How much does liposuction cost?

One of the main reasons UK citizens are going to countries such as Spain, Greece, Germany, South Africa and Eastern Europe for liposuction surgery is the cost savings. For those who do not mind traveling further, they are more choices in South Africa, Thailand or Argentina.

Companies offering liposuction surgery in these countries have responded to the increasing demand and have improved their quality of service dramatically.

Other than the cheaper cost of liposuction, bear in mind that travel costs within the Euro zone are much lower than flying to South Africa or to Eastern Europe. Besides cost, think about whether you might be fit enough to sit in an airplane for up to ten hours straight, one week after having liposuction? What are your gut feel about the country and the standards of the hospitals and surgeons? Will language difficulties be a thorn in the flesh?

The table below provides an indication of the comparative costs of liposuction. The prices shown are taken from a sample of clinics and hospitals in the UK and abroad, and should be used as a guide only. Contact several providers in each country, and find out what their current price is before you decide.

Costs of Liposuction in the UK Versus Aboard

	Rhinoplasty (nose reshaping)	Breast augmentation	Upper and lower eyelids	Facelift
UK private hospital	£3,000 to £4,000	£3,500 to £5,000	£2,900 to £3,700	£4,300 to £6,000
UK cosmetic surgery clinic	£3,100 to £3,300	£3,600 to £4,600	£1,950 to £3,700	£4,000 to £5,700
Argentina	£1,270 to £1,750	£1,800 to £2,815	£1,165	£`1,060 to £2,415
Belgium	£1,650 to £2,850	£1,960 to £2,720	£1,600	£1,650 to £2,950
Bolivia	£790	£1,590	£850	£1,590
Brazil	£1,550	£2345	£1550	£1948
Croatia	£1,150 to £1,500	£2,250	£1,400	£2,700
Czech Republic	£1,756	£2,346	£1,226	£2,056
Egypt	£1,500	£2,000	£1,200	£2,100
Germany	£3,400	£3,000	£1,900	£3,400 to £6,000
India	£850	£1,300	£1,050	£1,800
Poland	£750	£1,920	£1,290	£1,945
South Africa	£2,100	£2,200	£1,750	£3,300
Spain	£2,400	£2,900	£2,100	£3,200
Tunisia	£1,260	£1,750	£1,190	£2,400
Turkey	£1,600	£1,720	£1,350	£1,600

The following is a list of the average costs for plastic surgery procedures across the United States. These numbers are derived from a survey of plastic surgeons that are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Costs below are for procedures being performed in accredited hospitals, accredited surgery centers, or accredited plastic surgery offices.

Costs of Liposuction in the US

Liposuction Surgery Type	Liposuction Prices (USD)
Abdomen, upper & lower:	$3,500 - 8,500
Abdomen, lower:	$2,500 - 5,500
Arms	$2,500 - 5,500
Back	$2,500 - 4,500
Breasts	$3,500 - 8,500
Buttocks	$2,000 - 5,000
Chin, Cheeks, Neck	$2,500 - 5,500
Flanks, male	$2,500 - 5,500
Anterior Thighs & Knees	$2,500 - 5,500
Inner Thighs & Knees	$2,500 - 5,500
Hips & Waist	$2,500 - 5,500
Outer Thighs	$2,500 - 5,500

Liposuction in the UK – Why Everyone is Doing It

The most popular cosmetic procedures for women in the UK are breast enlargement, liposuction and nose jobs, while UK men mostly opt for liposuction and penis extensions. In addition, many patients come from around the world to have liposuction done in the UK because they wish to benefit from the excellent standard of medical and surgical treatment available in private hospitals in the UK. Most private hospitals in the UK will offer visitors an operation at a pre-agreed or fixed price. It's really a case of locating which private hospital you want to go to, finding out whether they can do your operation and then contacting them for a price. The price is normally payable on or before admission to the hospital, and may usually be made in cash, cheque or credit card. Transparency of prices is one of the reasons why overseas patients want to come to the UK to have liposuction.

There are some things to look out for if you wish to have liposuction performed in the UK. First, ensure that the surgeons are really FRCS (Plast) surgeons (Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons). They should have a minimum of five years experience in cosmetic procedures. In fact, some UK liposuction surgeons have been known to occupy NHS consultancy positions as well. Usually they are also members of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons (BAPS) or the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

In addition, look for surgeons who are on the Specialist Register of Plastic Surgeons on lists held by the UK General Medical Council. They offer extremely high standards of clinical and personal care so you can be reassured you are in the hands of an expert.

Many of the UK's private hospitals provide special services for liposuction patients.

These may include:

• Translation and interpretation services

• Special diet meal catering

• Accommodation advice for relatives
  

• Special room rates at local hotels

• Direct referral to specialists

• Dedicated customer service staff
  

Doctors who speak languages other than English

Cheap Liposuction

One of the main reasons UK citizens are going to countries such as Spain, Greece, Germany, South Africa and Eastern Europe for liposuction surgery is the cost savings. For those who do not mind traveling further, they are more choices in South Africa, Thailand or Argentina or even India.

A typical liposuction procedure for the hips can cost up to US $2,500 in UK private hospitals. In Eastern European countries such as Hungary or Poland, this price is slashed down to US $1,000, resulting in an immediate cost savings of US $1,500. If you don’t mind traveling further, for the same price, Indian hospitals will throw in an additional tummy tuck procedure. The same goes for hospitals in Thailand whereby free holidays to exotic Phuket or Bangkok are included as part of the entire liposuction deal. The best-known addresses in Bangkok are Bumrungrad Hospital and PAI (Peecha Aesthetic Institute), the latter primarily because their public relations activities on sex change operations have been repeatedly picked up by the international media. These Bangkok hospitals are engaged in fierce competition with others in nearby Singapore to attract newly-rich Chinese and Middle Eastern health tourists.

In Singapore, the government is actively involved in and largely successful in attracting health tourists. Though liposuction is not as cheap as compared to other Asian countries, Singapore has a first world healthcare system with excellent infrastructure and the presence of several world class surgeons such as Woffles Wu, reputed to be one of the best.

Many people have raised concerns about the standard of liposuction surgery in these countries and they wonder how they can charge prices at 60% lower than a UK or US hospital. It is perceived that actual costs are hidden somewhere for overly cheap packages.

This perception used to be true in the past. But with rapid globalization, proliferation of budget airlines and aggressive promotions often conducted with government assistance, it is estimated that 500,000 people had traveled to India for medical treatments in 2005 alone. For example, in the Euro zone, UK doctors are the highest paid while Polish doctors earn substantially less. The difference in wages often creates fantastic opportunities for patients seeking cheap liposuction.

Liposuction Recovery Tips

The liposuction recovery time is a gradual process and no overnight results should be expected. A patient must have realistic expectations before the surgery. The recovery process can be affected by infection and unfavorable drug reactions. Swelling can come and go and this can be very frustrating for patients. With new techniques of surgery, liposuction recovery time nowadays is quicker and less painful. Although recovery rates vary from patient to patient, generally patients are able to return to most normal activities within two to three weeks. Today, in most cases, liposuction does not involve general anesthesia which is often considered the most unpleasant part of liposuction recovery.

Under most circumstances, liposuction is an outpatient procedure and patients are usually sent home after a few hours once the surgery is over. Specific instructions regarding liposuction recovery, medications, prescriptions for pain reduction, and compression garments are given to every patient.

Here are a few tips for speedier recovery from Liposuction

• Abstain from alcohol.

• Walking around to reduce swelling and to prevent blood clot in your legs.

• Reduce your risk of fainting at home by: standing up slowly after urinating, remove compression garments slowly, have assistance for your first shower, sit down if you feel dizzy or lightheaded.

• Drink more water to prevent dehydration.

• Do NOT apply ice-packs or a heating pad indiscriminately to skin overlying the liposuctioned areas.

• Do NOT apply hydrogen peroxide or plastic Band-Aids to incision sites

• Schedule regular check ups to monitor healing.

• Avoid strenuous and vigorous activities for a month till the surgical incision heals. That means no weight lifting, aerobic exercises, swimming, contact sports, tennis, or golf for several weeks after the surgery.

• Wear compression garments for as long as your doctor orders you.

• Avoid soaking in public baths, jacuzzis, swimming pools, or the ocean for at least 7 days after surgery in order to minimize the risk of infection.

Many people think that liposuction removes fat cells forever and it's impossible to regain weight in the treated areas. This is only partially true because and liposuction removes only some of these fatty tissues permanently. However, the remaining fat cells can grow bigger, especially if you do not exercise and maintain a healthy diet. This means problem spots can return. The extra weight gained after liposuction will be redistributed to other parts of your body.

Liposuction Alternatives

Liposuction is not advised for overweight people and is best suited to normal-weight people who only have excess fat on a particular spot on their body.Patients often ask plastic surgeons if there is a way to get the results of liposuction without surgery.

People spent in excess of $700 million on liposuction surgery last year. Usually, liposuctions costs about $3,000 and many people long for the instantly-slimming results of liposuction, but are afraid to undergo an expensive surgical procedure which includes anesthesia and a period of recovery.

Lately, significant improvements in the realm of body contouring has resulted in new, non-surgical liposuction procedures. Doctors have developed a number of liposuction alternatives, including Lipodissolve, mesotherapy, and Thermage.

Lipodissolve

Lipodissolve involves the injection of mild medicine and enzymes into fatty areas. These chemicals dissolve fats, and are flushed from the system through the patient’s urine. Lipodissolve™ is becoming popular as a non-invasive body contouring technique in the United States because it offers a faster recovery time. Lipodissolve™ is especially effective in toning the face, chin and neck area. It is reputed to be beneficial in the reduction of cellulite.

Thermage

Thermage is probably the most non-invasive body contouring option offered by plastic surgeons. This technique literally melts unwanted fat with the use of a heated laser that causes the patient’s collagen to tighten. Thermage is effective for tightening the skin on the face as well as other areas of the body, and is frequently used as a non-surgical alternative to the popular face lift procedure.

Other Alternatives to Liposuction

Some non-traditional liposuction alternatives, such as seaweed wraps, claim to offer the same benefits without the surgery. But they have not been proven to have long-lasting effects that liposuction have. You can even try to downplay your bulges by using makeup, special clothing and other accessories. If you can't and insist on going for cosmetic surgery, weigh the risks and benefits of any given procedure. Consult your surgeon if you are unsure.