Nose surgery is two different financial propositions wearing one name. Done to change the shape of the nose it is cosmetic, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes an average surgeon fee of $7,637 for rhinoplasty, excluding anesthesia, operating room facilities and other related expenses. Done to improve breathing it is something else entirely: ASPS states that such a procedure is considered reconstructive and may be covered by insurance. Which side of that line your surgery falls on will move the number you pay more than any other factor.
Ask providers for a written price
The functional half can be insured, even alongside cosmetic work
ASPS is specific about this. When rhinoplasty is performed to improve breathing function, most commonly because of an obstructed airway, the procedure is considered reconstructive and may be covered by insurance, whether performed alone or in conjunction with cosmetic rhinoplasty. It also names the conditions: a detailed examination to verify the cause of the breathing impairment, and prior authorization from your insurer. That is a real and frequently missed route, because a patient can have a functional problem and an aesthetic wish addressed in one operation with only part of it self funded.
Why a single quote can contain two prices
Where an operation is part functional and part cosmetic, the practice is effectively pricing two things: the reconstructive element that may go through the plan, and the cosmetic element that will not. The anesthesia and facility lines are shared between them because there is one operation and one theatre booking, which is why the split is rarely a clean halving. Ask the practice how it apportions those shared lines, because that apportionment decides what you pay rather than the headline fee.
What the published average does and does not cover
The $7,637 figure is the surgeon's fee for cosmetic rhinoplasty. ASPS names five further lines: anesthesia fees, hospital or surgical facility costs, medical tests, post-surgery garments and prescriptions for medication. It also names three things that set the surgeon's own fee, namely experience, the type of procedure used and geographic office location. Septal surgery, turbinate work and revision cases are all different types of procedure, so the average is a benchmark for the standard cosmetic case and not a ceiling. This record prices the operations; it does not tell anybody which one they need.
Questions people ask about nose surgery cost
How much does nose surgery cost?
For cosmetic rhinoplasty, ASPS publishes an average surgeon fee of $7,637 excluding anesthesia and the facility. Surgery performed to improve breathing may be covered by insurance instead.
Is breathing surgery on the nose covered by insurance?
ASPS says it is considered reconstructive and may be covered, even when performed together with cosmetic rhinoplasty, subject to a detailed examination of the cause and prior authorization from the insurer.
Can I have functional and cosmetic surgery at once?
ASPS describes exactly that combination and says the reconstructive element may still be covered. The shared anesthesia and facility lines are what make the split between funded and self funded work less than obvious.
Why is the published average only a benchmark?
Because ASPS names the type of procedure used as one of three drivers of the fee. Septal work, turbinate work and revision surgery are different operations from a standard cosmetic case.