Nine patients, what was done, and what they paid. Liposuction alone at our practice runs $6,000 to $20,455; Lipo 360 combined with fat transfer, a tummy tuck or breast augmentation runs higher. Every price on this page includes the surgeon, anesthesia, the operating room, the compression garment and every visit before and after.
Written by Jeffrey A. Ditesheim, MD, FACS
Don't get botched lipo!
Expert liposuction can reshape your body to give you the confidence you desire. It is an artistic surgical procedure that requires years of experience and expert surgical judgment. How much to do, which areas, what is safe, asleep or awake: this is what I talk through with each person at the consultation.
Botched liposuction happens when someone thinks "it's just sucking out fat, anyone can do it" and is misled by a low price. Too often the results are poor, and sometimes permanently scarred. This page can help you see what expert liposuction can do, and what it should cost.
Jeffrey A. Ditesheim, MD, FACSBoard-certified plastic surgeon · 30 years, 5,000+ cosmetic surgeries
BeforeAfter
One area, awake: upper arms
$6,000–10,000
40 years · 5'4" · 167 lb · Upper arms · Water-assisted liposuction under local anesthesia · 6 months after
One area, numbed, no general anesthesia. She walked out the same afternoon. This is the least expensive way to have liposuction, and it suits a few pounds of fat in one or two places, not more.
32 years · 5'10" · 180 lb · Tummy and waist · General anesthesia · 3 months after
The most common single-area operation. Asleep, the whole front and the waist are treated in one plane, more fat comes out than is possible awake, and the result is the flat tummy above.
Men: High Definition liposuction with etching, fat grafting to the buttocks, Renuvion skin tightening
$23,000–28,000
59 years · 5'10" · 205 lb · High Definition liposuction · Fat grafting to the buttocks · Renuvion skin tightening · 4 months after
The whole torso for a man, done from the back forward so the taper returns, with the fat removed used to shape the buttocks and Renuvion to help the skin follow.
Option: awake love handle liposuction · $8,000–10,000. Love handles alone, under local anesthesia, for a man who wants the waist and not the whole torso.
45 years · 5'6" · 163 → 160 lb · Tummy, waist, back · 9.5 lb of fat removed · Waist-to-hip 0.74 → 0.68 · 6 months after
Three pounds on the scale. The whole torso, front, sides and back, in one session, and nothing else. This is what Lipo 360 by itself costs and what it does.
51 years · 5'3" · 159 → 135 lb · Tummy, waist, back, inner thighs · 9 lb of fat removed · Waist-to-hip 0.72 → 0.68 · 1 year after
The torso plus one more area in the same session, inside the five-liter limit. The 24 pounds on the scale came after surgery, from what she did with the start it gave her.
Lipo 360 with fat transfer and breast augmentation
$19,000–24,000
32 years · 5'6" · 166 → 169 lb · Tummy, flanks, back · Fat transferred to the buttocks · Breast augmentation · 11 lb of fat removed · 5 months after
After a baby, without a tummy tuck. The fat removed from the waist was used to shape the buttocks, and breast augmentation was done in the same anesthesia. One recovery, one price.
Lipo 360 with Renuvion, fat transfer and mini tummy tuck
$25,000–30,000
56 years · 5'0" · 158 → 150 lb · Lipo 360 · Renuvion skin tightening · Fat to the buttocks · Mini tummy tuck · 10 lb of fat removed · Waist-to-hip 0.74 → 0.69 · 6 months after
She had liposuction and a mini tuck 17 years earlier. At 56 the skin needed help to follow, so Renuvion went under the skin and a short lower incision removed what wouldn't shrink. This is the top of the range for liposuction-based surgery.
54 years · 5'7" · 172 lb · Lipo 360 · Full tummy tuck · 8 lb of fat removed · Waist-to-hip 0.80 → 0.73 · 6 weeks after (early)
When the skin has let go, liposuction alone makes it looser, and the honest recommendation is the bigger operation. Shown at six weeks, still swollen, so you can see what early looks like.
Men: High Definition liposuction (abdomen, chest, back, buttocks)
$18,000–25,000
52 years · 6'0" · 191 → 183 lb · Abdomen, chest, back, buttocks · 9 months after
Fat taken off the top of the muscle so what was already there shows. Priced above a standard single area because it takes longer and is done circumferentially.
Prices are what each patient paid in the year of their surgery; a quote for you is given in writing at the consultation and depends on the areas, awake or asleep, and time in surgery. Financing is available through M-Lend, CareCredit and Cherry.
Why liposuction costs elsewhere can look so much lower
Advertised liposuction prices are usually a surgeon's fee for one small area. The rest arrives on a separate sheet. When you compare, compare the total for the same areas, done the same way, with everything included, and ask who is holding the cannula.
What our price includes
Surgeon's fee, Dr. Ditesheim operating
Anesthesia and a board-certified anesthesia provider
Our own QUAD A-accredited surgical center
Compression garment
All pre-op and post-op visits, for as long as you need them
Scar care
What a low quote often leaves out
Anesthesia fee
Facility fee
Garment and supplies
Follow-up visits
The second area, when "one area" turns out to be half of what you wanted
Whether the person operating is a board-certified plastic surgeon
Questions about cost
What does the price depend on?
Three things: how many areas, whether you are awake or asleep, and how long the operation takes. Renuvion, fat transfer or a tummy tuck in the same session add to it. Your weight and skin change what I recommend, which changes the price, which is why the number comes after the examination, not before.
Is awake liposuction cost cheaper?
Yes. No general anesthesia means no anesthesia fee and less operating-room time. It suits one or two small areas; it is not how a Lipo 360 is done, and stacking awake procedures costs more than doing it once asleep.
Does insurance cover liposuction?
Not cosmetic liposuction. We don't contract with insurers. For lipedema, a medical condition, some patients have obtained out-of-network reimbursement with documentation; that is on the lipedema page.
Do you offer financing?
Yes: M-Lend, CareCredit and Cherry. Most patients who finance apply before the consultation so the plan is settled when the quote is.
Is a consultation free?
We give you three options. If you have questions or need help with financing, our patient coordinator or patient concierge can help you find solutions and answer your questions, and there is no charge for that help. If you know you are ready to meet with Dr. Ditesheim, there is a $250 surgical consultation fee; you can book online or by calling the office at 704-542-8686.
The consultation is a surgical assessment, not a sales appointment: your risk, your body, your skin, and which operation, if any, will give you the best result. You leave with a written plan and a written price.
Get your liposuction cost
Bring photos of the shape you want. I'll tell you what liposuction can and can't do for your body, what I'd recommend, and what it will cost, in writing.