Facelift cost: the room, the anesthesia and the surgeon you are quoted
A facelift of the cheeks, jaw and neck, priced line by line; the two lines public files cover are worked out, the surgeon line comes from your quote.
Facelift, estimated total before the surgeon at national rates
$2,252
Anesthesia $312, operating room $1,941.
| Surgeon's fee | not included, enter your quote |
| Anesthesia, 15.2 units | $312 |
| Operating room, surgery center | $1,941 |
Benchmark, not a quote: the operating room and anesthesia lines are 2026 Medicare rates for the same codes; private prices for cosmetic work are set by each practice and are often higher. No public file prices the surgeon's fee: it counts only once you enter the figure from your own quote.
| Code | CMS short descriptor | Share paid | National rate | Local amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPT 15828 | Rhytidectomy cheek chn & nck | 100 % | $1,941 | $1,941 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where each line comes from · CMS 2026 rate files · not a quote
A facelift comes to a room and anesthesia benchmark of $2,252 at national rates in 2026, before the surgeon's fee. The room is priced from CPT 15828, a rhytidectomy of the cheek, chin and neck, which Medicare pays a surgery center $1,941 and a hospital outpatient department $3,620. CMS records no operating time for this code, so the anesthesia default is the mean of 153 minutes reported in a published series of facelifts, which gives $312 at the 2026 national factor. The surgeon's fee is set by each practice and no public file publishes it, so the calculator adds it only when you enter the figure from your own quote. Facelifts are often combined with eyelid or brow surgery; adding both eyelids brings the room and anesthesia benchmark to $3,475.
What a facelift is billed as
The MedlinePlus page on facelift describes incisions from the temples to behind the ear and the lower scalp, lifting of the deeper layer called the SMAS, removal of loose skin and sometimes liposuction of the neck and jowls. Several codes describe facelifts by region; CPT 15828 covers the cheek, chin and neck, the common full operation, and Medicare pays it at the same surgery center rate as liposuction of the trunk, $1,941. A neck lift alone has a code of its own, but CMS records no time for it and the site does not price it.
| Line | Amount | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Anesthesia | $312 | 5 base units + 10.2 time units |
| Room, surgery center | $1,941 | Addendum AA, CPT 15828 |
| Room, hospital department | $3,620 | Addendum B, CPT 15828 |
| Surgeon's fee | your quote | Set by the practice, no public file |
Anesthesia time
MedlinePlus explains that a facelift is done under conscious sedation or general anesthesia. The time default comes from a series published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum; operations with neck work or combined procedures run longer. Four hours of anesthesia would cost $430 at the national factor, so the length of the session is the main thing that moves this line between two quotes.
Facelift with eyelids or brow
One session, room and anesthesia at national rates
$3,475
| Anesthesia, one session of 222 minutes | $406 |
| Operating room, surgery center | $3,069 |
| Saved on the operating room | $1,129 |
| Saved on anesthesia base units | $205 |
Combined with the eyelids or the brow
MedlinePlus notes that a facelift can be done with nose reshaping, a forehead lift or eyelid surgery. In a surgery center the added codes are paid at half rate and anesthesia is billed once: the room and anesthesia for a facelift with both eyelids come to $3,475, for a facelift with a brow lift to $2,893. The surgeon prices the combined work as he or she sees fit; ask for that fee as one figure for the whole session.
Metro areas
The room and anesthesia come to $2,229 in Atlanta and $2,954 in San Francisco. Whatever separates two real quotes beyond that gap sits in the surgeon's line or in a private facility's own prices, neither of which any public file gives by city.