average middle-class American whose monthly income is not more than $7,000. However, we cannot call it completely out of range either because there are various financial plans and options available that allow the average individual to pay the amount in monthly installments with minimal APR.

This would incline us to conclude with a dual statement. It depends entirely on what an individual is willing to pay and whether they consider a bodily enhancement worth almost 60% of their monthly income, although in installation.

Conclusion

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery which removes excess fat that cannot be reduced through exercise or diet. The surgery uses suction to remove the extra fat, and depending upon the procedure, it may also use laser, power, radiofrequency, or ultrasound.

The price range of a liposuction surgery is dependent on various factors like geographical location, surgeon’s expertise, area to be removed, and the type of procedure used. After all this has been taken into consideration, a price is set which is mostly around the range of $3,700 to $4,700 including the fee of consultation, medical tests, anesthesia, etc.

For an average American, it would be hard to consider this price range affordable, but it’s also not entirely out of range either. With the help of financial plans or savings, it should not be too difficult. However, it must be noted that affordability depends entirely on what a person considers worth spending on.