Plastic Surgery Financing: How to Pay for Your Procedure

Cosmetic surgery is considered an elective surgery, and insurance usually does not cover these operations. Patients must pay cash or utilize another plastic surgery financing method to pay for procedures like laser hair removal, Botox, breast augmentation or rhinoplasty, among others.

8 plastic surgery loans to consider

If a personal loan is your preferred method for plastic surgery financing, shopping around with multiple lenders could help you find the best deal possible. Ensure you make apples-to-apples comparisons of APRs, repayment plans, discounts and fees, among other loan terms.

There are many ways to get a personal loan, perhaps from a bank, credit union or online-only company. Prioritize those lenders that allow you to prequalify for funding without a hard check of your credit report, which could dim your credit score.

While many personal loan companies allow you to borrow for cosmetic procedures (among other major expenditures), here are a handful to begin your shopping process:

If you’re ready to move forward, you can check the latest personal loan rates here at LendingTree.

Here are five additional plastic surgery financing options:

1. Enroll in a payment plan through the surgeon
2. Utilize a medical credit card like CareCredit
3. Use a credit card with a 0% APR offer
4. Take out a fixed-rate personal loan
5. Budget and save up in advance

1. Enroll in a payment plan through the surgeon

When you’re researching plastic surgeons to complete your medical procedure, ask the provider if they offer any type of plastic surgery financing or payment plan. You may be able to break up the cost of your cosmetic procedure into smaller monthly installments without paying interest.

Many surgeons avoid getting involved in the financial aspect of the procedure, though, and rely on third-party plastic surgery financing options like medical credit cards and plastic surgery loans.

2. Utilize a medical credit card like CareCredit

Your plastic surgeon may offer financing through a medical credit card like CareCredit. Medical credit cards are a popular way to finance plastic surgery because they usually offer promotional financing. During a certain introductory period, typically a few months to a few years, you can break up the cost of your procedure into smaller monthly payments at 0% APR or reduced APR.

However, some medical credit cards come with very high APRs. And if you don’t adhere to the payment plan outlined by the promotional financing offer, you may be stuck paying deferred interest from the original purchase date.

Take a look at the terms offered by the CareCredit® credit card:

Average cost of common plastic surgery procedures

• Breast augmentation: $3,947
• Facelift: $7,467
• Liposuction: $3,548
• Rhinoplasty: $5,409
• “Tummy tuck”: $6,092

Source: CareCredit

3. Use a credit card with a 0% APR offer

Medical providers typically allow you to charge your elective procedure to your credit card (though some may charge a card processing fee). However, credit cards are notorious for their high interest rates.

One way to get around this is to use a credit card with an introductory 0% APR offer. These offers typically last up to 21 months and are reserved for borrowers with good credit. This can let you split up the cost of your cosmetic procedure into smaller monthly payments without paying interest, as long as the balance is paid in full by the end of the introductory period.

If you’re unable to secure a 0% APR offer, you may end up paying a lot more for the surgery than you initially thought. Additionally, the large charge to your card is likely to tie up your credit, hurting your credit utilization and possibly affecting your credit score.

4. Take out a fixed-rate personal loan

A plastic surgery loan — also known as an unsecured personal loan — is a quick way to secure money for a surgical procedure. Personal loans are lump-sum loans typically ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 that have a fixed APR and monthly payment.

Compared with some of your other financing options, a plastic surgery loan could be the cheaper alternative to getting a cosmetic procedure. If you have a strong credit history, your APR is likely to be significantly lower than a credit card. Borrowers with subprime credit might only find personal loans with high APRs, if they qualify at all.

As with most types of borrowing, plastic surgery loans will add to the cost of your procedure since you’ll be paying interest. You can try to mitigate the cost of the loan by making extra payments and paying it off early, as long as you’re aware of any prepayment penalties that the lender might charge. Plus, you should shop around for the lowest possible APR for your financial situation using our personal loan guide.

5. Budget and save up in advance

Borrowing money from a lender or charging a credit card comes at a cost, whether that’s in interest, fees or penalties. Since an elective procedure is typically an unnecessary expense, it’s best to pay out of pocket rather than to rely on plastic surgery financing. Using the money you’ve saved to pay for your surgery is always an option if you have money in the bank.

If you don’t have the money saved up, you can create a budgeting plan to help you save up for the procedure. For example, if the procedure is $15,000, you could squirrel away $625 per month for two years to pay for the surgery with cash. Creating a monthly budget can help you realize your financial goals and get the cosmetic procedure you want without any financial consequences.

The information related to the CareCredit® credit card has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.