Fillers Cost

How Much Does It Cost To Get Dermal Fillers?

According to the American Association of Cosmetic Surgeons, the average cost for fillers is $800 per session. According to other sources, it's more like $925. Either way, though, this price can vary widely depending on a number of factors. The only sure way to know what your price for a particular dermal filler procedure would be is to talk to the doctor you've chosen to perform it. Just for your own planning purposes, though, you should know that while some of the cheaper fillers can be had for as little as $350, most of them are closer to the $650-$900 range. The table below illustrates a nationwide average for some of the most common fillers and skin treatments:

You should also know that these costs are per treatment, or in other words, for each syringe of filler you use. If you are treating multiple areas at once, you will probably need multiple syringes. In addition, if you are trying to fill in very deep or large creases or folds, one treatment may not be enough. You could have to return to the clinic every week or two for up to six sessions before you achieve the look you want. This means that the total price for dermal fillers could be as low as $350-or as high as $6,000 or more.

Why Do Prices For Fillers Vary So Much?

The reason for the wide range of prices is complicated. Many different factors go in to determining the cost of getting fillers. Some of the variation, as discussed above, has to do with how extensive of a procedure you want-obviously you're going to pay a lot more if your procedure takes a total of 10 syringes of filler than if it only requires one. Partly this is the cost of the filler, and partly it is because 10 syringes takes quite a bit more time to inject then just one, so you have to pay more for taking up the more of the doctor's time and the clinic's space.

Which kind of filler you choose also makes a difference. Pharmaceutical companies pour tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars in research into each new product they create. In order to recoup those costs, they charge high prices for the finished product-especially the newest ones. So if you choose a brand new treatment because it seems the most promising, you could end up paying as much as three or even four times as much as you would have for something more basic-and that's just the cost of the filler material alone, not including all of your doctor's fees added on top.

Those fees-in which you are paying the doctor, his clinic, and any other staff for their time-generally vary depending on the skill and experience level of your doctor. Generally as a dermatologist progresses, he or she will begin to make a reputation. If the doctor does consistently good work, he or she will have an easier time getting clients and filling his or her appointment book. When a doctor finds that he can easily keep his schedule full, he will often raise his prices.

On the other hand, dermatologists who are fresh out of their training or who have had negative PR in the past will often reduce their prices as a way of staying competitive. Even though they don't have the same good reputation, lower prices will often help them to attract new customers.

The geographical area that you live in is another factor which many people aren't aware plays a role in determining the final cost of your procedure. Urban areas with a high population density typically charge more for cosmetic surgeries and other elective procedures, while smaller, more rural towns usually charge less from the same thing. This is because there is typically greater demand for cosmetic procedures in metropolitan areas-partly because they just have more people, which means more prospective patients and partly because highly urban places frequently have a high number of relatively wealthy people who can afford these procedures, and for whom appearance is very important. Another reason why cost can go up in big cities is because the land there also tends to be at a premium. This means that it costs more to maintain a clinic or surgical center, and these increased prices will frequently translate to a greater cost to you.

Lastly, the cost of getting dermal fillers will also depend on whether any painkillers or local anesthesia is needed and on whether you need any testing, such as for allergies or skin problems, before you can get the procedure.

How Can I Pay for My Dermal Filler Procedure?

Although dermal fillers are cheaper than most other forms of cosmetic surgery, they are still more than most things people commonly buy for themselves, especially if multiple injections are needed. Because of this, some people find that although they would really like to get fillers, they don't quite have the cash on hand to do it. People in this sort of situation often find that getting some form of financing can be helpful.

Because dermal fillers and other cosmetic procedures are both extremely popular and fairly expensive, there are a number of institutions which offer to finance them. Your dermatologist may even offer in-house financing, as this can be a good way for doctors to increase their number of customers and to get more money per procedure. If your doctor has an in-house option, this will probably be the simplest way to find financing.

Even if your surgeon's office doesn't offer financing themselves, they're still frequently the best resource for finding financing. It's in a doctor's best interest to make sure all of his potential clients have the option to finance, if necessary, so oftentimes, a doctor will maintain a good working relationship with a nearby financial institution or two. Your dermatologist will likely be able to refer you to one of these. Or he or she may refer you to a nationwide firm which provides cosmetic surgery financing.

Whether you're having an easy time or a hard time finding financing, you may want to look at more than one option. Just as with all other types of lending, different institutions will offer different interest rates and different types of payments plans. If you shop around a little, you may be able to find a plan that fits your budget and that has a low interest rate, too.

Is There Any Chance My Insurance Will Pay For Dermal Fillers?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is virtually always no. No matter how much you pay in premiums and how comprehensive your plan is, insurance companies almost always refuse to pay for elective procedures of any kind, unless there is a clear medical need.

The one possible exception in this case is if you have recently been in an accident that necessitates reconstructive surgery, and if your primary doctor agrees that dermal fillers will be useful in this case, his or her influence may be able to sway the insurance company. In general, though, reconstructive procedures are more likely to use permanent solutions such as surgery rather than temporary ones like fillers.