very confused about surgery and surgeon

Short story - I don't get why quotes for different surgeons vary so much.  Any thoughts?


Long story - I went to 4 consults prior to today.  I found a doc that I am super comfortable with and the quote for TT plus lipo was $12,200.  That was for the first surgery.  He said he would stage out the rest - 2nd surgery - butt and thigh lift for $8500.  The third surgery would be my arms for 3500.  I scheduled the first surgery for April 30th.  This first surgery will be performed in the docs office and I will not be completely under.

Today, I was seen by the #1 surgeon in my area (It took a lot longer to get a consult with him).  He recommended a TT, LBL, and lipo as my first surgery.  The 2nd surgery would be my arm lift, thigh lift, and breast lift (breast lift wasn't in the other surgeon's quote.  The first surgery total cost with full anesthesia is only $10,400.  He's able to perform the first surgery May 10th.

I was expecting the surgeon that is in most demand to have higher fees. 

Is a butt lift/thift lift better than a LBL plus thigh lift?  From my research, it looks to be the same. 

Has anyone received multiple quotes that don't seem to make sense?

The LBL, lifts the front, back and sides of your thighs and the butt and generally they lift the mons at the same time.

I went to Dr Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico and had the LBL, BL, arms and medial thigh lift inside groin to groin (lifts the inside of the thighs, basically the part that rubs together when you walk).   Dr S also did lipo on my muffin top and some on my legs and mons.  For a little more than your first quote I had everything done at once.  I was in the clinic for 24/7 care until I went to the hotel and Dr S and his nurse stopped by daily to check on me and to help with my shower and getting back into my garments.  The surgery is with an epidural and twilight sedation.  One surgery and one recovery period. 

You can send pics of your front, side, back and other side to [email protected] and he'll send you back an email with a quote and what he can do for you.  If a procedure is over $7000, your hotel stay up to 12 days and clinic stay is all included along with up to $600 of your airfare. 

You get a lot more with a LBL than a TT alone. You get your butt lifted and your outer thighs lifted too, so IMO a cheaper price for the LBL is what I would go for.

There must be a little confusion - the second surgeon could not have recommended a tummy-tuck and lower-body lift together - that would be redundant.

The lower-body lift essentially is two separate surgeries put together - in the front, you have the abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and in the back you have the butt/thigh lift.  Also, it's unclear what area you're talking about with lipo - if you're having LBL, then you don't really need lipo in that same area, but maybe you're having lipo elsewhere?

Surgery quotes can vary a lot - the longer you're under, the more anesthesia you'll pay.  Also, some people have surgery suites in their offices (cheap) while others operate at hospitals or medical centers (expensive). 

I don't think cost alone should be your choice - I'd really pour over the pictures they have to help choose the surgeon that you think will provide more aesthetic results. 

Let me first say that getting several opinions is very smart.  Surgeons vary widely in their approach and experience.  Experience is more important in post-WLS surgery than anywhere else BTW.

An expienced bariatric plastic surgeon will be able to comfortably combine surgeries which is a huge advantage for you (one downtime, one exposure to anesthesia, less cost).

I typically will do an LBL (that means tummy, buttocks, front and sides of legs) plus a breast lift all at one stage, and then complete the work with arms and legs 9plus touchups from stage 1) and a second and final stage.

Not all doctors include a TT with LBL, in fact the early definition on an LBL was just that...it fixes the legs and buttocks, not tummy.  So be clear on what excatly is included in your LBL.

My advice is to always go with the more experienced surgeon....they usually have a team in place that allows more efficient surgery time and better results.  I had to completey re-vamp the way I practiced in 2003 when I decided to make post-WLS plastics my focus. I added 2 surgical assitants who make surgery much easier on me, and they also help with followup care...this is absolutely necessary for these larger cases.

Hope this helps !