The American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes an average cost of $6,816 for a breast lift, the operation it calls a mastopexy. That is well above the $4,875 it publishes for augmentation with implants, which surprises people who assume adding something costs more than lifting it. As with every ASPS average it is a surgeon fee excluding anesthesia, operating room facilities and other related expenses, and the reason it sits where it does is that a lift is the longer and more intricate of the two operations.
Ask providers for a written price
A lift and an augmentation do opposite jobs
An augmentation adds volume. A lift removes skin, raises the breast tissue and usually repositions the nipple, without adding anything. That is more incision, more tissue handled and more theatre time, which is why ASPS publishes it higher at $6,816 against $4,875. It also means the two operations answer different complaints, so a patient who wants to be fuller and higher is often looking at both. Those are two published operations and should be quoted as one combined figure rather than the larger of the two averages.
Combining a lift with implants
A lift with augmentation is common and it is more than the sum of its incisions, because placing a device inside tissue that is simultaneously being reshaped is technically harder than either alone. ASPS names the type of procedure used as one of three drivers of the surgeon's fee, beside experience and geographic office location, and a combined case is squarely a different type of procedure. One anesthetic and one facility booking are shared, so the combined quote is usually below $6,816 plus $4,875, but the surgeon's line will not simply be one of the two.
The six lines and the insurance position
ASPS lists anesthesia fees, hospital or surgical facility costs, medical tests, post-surgery garments, prescriptions for medication and the surgeon's fee. Only the surgeon's fee is in the average. On the funding question ASPS is direct: most health insurance plans do not cover breast lift surgery or its complications, and many plastic surgeons offer patient financing plans, so be sure to ask. Where finance is used, the total repaid rather than the monthly payment is the figure to compare between practices. This record prices the operations; it does not tell anybody which one they need.
Other questions people ask
How much does a breast lift cost in the US?
ASPS publishes an average surgeon fee of $6,816 for a breast lift, or mastopexy. It excludes anesthesia, facility costs, medical tests, post-surgery garments and prescriptions.
Why does a lift cost more than implants?
A lift removes skin, raises the tissue and usually repositions the nipple, which is more surgery and more theatre time than placing a device. ASPS publishes $6,816 against $4,875.
What does a lift with implants cost?
It should be quoted as one combined figure. One anesthetic and facility booking are shared so it is usually less than the two averages added together, but the surgeon's fee reflects a harder combined operation.
Will insurance cover a breast lift?
ASPS states that most health insurance plans do not cover breast lift surgery or its complications. It advises asking about the patient financing plans many surgeons offer.