Plastic Surgery in Spain
Breaking down the Price of Plastic Surgery in Spain
That said, we are going to try to break down the different costs of an intervention in the market, and the price of Cosmetic Surgery in Spain. As well as presenting indicative prices for them, which assure us a minimum of quality.
As a preliminary consideration, we will comment that plastic surgery in Spain is considered a luxury item according to tax legislation.
Hence, the price of plastic surgery is taxed with the common VAT of 21%. Unlike any other medical act, which is exempt.
Many of the offers that you can see probably do not include VAT, which will have to be paid later.
The cost of the surgery itself rests on 3 fundamental pillars:
The clinic where the intervention is performed
The material used
The professionals involved
The Clinic or Hospital:
There are a large number of clinics and hospitals that offer their services to perform plastic surgery.
The price is very variable. Generally, it is in relation to the quality offered. This could be around €400-600 per operating room hour; and €200-300 per day of hospitalization.
Above all, it is important that the center where the intervention is carried out has all the necessary means and specialties.
As is logical, the professionalism and training of the teams is generally greater in those centers where the salaries are also higher. And therefore, so are the prices of the Cosmetic Surgery they perform.
Prices much lower than these should make us suspicious of the type of center where the intervention will be carried out (cases of interventions carried out in unauthorized consultations and devoid of any security measures have been reported). If this is going to be with general anesthesia and hospitalization. Or, on the contrary, they will send us home just finished, with the consequent risk to health.
The average cosmetic surgery prices indicated by SECPRE in a field study would be the following:
Anesthesia:
In most of the interventions, except those that are carried out with local anesthesia exclusively, the participation of an anesthetist is required. In addition to eliminating pain or sleeping the patient, he is in charge of watching over his condition at all times, so that the surgeon can concentrate exclusively on the intervention.
There are really many interventions that "could be done with local anesthesia" if we stick to "perceived pain." However, having a good anesthetist provides greater comfort for the patient and the surgeon. And above all great SAFETY.
The fees, as in the case of surgeons, are variable and are set by each.
The average price of the preoperative study (Medicolegally necessary to perform surgery), is around €100-200.
The average fees that an anesthetist usually receives: They start from a minimum of between €300 and €500, to which would be added about €100-150 per estimated hour of intervention.
Having a good anesthetist dedicated exclusively to your intervention is an indicator of QUALITY.
Implants or special material not included in the operating room budget:
In Aesthetic Surgery, many of the interventions that are performed include the use of implants (breast, buttock, pectoral, chin, malar...)
Their price is highly variable depending on the commercial company that supplies them and the type of implant.
Breast implants are the most used in our interventions. Their prices vary between €200 and €1600 for the couple.
As you can see, there is a very important price range. This is where many "low cost" companies dramatically reduce prices. They use the cheapest implants, which, when acquired in large volumes, achieve a very low cost.
In general, reputable commercial houses, those that have been offering quality products over the years. They boast of not varying their rate depending on the volume of purchase. And they are in the highest price range.
Above all SAFETY
It is true that at first glance a €700 implant may look like a €100 implant. (And it is possible that in reality, there is not that much difference.) But here we are concerned, apart from its millimeter construction. The quality controls it is subjected to guarantee its SAFETY. The guarantee is offered by the commercial house. The possibility is that in case of a problem, this guarantee can be executed.
Surgical Team Fees:
A surgical team must consist of at least 4 people (Main Surgeon, Assistant Surgeon, scrub nurse, and circulating). The assistant, apart from facilitating the work of the main surgeon, provides an objective overview and the result of the intervention, he must be able to replace the main surgeon in case he suffers an indisposition.
This is the most variable section in terms of cost for the patient and the one that represents the most important part of the price of Cosmetic Surgery in our country. It depends on how each one values their training, their talent, and their hands, to achieve a satisfactory result.
Keep in mind that while all the other elements are important, this is the main one of them all. The main surgeon is fully responsible for the patient, as well as the implants used and the good work of the entire team in general.
Prices "Low Cost" = "Wages Low cost"
Once again, low-cost companies reduce this section to a minimum. Paying fees really well below what corresponds to the degree of responsibility and training that a surgeon must have (In these companies, only approximately 10% of the total cost of the intervention is for the main surgeon, who in many cases has to operate alone). The surgeon must intervene in a large number of patients, dedicating the minimum time and planning to each one, and assuming a great risk.
As a Note to the reader, a comment that apart from the operating expenses that a Plastic Surgeon may have as a self-employed professional, only the Professional Liability Insurance, which is COMPULSORY, can mean about €6,000 per year.
There are cases in which people without a legal title of specialist -even doctors without any accredited training in surgery (and therefore without the possibility of contracting Professional Civil Liability insurance for the practice of Aesthetic Surgery) perform these interventions, under the “ legal coverage ”from someone who does own something like a title. Sometimes even clandestinely (Let us remember that in Spain the performance of Aesthetic Surgery is not regulated, and in principle, it is not illegal for a doctor without training to practice it).
Excluding these cases, the fees of the other surgeons vary depending on the intervention and the specific case; and as we have said, of the price that you have placed on your hands. Thus, one of the most common interventions in surgery, an augmentation mammoplasty, can cost from €1,500 to €10,000 or even more. Generally, these fees include the necessary reviews, as well as the complications that may arise (although these may generate collateral costs of clinic or material).
Approximate fees according to surgical intervention
Thus, to give a general idea, the fees for the surgical team (surgeon, assistant, and scrub nurse) would be around the following (The data belongs to a reduced sample and may not be the exact reflection of the fees in the entire national territory):
Small surgery (upper blepharoplasty, lipofilling, small liposuctions, or touch-ups). €1,000-3,000 (€1,500 on average)
Medium interventions (breast augmentation, breast lift, medium liposuction, tummy tuck, rhinoplasty, complete blepharoplasty) 1,500-6,000 (€3,000 on average)
Large or complex interventions (abdominoplasty + liposuction, mastopexy with implants, facelift) €2,000-20,000 (€5,000 on average)
