What Should Be Included in a Plastic Surgery Quote?

A plastic-surgery quote should tell you more than the number due before surgery. It should tell you what operation is being priced, where it will happen, who is involved, what is bundled, and what is still uncertain.

The 12 components of a strong surgical quote

1. Exact procedure or combination

“Lipo” is not enough. List the treatment areas. “Mommy makeover” is not enough. List every planned operation. “Breast surgery” is not enough. State augmentation, lift, reduction, implant exchange, or the actual combination.

2. Surgeon’s fee

This should identify the operating surgeon. If assistants or multiple surgeons are expected, ask whether their professional fees are included.

3. Facility fee

Ask for the operating facility by name and whether the quote includes the complete expected facility charge.

4. Anesthesia

The quote should state whether anesthesia is included and who provides it. The exact anesthetic plan is a clinical decision, but the fee assumptions should be visible.

5. Medical tests and clearance

ASPS cost guidance for liposuction, tummy tuck, and mommy makeover all identifies medical tests among possible cost components. Ask whether preoperative testing is included or paid separately.

6. Implants or devices

For breast augmentation or other implant-based procedures, ask whether the device is included and which product or category the quote assumes.

7. Postoperative garments and supplies

Compression garments, binders, drains, dressings, and other routine supplies may be included or separate. ASPS lists postsurgical garments as a potential component for several body-contouring procedures.

8. Prescriptions

Ask whether routine medications are included, dispensed separately, or purchased at a pharmacy after discharge.

9. Follow-up visits

For an international patient, write down exactly how many visits are included before departure and how remote follow-up works after returning home.

10. Recovery add-ons

Airport transport, accommodation, nursing, lymphatic massage, meals, or concierge help should be separated from the medical cost. They can be useful services, but they should not make the clinical fee impossible to compare.

11. Revision / complication policy

Do not assume “guaranteed results” or “free revision.” Ask what the written policy actually covers and what expenses would remain yours, including facility, anesthesia, travel, or medication.

12. Deposit and cancellation rules

Ask how much is due, who receives the payment, whether the deposit is refundable, and what happens if the surgeon changes the proposed procedure after the final evaluation.

What ASPS cost pages demonstrate

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons repeatedly separates the surgeon’s fee from the total cost. Its liposuction and tummy-tuck pages state that published average surgeon fees do not include anesthesia, operating-room facilities, and related expenses. Its mommy-makeover page lists surgeon, facility, anesthesia, prescriptions, implants, garments, and medical testing as possible cost components.

That is a useful model for international quote comparison.

What the Medellín ranges include

MedellinCosmeticSurgery.com currently describes its published 2026 ranges as surgeon-and-facility planning ranges, while explicitly excluding flights, lodging, postoperative garments, medications, and revision work. The same site notes that a complete quote from a well-run practice will often include surgeon, anesthesiologist, facility, standard garments, and defined follow-up, but the exact bundle varies by practice.

Do not let “package” erase medical roles

What a quote cannot promise

A surgeon cannot responsibly guarantee an aesthetic result or promise that no additional care will ever be needed. The CDC’s medical-tourism guidance notes that complications can occur with care anywhere and that follow-up care after travel can become expensive. A responsible quote is clear about price boundaries without pretending medicine is deterministic.