This content is for general informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical or other professional advice. Readers should consult a qualified licensed professional for advice about their specific situation. Reading this page does not create a physician-patient relationship. All surgery carries risk, and individual results vary. Seek immediate emergency care for severe or urgent symptoms.
Many of our patients come to us after years of feeling self-conscious about the same thing. Occasionally it’s after having children, when the stomach never quite went back. Occasionally it’s after losing a lot of weight, when the skin didn’t follow. Sometimes, even when you do everything right at the gym, the one part that bothers you just won’t budge.
Wanting to know what it costs before you sit down with anyone is completely reasonable. So here are real Detroit-area numbers, a plain breakdown of what each part of the bill pays for, and an honest explanation of why two quotes for the same surgery can be thousands apart.
If you’d rather just talk it through, you can request a consultation or send us a question first. Find the Aesthetic Plastic Surgery & Laser Center at 27920 Orchard Lake Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, where Dr. Michelle Hardaway has over 20 years of experience as a board-certified plastic surgeon. You’re also welcome to call us at (248) 221-1957.
- Published figures in the Detroit area start at about $6,000 for a mini tummy tuck and reach $20,000 at the top of the widest range. Those are other practices’ figures, not ours.
- The $8,174 you see quoted online is a surgeon’s fee only. ASPS says it excludes anesthesia, operating room facilities, and other related expenses.
- A real bill has several parts: the surgeon, anesthesia, the operating room, tests, garments, and follow-up. Some Michigan practices bundle them into one price, and some don’t.
- “Tummy tuck” covers four different operations here, and they’re priced differently because they’re different amounts of surgery.
- A much cheaper quote almost always has an explanation. Usually, it’s a smaller operation or a fee that was omitted from the quote.
- Only an examination produces your number. Everything below tells you what to ask, but none of it can price your surgery.
Note: None of it is our pricing, and we do not use it to quote. Your quote comes from your consultation and nowhere else.
One number causes more confusion than all the others, so let’s clarify it before you compare anything. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes an average surgeon’s fee of $8,174, and people reasonably assume that is the price of the surgery.
It isn’t.
ASPS says so directly: that figure covers the surgeon and does not include anesthesia, operating room facilities, or other related expenses. It is one line of the bill, which is why a number you find online and a quote you’re handed rarely match.
What you are actually paying for
Your bill is several separate charges added together. ASPS lists these as the parts of a total, alongside the surgeon’s fee:
- The surgeon’s fee. The operation itself and the planning behind it.
- Anesthesia is charged for the entire duration of your surgery, so the cost increases with the length of the procedure.
- The hospital or surgical facility. The operating room, its equipment, and its staff are also largely billed by time.
- Medical tests before surgery.
- Your post-surgery compression garments.
- Prescriptions for medication.
Add follow-up visits to that list, because some practices include them and some bill separately.
One practice hands you a single number covering everything, and another hands you a surgeon’s fee and leaves the rest for you to discover. Neither is dishonest. They’re just different ways of quoting, and you need to know which one you’re holding.
Why two quotes can differ by thousands
Here’s what surprises most people: “tummy tuck” covers four different operations.
- A mini tummy tuck is the smallest of the four and the shortest time in the operating room.
- A full tummy tuck involves addressing the entire skin, and in most cases the separated muscle is repaired as well.
- An extended tummy tuck reaches further around the sides, so it takes longer again.
- A lipoabdominoplasty is a tummy tuck combined with liposuction that adds a second technique to the same operation.
Longer surgery costs more, because anesthesia and the operating room are both billed by the hour. So a mini costs less than a full for a simple reason: it’s a smaller operation.
If you’re weighing those two, we’ve written about what actually separates a full from a mini, and the answer is your anatomy rather than the length of the scar.
One more thing, and it’s the part a quote tends to skip. ASPS is clear that a tummy tuck is not a substitute for weight loss or an exercise program and that it won’t remove stretch marks, though those sitting on the skin that come away may improve.
If a quote promises you something a tummy tuck can’t do, ask about that before you ask about the price.
Nine questions to ask before you accept any quote
Take these into any consultation, ours included. Ask for the answers in writing. A practice that quotes honestly will hand them over without hesitating:
- Which of the four operations is this quote for? Not “a tummy tuck”: the actual name.
- Is muscle repair included, or is that extra?
- How long do you expect the surgery to take? Anesthesia and facility fees follow this number.
- Who administers the anesthesia, and what are their qualifications? Please confirm the safety details with the doctor before inquiring about the cost.
- Which facility, and is it accredited?
- Are pre-operative lab tests included?
- Is my compression garment included, and are prescriptions?
- How many follow-up visits are covered?
- If I needed revision surgery, what happens, and who pays?
If an answer comes back blank, that’s your next question rather than a reason to pick one quote over another.
What an unusually low quote usually means
A cheaper quote almost always has a reason behind it. Here are the usual ones:
- It’s a smaller operation. A mini-priced procedure compared to a full one isn’t a saving if the mini doesn’t address your actual concerns.
- It’s the surgeon’s fee only. Next to somebody else’s all-in figure, it always looks better.
- The facility is different. Accreditation, equipment, and staffing are what a facility fee pays for.
- Follow-up is billed separately. Ask how many visits are actually covered.
- The surgeon’s training is different. Titles in this field vary far more than most people expect.
That last one matters more than the price gap in most cases. Our guide to telling a real plastic surgeon from a marketing title explains what to check and where to check it.
Verify board certification with the certifying board directly rather than relying on any practice’s word, including ours.
The costs nobody puts in the quote
Recovery costs you time as well as money. Here’s what to plan for, taken from the guidance on our tummy tuck page:
- One to two weeks off work.
- No strenuous activity for four to six weeks.
- No exercise until you’re cleared, usually somewhere around six to eight weeks.
- No driving for the first weeks, so you’ll need someone to take you places.
- Help at home, especially in the first couple of weeks and especially if you have young children.
None of that is on a surgical quote, but all of it is part of your surgery costs.
People who plan for it recover with far less pressure to rush back. If you want the fuller picture first, check out what recovery after plastic surgery really looks like and the habits worth building beforehand.
Be cautious of anyone who describes this recovery as quick or deceptively simple. It takes weeks, and how long it takes varies from person to person.
The risks, in plain words
Money isn’t the only thing to weigh here, and you should have the real list before you decide. ASPS lists these among the recognized risks:
- Risks that come with anesthesia.
- Bleeding, infection, and fluid collecting under the skin.
- Blood clots and heart or lung complications.
- Poor wound healing, or skin loss.
- Numbness or other changes in how the skin feels, and pain that may persist.
- Asymmetry, loose skin returning, and a result you are not satisfied with.
- Scarring that heals less well than hoped, and the possibility of needing revision surgery.
The full list is published by ASPS, and Dr. Hardaway will go through it with you properly before you consent to anything. Two of those items bear directly on cost: revision surgery and a result that falls short. Ask what happens and who pays in either case.
A tummy tuck also leaves a scar. It’s real, it’s permanent, and anyone quoting you should say so plainly rather than letting you find out afterward.
How you’ll get your actual number
We can’t give you a real number over the phone. Here’s why, and here’s how you’ll get one.
Until Dr. Hardaway has examined you, nobody can say how much loose skin is involved, whether the muscle underneath needs repair, or how long your surgery will take. Those three findings account for most of your price.
At your consultation, she examines the area, reviews your medical and weight history, and discusses honestly what the surgery can and cannot do for your concerns. You leave with a personalized treatment plan and a written quote for that plan, not for an average.
All consultations are paid and appointment-based to ensure dedicated time and a personalized plan. That’s deliberate. It buys you Dr. Hardaway’s undivided time and an honest assessment of what she finds.
How you pay for it
We accept cash, checks, and major credit cards. We also offer financing plans through medical lending companies like CareCredit that allow you to pay for your procedure over time with fixed monthly payments. These plans are easy to apply for and have special financing offers with no upfront costs, no prepayment penalties, and no annual fees.
If you’re still deciding between procedures, the body contouring overview sets out what each one treats. Our guide to what liposuction really costs in Metro Detroit reads a quote the same way this page does, and where more than one area is involved, a mommy makeover or liposuction may come into the conversation.
Book a Tummy Tuck Consultation in Farmington Hills
Bring the nine questions above with you. Dr. Hardaway will examine you, tell you honestly which operation fits what she finds, and give you a written quote for it.
To book, request a consultation or call (248) 221-1957. If you’d rather ask something first, send us a message and we’ll get back to you.
All consultations are paid and appointment-based to ensure dedicated time and a personalized plan.
About Dr. Michelle Hardaway
Dr. Michelle Hardaway is a board-certified plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience, board-certified in plastic surgery and in general surgery, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Before private practice she was Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Burn Center Director at Detroit Receiving Hospital, and she teaches as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Wayne State. That background is reconstructive as much as cosmetic, and it shows in how she approaches this operation: conservative planning and natural-looking results tailored specifically to each patient.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a tummy tuck cost in Farmington Hills?
Published figures for the area start at about $6,000 for a mini and reach $20,000 at the top of the widest range. A clinic in Bingham Farms publishes an itemized list: $6,000 to $7,000 for a mini abdominoplasty and $7,500 to $8,500 for a full one, covering the surgeon and the operating room, with anesthesia quoted separately. Two other Metro Detroit practices publish a Michigan range instead, one $8,000 to $14,000 and one $8,000 to $20,000. Those are their figures, not ours. What you’d pay comes down to which tummy tuck you need and how long it takes, and nobody can tell you that without examining you first.
Why is the price I see online so different from the price I was quoted?
Usually because the two numbers measure different things. The $8,174 you see on national sites is the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ figure for the surgeon’s fee alone, and ASPS says so plainly. Anesthesia, the operating room, your tests, your garments, and your follow-up visits aren’t in it. A whole-procedure price from a practice and a surgeon’s fee from a national average aren’t comparable numbers, so check what each one covers before you put them side by side.
Why does a mini cost less than a full tummy tuck?
Because it’s less surgery. The four operations we perform take different amounts of time in the operating room, and both anesthesia and the facility are billed largely by the hour. Cheaper isn’t really the point, though. The question that matters is which one actually addresses what’s bothering you, and that comes out of an examination rather than a price list.
Will my results last?
They can, with one caveat. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons puts it this way: although the results of a tummy tuck are technically permanent, the positive outcome can be greatly diminished by significant fluctuations in your weight. They also advise against the surgery if you’re planning major weight loss or another pregnancy, since both can undo the result. So when you have it done matters as much as how it’s done.
Will you quote me a price over the phone?
No, and you deserve the reason rather than just the answer. Until Dr. Hardaway has examined you, nobody knows how much loose skin is involved, whether the muscle needs repair, or how long your surgery will take. Those three factors will make up most of your price. All consultations are paid and appointment-based to ensure dedicated time and a personalized plan, and you leave with a written quote for the operation you were actually assessed for.
The Best Body Contouring Procedure in Farmington Hills