Columbia has the clearest published prices for body contouring in South Carolina: one practice quotes a full all-in tummy tuck fee, and a nearby hospital publishes its facility charges line by line. This guide sets those beside the statewide averages, counts the plastic surgeons the federal register places in the Columbia area and covers the checks to run before you book. The city had 136,632 residents in the 2020 Census, almost all in Richland County.
- County
- Richland
- Population
- 136,6322020 census
- Plastic surgeons / practices in the register
- 13 / 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 Columbia
| Procedure | Figure | Source and year | What it counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mommy makeover | $14,900 average | RealSelf, Columbia metro, 2023 data | Patient-reported, generally all-in |
| Mommy makeover | $13,906 average | RealSelf, South Carolina, 2023 data | Patient-reported, generally all-in |
| Tummy tuck | $8,218 average | RealSelf, South Carolina, 2023 data | Patient-reported, generally all-in |
| Tummy tuck | $4,300 to $9,500 | ABCS price calculator, no date given | Inclusions not stated |
| Liposuction, lower abdomen | $4,446 average | CareCredit, South Carolina, 2026 study | Excludes anesthesia, facility and pre- and post-op care |
| Lipo 360 | $6,764 average | CareCredit, South Carolina, 2026 study | Does not say anesthesia is included |
An all-in tummy tuck quote. Plastic Surgery Consultants of South Carolina publishes a tummy tuck range of $8,000 to $12,000 that covers anesthesia, surgical supplies, the facility fee at its own AAAHC-accredited surgery center, follow-up visits, compression garments and CosmetAssure complication insurance. It is one of the few South Carolina surgical prices that states everything it includes.
Category price lists. Virtu Cosmetic Surgery, with offices in Columbia and Rock Hill, publishes approximate ranges by category: liposuction (chin, arms, inner thighs or lipo 360) $3,200 to $12,500, tummy tucks and mommy makeovers $8,000 to $25,680, and arm, thigh, lower body and back lifts $8,250 to $10,750. The Ratio by BodyMath lists laser liposuction at $3,500 to $12,000. Neither says what its figures include.
Hospital facility charges. Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia publishes its operating facility charges (file dated April 2026), with the cash price equal to the gross charge. Liposuction runs $2,146 for one area, $2,953 for two, $3,420 for three, $3,849 for four and $4,406 for five or more; abdominoplasty is $4,207, a mini abdominoplasty $2,647 and an arm lift $3,420. These cover the facility alone. The surgeon and the anesthesia are billed separately, so the hospital figure is one part of the bill.
Nonsurgical. Sculpted by WH Aesthetics lists ONDA Pro at $2,500 per area for a package of three, and Southern Urogynecology in West Columbia gives Emsculpt NEO at $750 to $1,000 a session. See non-surgical fat reduction cost.
More on each procedure: liposuction cost, tummy tuck cost and mommy makeover cost.
Plastic surgeons in and near Columbia
As of October 2, 2026, the federal NPI register lists 13 individual plastic surgeons and 5 plastic surgery organizations at Columbia practice addresses, second only to Charleston, and West Columbia adds 2 surgeons and 1 organization. These are register counts. The register does not record board certification or which procedures a surgeon performs.
Columbia also trains plastic surgeons. The Prisma Health/University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia program is a six-year integrated residency that began in 2016 and takes one resident a year. Its primary site is Prisma Health Richland Hospital, with burn and transplant rotations at MUSC in Charleston, and it brings in adjunct faculty from private aesthetic practice.
Checking a surgeon and a facility in South Carolina
- License. The Board of Medical Examiners is based in Columbia (110 Centerview Drive, (803) 896-4500). Its licensee lookup searches by city with a “PS. Plastic Surgery” specialty. Check the Board’s Public Board Orders as well.
- Certification. Confirm American Board of Plastic Surgery certification on the ABPS public lookup.
- Facility. Regulation 81-96 requires an office doing surgery under moderate or deeper sedation to register with the Board and be accredited within its first year. If a practice names its accreditor, check it in AAAHC’s search or with QUAD A.
- Liposuction. The Board’s 2002 parameters cap lidocaine at 55 mg/kg per case.
The full method: how to check a plastic surgeon.
Coverage and paying
Insurers in South Carolina treat liposuction and tummy tucks as cosmetic, and South Carolina Medicaid excludes cosmetic surgery. Medicaid can cover a panniculectomy that corrects an illness caused or aggravated by the overhanging skin, with prior authorization; most members are in one of five managed care plans, which handle that authorization themselves. Details: plastic surgery insurance coverage.
Before you finance, get the full total in writing and read the loan or card terms. More in how to pay less for plastic surgery.
Frequently asked questions
What does a tummy tuck cost in Columbia?
One Columbia practice quotes $8,000 to $12,000 all-in, with anesthesia, facility, follow-up and garments included. The South Carolina RealSelf average is $8,218 in patient-reported totals, and Lexington Medical Center’s facility charge alone is $4,207.
Is a mommy makeover more expensive in Columbia?
RealSelf’s Columbia metro average is $14,900, against $13,906 for the state, both from 2023 patient reports. Virtu’s published range for tummy tucks and mommy makeovers runs $8,000 to $25,680.
Is there a plastic surgery residency in Columbia?
Yes. Prisma Health and the USC School of Medicine Columbia have run an integrated plastic surgery residency since 2016, based at Prisma Health Richland Hospital.
Why does the hospital list liposuction by number of areas?
Lexington Medical Center prices its facility by area and operating time, from $2,146 for one to $4,406 for five or more. The surgeon’s fee is separate.
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
- RealSelf, mommy makeover and tummy tuck cost pages, state and metro tables (2023 data)
- ABCS price calculator; CareCredit: liposuction, lipo 360
- Plastic Surgery Consultants of South Carolina, tummy tuck page; Virtu Cosmetic Surgery, price list; The Ratio by BodyMath, laser liposuction page; Sculpted by WH Aesthetics, price list; Southern Urogynecology, Emsculpt NEO page; all 2026
- Lexington Medical Center, standard charges file, Q2 2026
- Prisma Health/USC plastic surgery residency; USC School of Medicine, Department of Surgery
- SC LLR: licensee lookup, Board Orders, liposuction parameters; SC Regulation 81-96
- ABPS public lookup; AAAHC search
- SCDHHS Physicians Services Provider Manual; Healthy Connections managed care
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 Columbia
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
Charleston
The largest group of plastic surgeons in the state register, costs and what to check before a consultation.
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.
