What is “Low Cost Plastic Surgery”?

For many people, plastic surgery can be life-changing, helping instill confidence in how the world sees you, as well as how you see yourself. However, this powerful tool usually comes with a significant price tag that can leave patients wondering if it’s really worth it. Sometimes, this drives patients to explore some of the “low cost” plastic surgery options on the market. This post will shed light on some of the ways these surgeries are able to be offered at a lower price, as well as the potential pitfalls for patients. Armed with this information, patients should be able to make better informed decisions about how to spend their money, and what exactly they will receive in return.

Surgery is expensive, and includes many costs. For starters, these include the facility, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, other paid staff, and of course the necessary tools to perform the procedure. Thinking logically, how are low cost plastic surgery centers able to offer surgery to patients at a reduced cost? The answer is twofold: Reducing costs, and increasing the number of surgeries they perform. Let’s start with the first part. In what ways do they reduce costs? Starting with the facility, the best place to have surgery is a fully accredited surgical facility that has been verified to be clean, up to code, and fully equipped with everything needed to respond in a life-threatening emergency. Dr. Traci Temmen operates at Temmen Plastic Surgery, a private surgical center that meets hospital standards and has been approved by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities. However, many low cost surgery centers do not live up to this high standard. The next area often compromised to bring down costs is who will be performing your surgery. Plastic surgery should only ever be performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon who is highly trained, experienced, and equipped to handle any potential complication that may arise. Patients may be fooled by people calling themselves “cosmetic surgeons” but who are actually not board-certified in plastic surgery. This greatly increases the likelihood of a poor outcome for the patient, and is associated with an increased risk of major complications such as bleeding and infection. The next place low cost centers may try to reduce costs is anesthesia. The anesthesiologist plays a very important role on the surgical team by safely putting the patient to sleep, overseeing their airway and breathing during surgery, and helping them wake up from surgery safely. An anesthesiologist is a doctor who received their MD and then completed a residency in anesthesia, making them the most qualified for the job. To reduce costs, a CRNA, or certified registered nurse anesthetist may be substituted. While CRNAs are also trained in anesthesia, the training is not as lengthy or rigorous as that for an anesthesiologist with an MD. At Temmen Plastic Surgery, every case has a dedicated anesthesiologist to ensure the safest possible anesthesia experience. Finally, let’s return briefly to part two of how low cost surgeries are able to be offered a low price. The answer to this is in order to make enough money at a lower price per surgery, they must perform a greater number of surgeries. This often means longer hours and fewer breaks for everyone on the medical team, resulting in personnel who are more tired and burnt out. This is obviously not optimal for the highest quality care.

While plastic surgery is often portrayed in the media as a glamorous and easy solution to getting the body of your dreams, it is important to remember that it is still surgery! Plastic surgery is technically demanding, requires the highest level of skill and experience, and should only be performed in the safest possible setting with fully qualified team members. When corners are cut to reduce costs, patient care suffers and the chances of a dangerous complication or poor outcome increase (which only increases costs in the long run.) Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Traci Temmen is highly skilled and experienced, and knows the importance of ensuring the highest quality care at every step – from thorough in-person consultations to a private surgical suite equipped with the latest technology to a full medical team dedicated to each patient. Dr. Temmen has the results to prove that her thorough, meticulous method works – Explore the Before and After section of this website to see for yourself why so many patients trust her for their surgery. If you want to learn more about if you are a good candidate for any plastic surgery you are interested in, call 813-771-6393 to book your one-on-one consultation with Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Traci Temmen, MD, today!