Charleston has more registered plastic surgeons than any other South Carolina city, and it is one of the few places in the state where both practices and a hospital publish body contouring prices. This guide sets South Carolina’s averages beside Charleston’s published fees, says what each includes, counts the city’s registered plastic surgeons and covers the checks to run before you book. The city had 150,227 residents in the 2020 Census, 134,996 of them in Charleston County and 15,231 in Berkeley County.
- County
- Charleston (most) and Berkeley
- Population
- 150,2272020 census
- Plastic surgeons / practices in the register
- 15 / 5NPPES, October 2026
Population: 2020 United States census. Register count: individuals with a plastic surgery taxonomy at a practice address in the city in the federal NPI register, read October 2, 2026; the register does not record board certification.
What body contouring costs in Charleston
No source publishes a Charleston-only average for liposuction or a tummy tuck, so the starting point is the statewide figures, which measure different things.
| Procedure | South Carolina figure | Source and year | What it counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liposuction, abdomen | $6,963 average | CareCredit, 2026 study | Excludes anesthesia, facility and pre- and post-op care |
| Liposuction | $5,322 average | RealSelf, 2023 data | What patients report paying, generally all-in |
| Tummy tuck | $7,591 average | CareCredit, 2024 study | Inclusions not stated |
| Tummy tuck | $8,218 average | RealSelf, 2023 data | Patient-reported, generally all-in |
| Mommy makeover | $13,906 average | RealSelf, 2023 data | Patient-reported, generally all-in |
| BBL | $7,517 average | CareCredit, 2026 study | Inclusions not stated |
CareCredit prints the same $6,963 for gynecomastia surgery in South Carolina on another page, so treat the liposuction figure with some caution.
Charleston office fees. Port City Plastic Surgery (Daniel Island) publishes an approximate price list: tummy tuck $5,000 to $6,000, and liposuction $2,200 to $3,200 per area for the abdomen or the flanks. The list says the exact cost “including anesthesia and operating room fees” comes at consultation, so these figures most likely leave both out and belong beside other surgeon-only quotes. Crantford Costa Plastic Surgery gives a typical mommy makeover range of $18,000 to $35,000 that includes operating room time, anesthesia, facility fees and support staff (page updated February 2026); its blog gives $2,000 to $7,000 as a general Charleston liposuction range without saying what it covers.
MUSC’s hospital price list. MUSC Medical Center’s price-transparency file (April 2026) lists a discounted cash price of $3,259 for trunk liposuction against a gross charge of $6,518. That is the hospital’s facility charge alone; the surgeon and the anesthesia are billed on top.
More detail: liposuction cost, tummy tuck cost, mommy makeover cost and BBL cost.
Plastic surgeons in and near Charleston
As of October 2, 2026, the federal NPI register lists 15 individual plastic surgeons and 5 plastic surgery organizations at Charleston practice addresses, the highest city count among the 80 surgeons and 43 organizations it records statewide. Mount Pleasant adds 8 surgeons and 6 organizations, and North Charleston 2 and 2. The register does not record board certification or which procedures a surgeon performs, so a count says nothing about who does liposuction.
The city is also home to MUSC Health’s Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery Center, with clinics at Rutledge Tower (135 Rutledge Avenue, 7th floor) and the Hollings Cancer Center. Alongside reconstructive work it runs a cosmetic surgery and aesthetic services line, and its body contouring page lists tummy tuck, panniculectomy, arm and thigh lifts and liposculpture. MUSC also trains plastic surgeons: two six-year residents a year plus a three-year fellowship, 12 trainees in all, with aesthetic surgery listed among the residency’s strengths.
Checking a surgeon and a facility in South Carolina
- License. Search the SC LLR licensee lookup with the “PS. Plastic Surgery” specialty and Charleston as the city, then read the Board’s Public Board Orders for any discipline.
- Certification. The ABPS public lookup confirms certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, searchable by name and state.
- Facility. Under Regulation 81-96, an office doing surgery under moderate or deeper sedation must be registered with the Board and accredited within its first year. Ask who accredits it; AAAHC’s search covers South Carolina. Hospitals such as MUSC sit outside the office rule.
- Liposuction limits. The Board’s 2002 office liposuction parameters cap lidocaine at 55 mg/kg per case.
The full method is in how to check a plastic surgeon.
Coverage and paying
Health plans treat liposuction and tummy tucks as cosmetic. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina’s policy calls abdominoplasty and lipectomy “cosmetic and NOT MEDICALLY NECESSARY for all applications”; panniculectomy can qualify on strict criteria, and MUSC notes “Some insurance companies will cover” it. South Carolina Medicaid does not cover cosmetic surgery; it can cover a medically necessary panniculectomy with prior authorization. Details are in plastic surgery insurance coverage.
If you finance, get an all-in quote first and read the full terms of any medical credit card or loan. See how to pay less for plastic surgery.
Frequently asked questions
How much does liposuction cost in Charleston?
Statewide averages run from $5,322 (RealSelf, patient-reported) to $6,963 for the abdomen (CareCredit, before anesthesia and facility). Port City lists $2,200 to $3,200 per area, most likely before anesthesia and the operating room, and MUSC’s facility cash price for trunk liposuction is $3,259 on its own.
Does MUSC perform cosmetic body contouring?
Yes. MUSC Health’s plastic surgery service runs a cosmetic surgery and aesthetic services line that includes body contouring.
How long is recovery?
MUSC gives four to six weeks for a tummy tuck or panniculectomy and one week for liposculpture, with bruising and swelling resolving in two to four weeks. Ask a board-certified plastic surgeon who has examined you what applies to your case.
Why do Charleston price lists look so far apart?
They count different things: Port City’s figures most likely exclude anesthesia and the operating room, Crantford Costa’s range includes them, and MUSC’s file shows only the hospital’s charge. Ask for a written total.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171), South Carolina
- NPPES NPI Registry, plastic surgery codes by practice city, October 2, 2026
- CareCredit: liposuction, tummy tuck, BBL state tables
- RealSelf, liposuction, tummy tuck and mommy makeover cost pages, state tables (2023 data)
- Port City Plastic Surgery, Daniel Island, price list, 2026; Crantford Costa Plastic Surgery, Charleston, mommy makeover page and liposuction blog, 2026
- MUSC Medical Center, standard charges file, April 2026
- MUSC Health: plastic surgery, body contouring; MUSC integrated residency
- SC LLR: licensee lookup, Board Orders, liposuction parameters; SC Regulation 81-96
- ABPS public lookup; AAAHC search
- BCBS of South Carolina, CAM 108; SCDHHS Physicians Services Provider Manual
Figures retrieved October 2, 2026. Prices and lookups change; confirm each on the day you decide. Body Sculpting Masters is a publication, not a practice.
Before you book
Three checks before a consultation in Charleston
Every physician practicing in South Carolina holds a license from the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, and any license can be checked on its public lookup. Board certification in plastic surgery is separate, and the American Board of Plastic Surgery’s lookup confirms it. Ask, too, where the operation will happen and who accredits that facility. We are a publication, not a practice, and we do not recommend individual surgeons.
South Carolina license lookup (SC LLR)American Board of Plastic Surgery certification lookupHow to check a plastic surgeon
Body contouring guides for other South Carolina cities
Columbia
Plastic surgery in the capital: costs, the license lookup and the register's surgeons.
North Charleston
Costs, recovery and the nearest plastic surgeons for North Charleston.
Mount Pleasant
Surgeons across the harbor from Charleston, prices and the questions to ask.
Greenville
Body contouring in the Upstate: costs, surgeons and what to check before a consultation.
Rock Hill
Rock Hill and York County: costs, and the nearest surgeons in South Carolina.
Summerville
What a Summerville patient pays, and where the nearest surgeons are.
