Cosmetic surgery is paid out of pocket: no insurer or South Carolina hospital charity policy we reviewed pays for it, the tax code does not let you deduct it, and we found no genuine grant for it. What you can control is the price you agree and what borrowing costs. Medical credit cards charge 32.99% outside their promotions (CareCredit and Alphaeon, 2026), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that about 20% of healthcare purchases on deferred-interest promotions ended up charged interest.
- Card purchase APR
- 32.99%CareCredit and Alphaeon, 2026
- Deferred-interest purchases charged interest
- About 20%CFPB, 2018 to 2020 data
- Grants for cosmetic surgery
- None foundFTC; charity programs, 2026
- US deaths after cosmetic surgery, Dominican Republic
- 93CDC MMWR, 2009 to 2022
How deferred interest works
CareCredit (Synchrony Bank) offers “no interest if paid in full” promotions of 6, 12, 18 or 24 months on purchases of $200 or more. If any of the promotional balance is left at the deadline, even $1, all the interest accrued since the purchase date is charged. CareCredit’s own worked example is a $2,000 elective cosmetic procedure on a 12-month promotion: paying the $84 minimum leaves $992 unpaid at month 12, and the accrued interest is then added. The CFPB: “Your minimum payments probably won’t be enough to pay off the entire balance by the end of the deferred interest period.”
Both cards also sell fixed-payment plans that charge interest from day one, at 17.90% for 24 months up to 20.90% for 60 months. Alphaeon’s late fee is $30, or $41 for a repeat.
Lenders and brokers
| Product | Who lends | Terms as published, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| CareCredit | Synchrony Bank (card) | Deferred interest 6 to 24 months; purchase APR 32.99%, penalty 39.99% |
| Alphaeon | Comenity Capital Bank (card) | Deferred interest 6 to 36 months; purchase APR 32.99%, varies with Prime |
| Prosper | WebBank (personal loan) | $2,000 to $50,000, 8.99% to 35.99% APR, 2 to 6 years, origination fee 1% to 9.99% |
| PatientFi | Partner banks | Up to $60,000, 6.99% to 32.99% APR in its examples, 12 to 84 months |
| Cherry | Financing partners; Cherry says it is “not a bank or a lender” | 0% to 35.99% APR, 1 to 60 months, $35 to $65,000; down payment at checkout |
| United Credit | A broker to partner lenders | Cosmetic loans of $500 to $25,000; partner lenders may run a hard credit check |
Prosper’s example: $10,000 over three years at 24.19% APR pays out $9,101 after the origination fee and costs $357.97 a month. PatientFi’s “Promo Plan” charges interest during the promotion and waives it only on payment in full, which works like deferred interest.
What the CFPB found
The CFPB’s report Medical Credit Cards and Financing Plans (May 2023) covers deferred-interest lending for healthcare in 2018 to 2020:
- about $1 billion in deferred interest paid, on almost $23 billion of spending across more than 17 million purchases;
- about 20% of purchases charged deferred interest, and about 34% for borrowers with lower credit scores;
- those charged paid on average an extra 23% of the original purchase;
- a typical medical card APR of 26.99%, against about 16% on general-purpose cards;
- patients who should qualify for free or reduced-cost care “may instead be signed up for a medical card or loan.”
It also says deferred interest can work in your favor if you pay in full on time. In 2013 the CFPB ordered GE Capital Retail Bank and CareCredit to refund up to $34.1 million over deceptive enrollment in doctors’ and dentists’ offices.
The late-payment dispute
PatientFi and Cherry say one missed CareCredit payment can trigger the deferred interest. CareCredit: “promotional financing is not voided solely due to late payments, though late fees may apply.” The CFPB: “If you’re more than 60 days late making your payments, you could lose the deferred interest period.” Both lenders’ claims overstate it, and “late fees may apply” leaves out the 60-day risk.
Plastic surgery “grants”
We found no charity, foundation or government grant for liposuction, a tummy tuck, a BBL, a mommy makeover or skin removal. The Federal Trade Commission says the government “won’t offer you free government grants of any kind, much less grants to pay for home repairs, medical costs, or other personal needs.”
Every genuine program we found is tied to breast cancer:
- AiRS Foundation: up to $2,500, paid to providers, at incomes up to 175% of the poverty guidelines; approved applicants may be waitlisted in 2026.
- My Hope Chest: for survivors 65 or younger who show Medicaid non-eligibility; first come, first served, with a national waitlist.
- United Breast Cancer Foundation: individual grants that may include reconstruction, within 3 years of diagnosis or treatment.
- The Aesthetic Foundation’s Mollenkopf fund: up to $10,000; only an Aesthetic Society member surgeon can apply for you.
- Pink Fund pays household bills during treatment and “does not pay medical bills of any kind.”
The one program using the word for cosmetic surgery, cosmeticsurgerygrants.org, describes itself as “A For-Profit Non-Government Finance and Research Organization.” Its “grant” is up to 20% off a participating surgeon’s fee, capped at $2,000 for liposuction or a tummy tuck; you pay the rest.
Coverage for reconstruction, panniculectomy and breast reduction is on does insurance cover plastic surgery.
South Carolina hospital financial assistance
| System | Who qualifies | Cosmetic care |
|---|---|---|
| MUSC Health (Charleston), effective January 31, 2026 | 100% discount below 300% of the poverty level ($99,000 for a household of four), SC residents | “solely for cosmetic purposes” not considered |
| Novant Health SC (East Cooper, Hilton Head), December 2024 | Uninsured, at or below 300%, no substantial liquid assets | Excludes “cosmetic, elective” care |
| AnMed (Anderson), April 1, 2026 | SC and Georgia residents to 400%; 100%, 85% or 75% discount by income | “Elective and cosmetic services” ineligible |
| Spartanburg Regional | Free or discounted at or below 200% | Not stated |
None of these policies says how a medically necessary panniculectomy or reconstruction is treated. The line they draw is cosmetic care. Under S.C. Code 37-5-117, a provider must mail you 20 days’ notice before reporting a debt to a credit bureau or filing a lien.
Surgery abroad: what the CDC and the societies report
We publish no clinic prices abroad. CDC’s Yellow Book names abdominoplasty, BBL and liposuction among the most common cosmetic procedures Americans travel for, calls infection the most common complication, and says accreditation “does not guarantee a good outcome.”
- Dominican Republic. 93 US citizens died after cosmetic surgery there in 2009 to 2022, rising from 4.1 a year in 2009 to 2018 to 13.0 a year in 2019 to 2022, with 17 in 2020 (MMWR, January 25, 2024). Liposuction was part of all 24 deaths reviewed for 2019 to 2020, and fat embolism caused 55% of autopsied deaths. CDC says legal options after malpractice there are “very limited.”
- Matamoros, Mexico. On May 12, 2023, CDC’s health alert reported five patients hospitalized and one death from suspected fungal meningitis after cosmetic procedures under epidural anesthesia. CDC’s final count (May 2025): 184 potentially exposed patients in 22 states, 24 cases and 12 deaths.
- BBL. A 2018 advisory from three plastic surgery societies put the BBL death rate at about 1 in 3,000, the highest of any aesthetic procedure. We found no CDC or society report specific to Turkey.
One US center (Adabi, 2017) spent an average of $18,211 treating complications of surgery done abroad, mostly paid by Medicaid. ASPS says revisions and complications can cost more than the operation would have in the US, and no US law governs surgeons abroad. CDC advises no flying for 10 days after chest or abdominal surgery; ASPS suggests five to seven days after liposuction.
What actually lowers the cost
- Compare all-in quotes that include the surgeon’s fee, anesthesia and the facility. Fees are on liposuction cost, tummy tuck cost and BBL cost.
- Check coverage first for a breast reduction or panniculectomy.
- On a deferred-interest card, divide the balance by the promotional months and pay at least that each month, since the CFPB says minimum payments probably will not clear it.
- Ask whether the surgeon enrolls patients in complication insurance such as CosmetAssure.
- Do not count on an HSA or FSA. IRS Publication 502 names liposuction among procedures that generally cannot be included.
Frequently asked questions
Are there grants for plastic surgery?
Not for cosmetic surgery. The genuine programs fund breast reconstruction after cancer, and the one cosmetic “grant” is a for-profit discount of up to 20%.
Does CareCredit charge interest if I pay late?
CareCredit says a late payment alone does not void a promotion. The CFPB says you could lose it if you are more than 60 days late.
Is plastic surgery cheaper in Mexico or the Dominican Republic?
We publish no prices abroad. CDC reports deaths and outbreaks in both countries, and treating complications at home averaged $18,211 in one US study.
Will a South Carolina hospital’s charity care pay for cosmetic surgery?
No. MUSC, Novant and AnMed exclude cosmetic care in their written policies.
Can I use my HSA or FSA for liposuction?
Generally no. Publication 502 names liposuction, and HSA and FSA rules follow the same definition.
Sources
- CareCredit, promotions, deferred interest, cosmetic; Alphaeon terms; Prosper; PatientFi: lending partners, vs CareCredit; Cherry: patients, vs CareCredit; United Credit, 2026
- CFPB: Medical Credit Cards and Financing Plans (May 2023), Ask CFPB on deferred interest, 2013 CareCredit order
- FTC, Government Grant Scams
- AiRS Foundation; My Hope Chest; United Breast Cancer Foundation; The Aesthetic Foundation; Pink Fund; cosmeticsurgerygrants.org, 2026
- South Carolina: MUSC Health policy BR-PA 709, MUSC sliding scale; Novant Health SC NH-LD-FM-500; AnMed (April 2026); Spartanburg Regional; S.C. Code 37-5-117
- CDC: Yellow Book, medical tourism, Dominican Republic, MMWR 2024, HAN-00491, EID May 2025
- ASPS briefing paper, cosmetic surgery tourism; 2018 gluteal fat grafting advisory; Adabi et al. 2017
- IRS Publication 502
Figures retrieved October 2, 2026 from the lenders’, agencies’, charities’ and hospitals’ own pages. Rates and eligibility change; confirm with the lender or program before you apply. Body Sculpting Masters is a publication, not a practice.
