Facial plastic surgery ranges from about $3,000 for eyelid work to $35,000 or more for complex procedures like revision rhinoplasty. The total you’ll pay depends on which procedure you’re getting, where you live, and your surgeon’s experience. Most people spend between $8,000 and $15,000 all in for a single facial procedure, but that number can climb quickly when you combine surgeries or choose a top-tier specialist.
Cost by Procedure
Here’s what you can expect to pay for the most common facial surgeries, based on data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons:
- Facelift: The average surgeon’s fee alone is $11,395, with total costs (including anesthesia and facility fees) typically landing between $12,000 and $19,000. Deep plane facelifts, a more involved technique, range from roughly $14,700 to $37,000.
- Rhinoplasty (nose job): A first-time procedure runs $9,000 to $20,000. Revision rhinoplasty, which corrects or improves a previous surgery, starts around $15,000 and can exceed $35,000 to $50,000 with elite revision specialists.
- Eyelid surgery: Upper eyelid work averages $3,000 to $5,500 for the surgeon’s fee. Lower eyelid surgery runs $3,700 to $6,500. Combining both adds up but is often cheaper than doing them separately.
- Neck lift: The average surgeon’s fee is $7,885, with total costs typically ranging from $8,800 to $22,400 depending on the technique.
- Mini facelift: A less extensive option that targets early sagging, running $8,100 to $20,000.
- Brow lift: Ranges widely from about $325 for non-surgical options to $16,800 for surgical approaches.
- Lip lift: $2,400 to $6,100.
What’s Included in the Price (and What’s Not)
The number your surgeon quotes is often just their fee. The total bill includes several additional costs that can add thousands to your final price. Anesthesia fees vary based on the length of your procedure, and operating room or surgical facility charges depend on whether the surgery is done in a private office suite, an outpatient surgical center, or a hospital. You’ll also pay for pre-surgery medical tests, prescriptions for pain medication and antibiotics, and any post-surgery garments or compression wraps.
Then there are the costs people forget to budget for. Special recovery pillows, follow-up appointments, and scar treatment products all add up. If your job requires physical activity or public-facing work, lost wages during recovery can be significant. Facelift recovery typically keeps you out of work for two to three weeks, and rhinoplasty patients often need one to two weeks off. These indirect costs don’t show up on a surgeon’s price sheet but are very real parts of your total investment.
Non-Surgical Options Cost Less Upfront
If you’re not ready for surgery, non-surgical facial treatments offer a lower entry point. A liquid facelift, which uses injectable fillers and muscle relaxers to restore volume and smooth wrinkles, ranges from about $280 to $4,400 per session. Thread lifts, which use dissolvable sutures to subtly lift sagging skin, cost $1,400 to $5,700. Non-invasive treatments like radiofrequency or ultrasound skin tightening fall between $520 and $9,300.
The catch is maintenance. These results are temporary. Fillers last 6 to 18 months depending on the product, and muscle relaxers wear off in three to four months. Over five or ten years, the cumulative cost of repeated non-surgical treatments can approach or even exceed the one-time price of surgery. For someone in their 40s or 50s weighing the options, it’s worth doing the long-term math.
Why Prices Vary So Much
Geography plays a major role. Surgeons in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami charge significantly more than those in smaller cities or the Midwest and South. This reflects higher overhead costs (rent, staff salaries, malpractice insurance) rather than necessarily better results. A board-certified surgeon in a mid-size city may deliver the same quality at 30% to 40% less.
Surgeon experience and demand also drive pricing. A facial plastic surgeon who specializes exclusively in rhinoplasty and has a long waitlist will charge more than a general plastic surgeon who does noses occasionally. For complex procedures like revision rhinoplasty, this premium often reflects genuinely better outcomes, since correcting previous surgical work requires advanced skill. For more straightforward procedures, the price gap between surgeons has more to do with reputation and location than the final result.
Combining procedures almost always saves money compared to doing them separately. Pairing a facelift with eyelid surgery or a neck lift means you’re only paying for one round of anesthesia and one facility fee. Many surgeons also offer a reduced rate on the second procedure when performed at the same time.
When Insurance Might Cover Part of the Cost
Cosmetic facial surgery is elective, so insurance won’t pay for it. But some procedures cross into medical necessity, and that changes things. Rhinoplasty may be covered when it corrects a breathing obstruction caused by trauma, a congenital defect, or a deviated septum that hasn’t responded to at least six weeks of conservative treatment like nasal sprays and decongestants. Upper eyelid surgery can qualify when drooping skin blocks your field of vision. In these cases, insurance covers the functional portion of the surgery, though you’d pay out of pocket for any cosmetic refinements done at the same time.
If you have a deviated septum that interferes with a CPAP machine for sleep apnea, or recurrent sinus infections (four or more per year) caused by a structural issue, those are also recognized grounds for coverage. Your surgeon’s office will typically handle the pre-authorization paperwork, but expect to provide documentation of failed medical treatment before insurance approves anything.
Financing and Payment Plans
Most plastic surgery practices offer financing through third-party companies. These plans let you split costs ranging from a few hundred dollars up to $50,000 into weekly or monthly payments. Interest rates vary widely, from 0% APR on short-term plans (six weeks to a few months) to as high as 36% on longer terms for borrowers with lower credit scores. The sweet spot for most patients is a 12- to 24-month plan with a rate under 10%.
Some financing companies skip the hard credit check, which means applying won’t affect your credit score. Short-term “pay in four” plans, similar to buy-now-pay-later services, approve roughly 90% of applicants and charge no interest at all. A down payment equal to your first monthly installment is typically required to lock in the loan. Watch for deferred interest programs, where interest accrues silently and gets charged retroactively if you don’t pay off the balance in time. Several newer financing options specifically avoid this practice, so ask your surgeon’s office which company they use and read the terms carefully.