The Cost of Rhinoplasty
The cost of a rhinoplasty procedure can vary greatly from region to region, city to city and doctor to doctor. Just as in any field, including medicine, there are groups and people that provide low cost, operations for large volume client bases on low budgets and higher cost operations to superstar medical personalities willing to pay astronomical prices. After doing research beforehand and paying attention to published reports on plastic surgery, one can easily find the names of plastic surgeons in the Southern California area, or any area, who have worked on famous celebrities. However, whatever your budget and approach, you can save money by researching the topic, making an informed decision and consulting with several doctors or groups until you find the one who makes you feel comfortable, and who is charging what you are willing to pay for the procedure.
Simply stated, without honing in on a specific location or naming a particular doctor, rhinoplasty costs should range from a minimum of $3,000 to no more than $12,000. This is the cost of hiring the surgeon only – there are a variety of other fees involved in the procedure regardless of who performs the work and where it is performed. The amount of work necessary is also a predominant factor in the final cost.
By using this simple cost analysis, dividing the total amount of money spent on rhinoplasty cost over several years compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and arriving at an average total cost, each rhinoplasty performed in America averages out to approximately $4,500. That total appraisal includes the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the facility fee and any other charges that a particular doctor or group of doctors may charge. If your quote from a doctor you have consulted with is substantially lower than the average, be sure to ask questions and ask to speak with former clients. Find out if this man has a philanthropic approach to medicine. Find out if there have ever been lawsuits filed against him. Keep asking until you leave or until you feel comfortable enough to proceed further in the relationship. Just like anything else in life – if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
In general, unless your rhinoplasty procedure is of the most minimal type, perhaps a small bump or growth being removed or altered, you're going to need to be asleep for the procedure and that requires the skill of a good anesthesiologist. Usually, when you hire your doctor, you don't have a choice over the anesthesiologist – you simply use the one he's got on his staff or the one that he's most comfortable working with. In general, an anesthesiologist should charge approximately $700 to keep you safely asleep for the time necessary for the operation. Remember to tell everyone you speak to if you have any allergies to any medicines or if you are currently taking any medicines as they may unfavorably interact with the anesthesia.
No matter where the doctor and the anesthesiologist are going to perform the surgery, there will be a cost for the facility. This cost includes and nurses or other staff necessary for the procedure, equipment and supplies to be used and the facility's general overhead. If the work must be performed in a hospital, there is going to be a higher charge involved than the fee charged for a simpler office procedure. Finally, this fee will include any costs involved in the anticipated recovery after the surgery. If a small procedure has been performed and a local anesthetic was administered the patient may be up, walking around, feeling fine and ready to leave after a final examination by the surgeon. However, if the work was more complex, if an anesthetic was necessary to keep the patient asleep for several hours, and if the pain quotient is expected to be higher due to the nature of the problem being addressed, it will be several more hours before the patient is examined and allowed to leave. All of these factors will affect the facility fee and should be completely discussed beforehand.
In some instances, the doctor may be offering a package price. If this makes you uncomfortable for any reason or if the total price for the work you are requesting does not feel proper, ask for a breakdown. If his breakdown does not conform with these averages, or if his explanations do nothing to allay your concerns, get a second opinion.
Rhinoplasty Info provides comprehensive information on preparing for and recovering from rhinoplasty, as well as costs, surgeons, and procedures, including revision rhinoplasty. Rhinoplasty Info is the sister site of Dental Implants Web.
Rhinoplasty Facility Costs
No matter where the doctor and the anesthesiologist are going to perform a rhinoplasty surgery, there will be a cost for the facility. This cost includes and nurses or other staff necessary for the procedure, equipment and supplies to be used and the facility's general overhead whether that is a rhinoplasty being performed in an office or one being done in a hospital. Obviously, if there is a reason that the work must be performed in a hospital, there is going to be a higher charge involved than merely the fee charged for a simpler office procedure. And finally, this fee will include any costs involved in the anticipated recovery after the surgery. If a small procedure has been performed and a local anesthetic was administered, a short time after completion, the patient may be up, walking around, feeling fine and ready to leave after a final examination by the surgeon. However, if the work was more complex, if an anesthetic was necessary to keep the patient asleep for several hours, if the pain quotient is expected to be higher due to the nature of the problem being addressed, it will be several hours after the surgery has been completed before the patient will be awake and several more hours before the patient is examined and allowed to leave.
All of these factors will affect the facility fee (as well as all other costs involved) and should be completely discussed beforehand. Applying the total monies spent on facility fees and dividing that by the number of surgeries performed, we arrive at an approximate average facility fee, nationally, of $700. If you are being charged substantially more or less than that you should ask why and the doctor's answers should adequately explain the difference.
In some instances, the doctor may be offering a "package price" which would include his fee, the anesthesiologist' fee and the facility fee as one number. If this makes you uncomfortable for any reason or if the total price for the work you are requesting does not feel proper, ask for a breakdown.
Remember, the numbers quoted here are from compiled figures published by American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) under the category rhinoplasty cost. There are two factors to take into account with these numbers:
1. The category "rhinoplasty cost" includes any surgery performed by a licensed surgeon operating on the nose. This can range from the removal of a simple bump, the repair of a simple skin tear or even hiding a small scar, up to a complete nasal reconstruction. As the complexity of the work increases, as the skill and artistry required of the surgeon increases, so does the cost.
2. Many rhinoplasty costs are hidden by doctors who have no problem billing their work to unsuspecting insurance companies as a repair of a "deviated septum" to "improve breathing difficulties" which would then be partially covered. This practice has become prevalent in the industry as the work can be performed and the client can save 60% or more of the total costs. Be aware if your doctor intends to bill your insurance company. If this is not something you wish to be involved in, make your desires known.
Rhinoplasty Info provides comprehensive information on preparing for and recovering from rhinoplasty, as well as costs, surgeons, and procedures, including revision rhinoplasty. Rhinoplasty Info is the sister site of Dental Implants Web.
Preparing for Rhinoplasty Surgery
You've done your research, had several consultations, selected your surgeon and scheduled the surgery. Now what? Following some prudent "rhinoplasty before and after" suggestions can shorten your recovery, help to protect and preserve your health and improve your outcome. Here's a typical scenario of things to keep in mind before your rhinoplasty surgery.
The night before the procedure, do not eat or drink anything after midnight. If your doctor has more stringent protective measures, by all means follow them – he's only looking out for your health and safety. Some patients take this as a license to eat as much as they possibly can until the cutoff time. This is not a good practice as most of what you eat will still be in your digestive system at the time of the surgery. So eat lightly, rest well and go into the surgery at your best.
Arrive early. Your doctor will give you an arrival or check-in time. Whether or not you are having the surgery done as an office procedure or as a hospital patient will affect the amount of time necessary for your check in. Hospitals require more hours for pre-op examinations than offices merely because of the volume of patients they see on a typical day. Most hospitals, these days, have established less formal, lower traffic operating rooms to accommodate plastic surgeons and separate rhinoplasty patients from more serious surgeries. At this point, regardless of your location, you will probably be asked to give blood, perhaps urine samples and to complete any unfinished paperwork. Then you'll be undressed and placed on a gurney to await anesthesia. Your doctor will visit you before the anesthesia is administered to allay your fears, briefly discuss the surgery about to be performed and to make you feel at ease about the course of events about to unfold.
Prior to the surgery your doctor will have taken "before" photos of the way your nose looks prior to the surgery. As many angles as necessary will be incorporated depending upon the work being performed and the requested final result. In addition, computer simulations of the "finished product", morphed onto your face will be prepared so both you and he are on "the same page" regarding exactly the outcome you are expecting. The doctor will use these photos to plan the sequence of events in the surgery and to guide his artistry in creating your "new look" to the best of his ability.
Once these steps are taken, you will be ready to begin surgery. Soon after, you should have the nose and face that you desire.
Rhinoplasty Info provides comprehensive information on preparing for and recovering from rhinoplasty, as well as costs, surgeons, and procedures, including revision rhinoplasty. Rhinoplasty Info is the sister site of Dental Implants Web.
