The American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes an average cost of $11,395 for a facelift, the operation it calls a rhytidectomy. It is the largest of the published facial averages and it is still only one line of the bill: ASPS states that the figure does not include anesthesia, operating room facilities or other related expenses. It also stops at the jawline, which is the detail that catches most people out, because the neck is a separately published operation at $7,885 and most patients asking about a facelift are describing both.
Ask providers for a written price
The average does not include the neck
ASPS publishes a facelift and a neck lift as two operations with two averages, $11,395 and $7,885. A facelift addresses the cheek, the midface and the jawline. Sagging below the jaw, the bands that show through the platysma muscle and fat under the chin belong to the neck operation. So a patient shown a facelift price who expected their neck to be included has not been misquoted, they have been quoted one of the two operations. Ask explicitly whether the neck is in the figure, because a combined face and neck case is the most common version of this surgery and it is priced as a combination.
The six lines on a facelift bill
ASPS names the surgeon's fee, hospital or surgical facility costs, anesthesia fees, prescriptions for medication, post-surgery garments and medical tests. Only the first is measured by the average. Anesthesia matters more here than on smaller procedures because a facelift is a long operation, and the anesthetist bills the time. The facility does too, which is why the choice between an accredited office theatre, a surgery center and a hospital moves the total rather than the surgeon's line. A quote worth comparing states which of the six it already contains.
Why two honest quotes can differ by thousands
ASPS names the type of procedure used as one of three drivers of the fee, beside the surgeon's experience and geographic office location. Facelift is a family of operations rather than one, and the depth of the lift, whether the deeper tissue layer is repositioned, and how much is done to the neck at the same time all change the theatre time and the skill required. Two quotes can therefore differ substantially while both being fair prices for what they describe. ASPS states that most health insurance plans do not cover facelift surgery or its complications, and that many plastic surgeons offer patient financing plans.
Other questions people ask
How much does a facelift cost in the US?
ASPS publishes an average surgeon fee of $11,395 for a facelift. It excludes anesthesia, hospital or surgical facility costs, prescriptions, post-surgery garments and medical tests.
Does a facelift include the neck?
Not in the published average. ASPS prices a neck lift separately at $7,885. Most patients want both, so ask for the combined figure rather than assuming either one covers the other.
Why is a facelift the most expensive facial procedure?
It is the longest and most technically demanding of them, and theatre time drives the anesthesia and facility lines as well as the surgeon's fee. Depth of lift and how much of the deeper tissue is repositioned vary widely.
Is a facelift ever covered by insurance?
ASPS states that most health insurance plans do not cover facelift surgery or its complications. It advises asking about the patient financing plans many surgeons offer.