When you are deciding on which body sculpting or fat removal procedure is right for you need to know the cost of the procedure and how many treatments you would need. Prices around the country vary and the prices below are an average. You also will want to be clear about what constitutes an area—for instance “thighs” is not an area—inner thighs, outer thighs, love handles, abdomen, flanks in general are each an area. For liposuction, inner thighs would include both legs. Coolsculpting is different as each inner thigh requires a 60 minute treatment cycle, and the practice pays for each cycle performed. Prices vary quite a bit for liposuction, depending on your geographic location, the physician doing the procedure, the number of areas treated, and whether your surgeon will utilize general anesthesia. Sometimes the surgical facility fee is included, sometimes it is not. For both liposuction and Coolsculpting discounts are often given for doing multiple areas at the same time.

Liposuction prices vary more widely than either Coolsculpting or Zerona. An average for liposuction with anesthesia including the facility fee runs around $3500-4000 for the first area up to $6000-$9000 for the first area in a high cost area like Manhattan. Discounts are usually given for additional areas performed at the same time. An average for 3 areas, such as abdominal liposuction with flanks and inner thighs would be $6000-$8000. In a high cost area prices would be higher.

Liposuction is usually one treatment per site.

Zeltiq Coolsculpting prices differ some around the country, and also by the size of the treatment head used during treatment, either the standard or the large treatment head. The standard head usually runs around $700 per each 60 minute treatment cycle. The larger head, which treats two and a half times the area of the standard treatment head, runs around $1500 per cycle. Discounts are sometimes given for multiple treatments at the same time. For instance we are currently offering a Coolsculpting BOGO discount offer of half off the second 60 minute treatment cycle so you would buy one treatment for upper abdomen and get the lower abdomen for half off.

The number of treatment heads per site is usually one small head for each side for the inner thighs, love handles, bra fat, and flanks. For the abdomen the number and size of heads varies depending on the size of the area treated. A medium budge on the lower abdomen could be treated with one small head, a larger bulge would be best treated with a large head. Treating both upper and lower abdomen requires two treatment heads, which depending on the patient, could be two large, two small, or one large and one small. A bulge that is primarily in the middle over the belly button can be treated with one head, either large or small, depending on how big it is. That is why we have you come in for an evaluation so we can tell you how many heads and which size you would need.

Zerona prices are an average of $3000-4500 for a series of 6 treatments. This usually doesn’t include the supplements given.

Mesotherapy costs vary widely as there is no standardization as to compounds used and number of treatments needed. It is stated as an average of $2500 per site. But as discussed on the last post, I don’t recommend it at any price—so it doesn’t really matter.

Next: The fine print about body sculpting—risks, side effects, and other unpleasant things