The American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ 2024 survey puts the surgeon’s fee alone at $4,575 to $8,000 for breast augmentation with implants, $6,500 to $11,000 for a breast lift and $7,000 to $12,500 for a cosmetic breast reduction, before anesthesia and the operating room. RealSelf patients report paying $8,013, $9,619 and $10,448 on average. Insurance can cover a breast reduction that meets strict criteria; a lift for sagging and an augmentation are treated as cosmetic.
- Augmentation, surgeon fee only
- $4,575 to $8,000ASPS, 2024 data
- Breast lift, surgeon fee only
- $6,500 to $11,000ASPS, 2024 data
- Breast reduction, surgeon fee only
- $7,000 to $12,500ASPS, 2024 data
- South Carolina averages
- $6,236 / $7,280 / $8,001CareCredit 2026: augmentation, lift, reduction
National figures, and what each one counts
| Source | Augmentation | Breast lift | Breast reduction | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASPS, 2024 data | $4,575 to $8,000 | $6,500 to $11,000 | $7,000 to $12,500 | Surgeon fee only |
| ASPS, 2023 average | $4,875 | $6,816 | $7,800 | Surgeon fee only |
| The Aesthetic Society, 2022 | $4,617 | $5,324 | $6,308 | “Surgeon Fees: Average Charge” |
| CareCredit, 2026 study | $6,721 | $7,792 | $8,579 | Mostly not stated |
| RealSelf | $8,013 (2,189 reviews) | $9,619 (271 reviews) | $10,448 (377 reviews) | What patients say they paid |
| American Board of Cosmetic Surgery | $4,000 to $12,000 | $4,000 to $13,000 | $8,000 to $10,000 | Not stated |
ASPS fees leave out anesthesia, operating room facilities and other expenses. CareCredit’s breast reduction page says its figure does not account for hospital or surgical center, anesthesia, operating room or surgeon costs, which leaves it unclear what the average measures. RealSelf’s reduction range runs from $2,500 with insurance to $22,001 without.
Breast augmentation cost: implants or fat
| Type | ASPS surgeon fee, 2024 | ASPS 2023 average | Other figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implants | $4,575 to $8,000 | $4,875 | Most practice fees $6,000 to $10,000 |
| Fat grafting only | $5,500 to $9,500 | $5,719 | The Aesthetic Society, 2022: $3,476 for breast fat grafting |
- Saline. The Gallery of Cosmetic Surgery, Lynnwood, $4,995; Dr. Stephen Miller, Las Vegas, $5,950; Allure Esthetic, Seattle, $5,995.
- Silicone. Most practices charge $6,700 to $8,400: Dr. George Toledo, Dallas, $7,000 to $8,400; Chicago Breast & Body Aesthetics from $7,995. Pittsburgh Plastic Surgery lists $8,000 with implants, the operating room and anesthesia.
- The implant can be extra. Y Plastic Surgery in Atlanta lists a $5,000 surgeon fee plus the implant against $7,900 all-in for saline; Dr. Brad Gandolfi’s $5,000 in New York leaves out the facility, anesthesia and implant fees.
- Fat transfer. Affordable Plastic Surgery, Spring Valley NY, charges $13,800 for fat transfer to the breasts with liposuction around the torso.
Breast lift cost
Practice fees cluster at $8,500 to $12,500: Pittsburgh $8,500; Virginia Institute of Plastic Surgery, Richmond, $8,500 to $12,000 all-inclusive; DeLuca Plastic Surgery, Albany, $9,620 to $12,760; Dr. Paul Pin, Dallas, $10,500; The Plastic Surgery Center, Sacramento, $12,000. The top of the range is Dr. Jeffrey Lee, Newton, $13,500 to $17,000; Colorado Plastic Surgery Center $14,000 to $22,000; Dr. Hayes, Portland, $19,650. A lift with implants costs more: $16,800 at Affordable Plastic Surgery and from $16,800 at Specialists in Plastic Surgery, Raleigh.
Coverage. A lift for sagging is cosmetic at Aetna (CPB 0031) and Anthem (SURG.00023), and Medicare’s Palmetto GBA rule treats sagging as a cosmetic sign. UnitedHealthcare reviews it case by case. BCBS of South Carolina may cover a lift on the healthy breast for symmetry after a medically necessary mastectomy, and the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act requires plans that cover mastectomy to cover symmetry surgery.
Breast reduction cost
Self-pay practice fees mostly fall between $10,000 and $13,500: Rockmore Plastic Surgery, Latham, $9,500 to $11,000 with anesthesia and the operating room; Y Plastic Surgery $10,800; Allure Esthetic $11,000; Dr. Paul Pin $12,000; Specialists in Plastic Surgery $12,300; The Plastic Surgery Center, Sacramento, $13,500. Surgery Center of Oklahoma, a physician-owned surgery center, charges $12,200 for both breasts and says the quoted price is the complete price.
When a reduction is covered. Insurers ask for documented symptoms such as back, neck or shoulder pain, failed conservative treatment, photographs and a minimum weight of tissue to be removed, scaled to body size. At a body surface area of 1.50 m², that minimum is 260 g per breast at Cigna, Anthem and BCBS of South Carolina and 385 g from each breast at Aetna. UnitedHealthcare says most of its plans exclude breast reduction except as federal mastectomy law requires. No insurer covers a reduction done by liposuction alone. The full comparison is on what insurance covers.
Breast surgery cost in South Carolina
- Averages. CareCredit’s 2026 study gives $6,236 for augmentation, $7,280 for a lift and $8,001 for a reduction; its 2023 study gave $7,794 for a lift. RealSelf’s state figures are $7,767 for a lift and $7,665 for a reduction (2023 data), and $5,725 for augmentation ($6,975 in the Charleston metro), undated.
- Calculator. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery gives $3,000 to $5,900 for augmentation, $4,000 to $8,400 for a lift and $6,475 to $8,625 for a reduction, the same for Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Greenville and Columbia ZIP codes; its own reduction guide says $8,000 to $10,000 nationally.
- Charleston. Port City Plastic Surgery, Daniel Island: augmentation $6,475 to $6,700, the one line on its list marked total; lift, lift with implants and reduction $4,000 to $6,000 each, figures that likely leave out anesthesia and the operating room; implant removal $3,050 to $4,000.
- Greenville. Aesthetic Center Greenville: augmentation $5,700 to $6,700, inclusions not stated.
- Columbia and Rock Hill. Virtu Cosmetic Surgery gives one range, $5,200 to $13,850, for augmentation, lift and reduction. Ditesheim Cosmetic Surgery, a Charlotte practice, lists all-in fees on its Rock Hill page: augmentation $7,400 to $18,360, lift $8,800 to $18,390, reduction $8,800 to $18,790.
Hospital price-transparency files list one part of the bill per line:
| Hospital, file date | Augmentation | Breast lift | Reduction | What the line is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnMed Health, Anderson, March 6, 2026 | $5,450 (silicone) | $5,800 simple; $7,000 complex | $7,000 complex | Self-pay surgeon fee |
| Lexington Medical Center, West Columbia, April 1, 2026 | $2,158 | $3,986 | $4,054 | Facility charge |
| Beaufort Memorial, January 1, 2026 | None listed | $1,459 | $2,014 | Professional fee |
| Beaufort Memorial | None listed | None listed | $7,438 | Outpatient facility charge |
AnMed also lists a lift with implants at $5,950 (saline) or $9,000 (silicone). For an insured reduction, Lexington’s negotiated facility rates run $3,543 to $25,783 across 13 plans and Spartanburg Medical Center’s $3,614 to $19,838. SC Medicaid covers a medically necessary reduction with prior authorization and photographs, and never covers augmentation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a breast lift cost?
The surgeon fee alone is $6,500 to $11,000 (ASPS, 2024 data). Practice fees mostly run $8,500 to $12,500, and RealSelf patients report $9,619 on average.
How much does a breast reduction cost without insurance?
Self-pay practice fees mostly fall between $10,000 and $13,500. CareCredit’s 2026 average is $8,579 nationally and $8,001 in South Carolina.
How much does breast augmentation cost?
The ASPS surgeon fee is $4,575 to $8,000 with implants and $5,500 to $9,500 with fat only. RealSelf patients report $8,013, and the implant is sometimes billed separately.
Does insurance cover a breast reduction?
It can, when you meet the plan’s criteria for symptoms, failed treatment, photographs and tissue weight. Most UnitedHealthcare plans exclude it.
Is a breast lift covered by insurance?
Not for sagging. Coverage applies in narrow cases such as symmetry surgery after a mastectomy.
Sources
- ASPS: 2024 statistics report, 2023 statistics report, breast augmentation cost, breast lift cost
- The Aesthetic Society, 2022 Databank; American Board of Cosmetic Surgery: calculator, augmentation, lift, reduction
- CareCredit: cost table, breast surgery state averages, breast lift (2023 study)
- Insurers: Aetna CPB 0017, CPB 0031; Cigna 0152; UnitedHealthcare MP.004.32; Anthem CG-SURG-71, SURG.00023; BCBS of SC CAM 70121, CAM 079
- Medicare LCD L33428; SCDHHS manual; Department of Labor, WHCRA
- RealSelf, breast augmentation, lift and reduction cost pages (2024; state tables 2023), cited as text
- Practices, cited as text: The Gallery of Cosmetic Surgery; Dr. Stephen Miller; Allure Esthetic; Dr. George Toledo; Chicago Breast & Body Aesthetics; Pittsburgh Plastic Surgery; Y Plastic Surgery; Dr. Brad Gandolfi; Affordable Plastic Surgery (Spring Valley); Virginia Institute of Plastic Surgery; DeLuca Plastic Surgery; Dr. Paul Pin; The Plastic Surgery Center, Sacramento; Dr. Jeffrey Lee; Colorado Plastic Surgery Center; Dr. Hayes; Specialists in Plastic Surgery; Rockmore Plastic Surgery; Surgery Center of Oklahoma
- South Carolina and nearby, cited as text: Port City Plastic Surgery; Aesthetic Center Greenville; Virtu Cosmetic Surgery; Ditesheim Cosmetic Surgery; price-transparency files of AnMed Health, Lexington Medical Center, Beaufort Memorial Hospital and Spartanburg Medical Center
Figures retrieved October 2, 2026 from each publisher’s own page. Practice fees change and cover different parts of the bill; a written quote from a surgeon who has examined you governs, and your plan document governs coverage. Body Sculpting Masters is a publication, not a practice.
