Since we’re located here in New York City, a cosmetic surgery AND financial center, we’re accustomed to talking with our patients about procedures in terms of return on investment. Naturally, safety considerations and anticipated results are important topics too, but people want to know the cost of each treatment they’re considering and how long they can expect it to last. That helps them decide how to invest their budget.
We’ll walk you through some examples and you’ll see what we mean. Let’s start with some of the leading less invasive facial cosmetic treatments.
Is Botox a Good Investment?
Botox has become very popular for relaxing forehead lines, crow’s feet and the “elevens” between the brows. Treatment is usually very effective and lasts about three to six months. It’s difficult to be definitive about cost because each woman’s needs vary, but RealSelf pegs the average treatment to be about $525. So let’s say you start at age 45 and you have injections twice each year. If you continue treatment until age 65, you will have spent more than $20,000.
Many variables can come into play—the cost of Botox treatment may go up or down, alternatives may emerge and so on. But this gives you an idea about what’s possible.
Facial Fillers in the Long Run
The same type of calculation holds true for facial fillers with two slight differences. The average cost of treatment tends to be a bit higher—from about $750 to about $950, says RealSelf. And, depending on the area of the face treated, Juvederm, Restylane and the others can last six months and longer, even up to a year for a few people. Taking a best-case scenario, if your procedure should cost $750 and last 12 months and you have treatment for 20 years, the overall investment would run you $15,000.
We know of many sensible reasons patients elect injectables in New York. Cosmetic surgery may not be an option due to health considerations, for instance. Some can’t afford any downtime at all. Still others want to try out a new look with temporary treatment before considering a more permanent solution.
Let’s examine a surgical option for facial rejuvenation in terms of investment.
Facelift Surgery Costs and Benefits
When it comes to facelift surgery, it’s critically important to customize the procedure for each patient. For that reason—and because the total cost includes a surgeon’s fee, anesthesia and a facility fee—it’s very difficult to give you an idea what a typical facelift costs. Also, it’s common for patients who elect facelift surgery to add a complementary procedure, such as a neck lift or eyelid surgery.
But we can give you a very general idea about how to compare, using information from RealSelf again. For patients who elect a facelift only, the average cost will run just over $12,000, according to the website. (A few caveats—it’s unclear which fees are included in that average, for one thing, and costs vary widely across the country from pricey areas such as Beverly Hills to more rural communities.) As far as results are concerned, facelift surgery earns a 95% approval rating on RealSelf.
The other key factor that impacts return on investment is the longevity of results. Plastic surgeons generally say that facelift results last up to 10 years. That’s the case for many patients in one sense—people are often satisfied with their new look for about a decade. But in truth, the outcome of a facelift lasts indefinitely. What that means is that although your face will continue to age and you may want additional procedures someday, you will always look younger with a facelift than you would have without surgery.
Making Decisions
So, what do you do? Decide to have Botox and/or a facial filler and see what the results are like? Choose injectable treatment now with an eye toward having a full facelift at some point down the road? Have a facelift now and leave “tune up” options open should you need them several years from now?
Truth is, all the rejuvenation options open to you today can make it difficult to figure out the best strategy. Therefore, we recommend people consider their goals, budget and downtime needs, then consult a board certified plastic surgeon with plenty of experience and tools at hand. He or she will evaluate you, walk you through the costs and benefits of all the choices, and then help guide you to a good decision with no pressure.
Your goal should be to find a partner you can trust to work with you over the long run, helping you get the very best results with an investment that makes good sense. We would enjoy working with you—why not fill out our short online form to get started?
