The American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes an average cost of $7,885 for a neck lift, the operation it calls a lower rhytidectomy. That figure is a surgeon's fee and ASPS says so in the same sentence: it is only part of the total price and does not include anesthesia, operating room facilities or other related expenses. The useful question is therefore not what the average is but what sits around it, because five of the six lines ASPS names on a neck lift bill are billed by somebody other than the surgeon.
Ask providers for a written price
The six lines ASPS names, and who bills each one
ASPS lists anesthesia fees, hospital or surgical facility costs, medical tests, post-surgery garments, prescriptions for medication and the surgeon's fee. The anesthetist or their group bills the first, and it tracks the length of the case. The facility bills the second, and an accredited office theatre, a surgery center and a hospital are three different prices for the same operation. The practice usually handles tests, garments and prescriptions, and they are small but real. Only the surgeon's fee is described by the $7,885 average, which is why a quote naming one figure and no breakdown cannot be compared with anything.
Why the neck is priced apart from the face
ASPS publishes the neck lift as its own operation with its own average, distinct from a facelift at $11,395. That is not a billing convention, it reflects that the two operate on different structures: a facelift works on the cheek and jawline, a neck lift on the skin, submental fat and the platysma below it. Patients often need both, and the two averages describe two operations, so a combined case is a combined quote rather than the larger of the two figures. One anesthetic and one facility booking covering both is what usually makes the pair cheaper than two separate admissions.
What moves the surgeon's own fee
ASPS names three drivers: the surgeon's experience, the type of procedure used, and the geographic office location. Only the first and third are about the surgeon. The second is about you, because whether the platysma is repaired, and how much skin is redraped, follows what the examination finds. That is the honest reason a practice will not price a neck lift over the phone, and why the ones that publish a figure publish a starting price. ASPS states that most health insurance plans do not cover neck lift surgery or its complications, and that many surgeons offer patient financing plans, so be sure to ask.
Other questions people ask
How much does a neck lift cost in the US?
The published average surgeon fee is $7,885, according to ASPS. It excludes anesthesia, hospital or surgical facility costs, medical tests, post-surgery garments and prescriptions.
Is a neck lift included in a facelift price?
No. ASPS publishes them as separate operations with separate averages, $7,885 for a neck lift and $11,395 for a facelift. A combined case should be quoted as one combined figure.
What is a lower rhytidectomy?
It is the clinical name ASPS uses for a neck lift. Quoting against that term is useful because it is the language published averages and practice price lists actually use.
Will insurance pay for a neck lift?
ASPS states that most health insurance plans do not cover neck lift surgery or its complications. It advises asking about patient financing, which many plastic surgeons offer.