This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Study shows strong association between cosmetic surgery pricing, local economic factors

Local economic factors like cost of living and real estate values were found to directly influence price-setting for cosmetic surgery procedures, according to recently published study data.

Researchers randomly selected 10 plastic surgery practices from each of 15 U.S. cities with various population sizes to determine the factors behind the pricing of cosmetic surgery procedures. In each city, breast augmentation, mastopexy, abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty and rhytidectomy were compared with economic and demographic statistics. The researchers excluded rhinoplasty and liposuction because these procedures are often associated with large variations in pricing.

Population, cost-of-living index, average home value and average monthly rent were found to have substantial correlations with the average price of cosmetic surgery procedures. A smaller correlation existed between surgery pricing and annual household income or annual per capita income, and only a very small correlation was found between pricing and resident age or plastic surgeon density, according to the researchers.

Prices of cosmetic surgery procedures were positively correlated with financial metrics like cost-of-living indices and real estate costs. However, the pricing of plastic surgery did not coincide with the traditional model of supply and demand, according to the researchers.

Although the researchers expected to find a negative correlation between pricing and the density of plastic surgeons, which would result in more competitive pricing in an area dense with surgeons, they instead found that prices remained high in cities with high surgeon-to-patient ratios such as New York, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

The researchers concluded that regional population density, regional culture, ease of acquiring a service and social perceptions of cosmetic surgery may have influence over consumer demand. –by Abigail Sutton

Disclosures: The authors reported no relevant financial disclosures.