everyday living Top 13 Most Expensive Cosmetic Surgeries July 16, 2012 Written By: Andrew Mueth Published On July 16, 2012 What’s the most expensive plastic surgery? Where does breast augmentation stand? How much do Americans spend annually on plastic surgery? Are these questions we can even answer? Yes. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons releases an annual report that crunches all the numbers. Americans spent $10.4 billion on plastic surgery last year, roughly the same amount the United States spent on foreign humanitarian aid in the same period. This cosmetic spending came in the form of roughly 13.8 million procedures (1.6 million of which were surgeries). Please Read This: All About Capsular Contracture Below is a list of the thirteen most expensive plastic surgeries (not including minimally-invasive procedures like Botox) as measured by the average surgeon’s fee (priced without anesthesia or other associated fees). Also included is the total amount Americans spent on each procedure in 2011. 13. Breast Augmentation (Augmentation mammaplasty) Surgeon’s Fee: $3,388 National Expenditure: $1,040,725,840 That’s right; breast augmentation comes in pretty low on the list. Last year, over 307,000 Americans underwent breast augmentation, making it by far the most common plastic surgery. This competition has actually driven down the price, as more and more plastic surgeons have begun offering the procedure. You Might Like This: Vaccine For Breast Cancer Developed By Army Doctor 12. Upper Arm Lift Surgeon’s Fee: $3,809 National Expenditure: $57,127,382 This procedure reduces flabby skin, most common in massive weight loss patients. 11. Calf Augmentation Surgeon’s Fee: $3,856 National Expenditure: $1,561,680 405 people opted for calf implants in 2011 alone. 10. Pectoral Implants Surgeon’s Fee: $4,024 National Expenditure: $1,275,608 Despite the high figures, only 317 people got pectoral implants in the same year. (Perhaps because they were all men). Low demand means there are fewer specialists trained to perform these surgeries, keeping the price high. 9. Buttock Implants Surgeon’s Fee: $4,283 National Expenditure: $4,921,167 While this is still a relatively uncommon procedure, it’s growing quickly, up 43 percent in 2011 alone. Still, with only 1,100 procedures in 2011, it’s far newer and less common than its cousin, the butt lift. 8. Breast lift (Mastopexy) Surgeon’s Fee: $4,286 National Expenditure: $388,650,194 Only the seventh most common procedure among women, (probably because many women opt instead for implants), the breast lift increases breast size while also correcting shape or flab. 7. Nose Reshaping (Rhinoplasty) Surgeon’s Fee: $4,422 National Expenditure: $1,077,959,784 Nose reshaping is the second most common plastic surgery, popular with women and men alike. Even though women account for 75 percent of these procedures, it is the most common plastic surgery for men. 6. Thigh Lift Surgeon’s Fee: $4,657 National Expenditure: $45,456,977 The thigh lift, 84 percent more common now than in 2000, is another procedure that has contributed to the expanse of plastic surgery in recent years. 5. Buttock Lift Surgeon’s Fee: $4,694 National Expenditure: $21,338,924 Like buttock implants, the butt lift is gaining rapid popularity: it’s up 235% since 2000, and 4,500 people got the implants last year alone. 4. Hair Transplantation Surgeon’s Fee: $4,934 National Expenditure: $77,730,236 The number of hair transplants per year has dropped 65 percent since 2000 as alternative hair-regrowth procedures have improved. 3. Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) Surgeon’s Fee: $5,279 National Expenditure: $611,846,658 Tummy tucks are the sixth most common cosmetic procedure, but not as popular as their more-affordable cousin, liposuction (the third most common procedure, costing an average of $2,800). 2. Facelift (Rhytidectomy) Surgeon’s Fee: $6,426 National Expenditure: $764,861,076 Facelifts are the fifth most common cosmetic procedure, about one third as common as breast augmentation. 1. Lower Body Lift Surgeon’s Fee: $7,928 National Expenditure: $60,371,720 This comprehensive procedure “tightens loose, sagging skin in the buttocks, posterior thighs, hips, outer thighs and anterior thighs.” Like the buttock lift and upper arm lift, it has taken off in the last decade: 7,600 people underwent this procedure last year compared with 200 people in 2000. Price-wise, people are realizing it can be a good value to lift the whole package, rather than just the buttocks or thighs. 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