Thigh lift cost: a thighplasty, line by line
A thigh lift removes loose skin of the thighs; the room is paid at the same Medicare rate as an arm lift, but the operation takes longer.
Thigh lift, estimated total before the surgeon at national rates
$1,515
Anesthesia $266, operating room $1,248.
| Surgeon's fee | not included, enter your quote |
| Anesthesia, 13 units | $266 |
| Operating room, surgery center | $1,248 |
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 15832 | Exc excessive skin thigh | 100 % | $1,248 | $1,248 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where each line comes from · CMS 2026 rate files · not a quote
The operating room and the anesthesia of a thigh lift, or thighplasty, come to a benchmark of $1,515 at national rates in 2026. The room for CPT 15832 is paid $1,248 by Medicare to a surgery center and $2,968 to a hospital outpatient department, exactly the rates of the arm lift, because both codes sit in the same payment group. What differs is time: CMS records a median of 150 minutes for the thigh, against 113 for the arm, so anesthesia comes to $266. The benchmark is $51 above an arm lift, all of it in the anesthesia line. The surgeon's fee is set by each practice and published in no public file, so the calculator adds it only from your own quote; garments and time off come on top as well.
Same group, different bill
Medicare pays surgery centers by group of procedures judged similar in resources, and CPT 15832, excision of excessive skin of the thigh, shares its group and its rate of $1,248 with the arm lift. A private surgery center is free to price them differently, for instance by operating time, which would make the longer thigh lift more expensive. The benchmark keeps Medicare's logic; the calculator's field for a facility quote lets you replace it with the price you were given, and its surgeon field adds the fee you were quoted.
| Thigh lift | Arm lift | |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes (CMS median) | 150 | 113 |
| Anesthesia | $266 | $215 |
| Room, surgery center | $1,248 | $1,248 |
| Room and anesthesia | $1,515 | $1,464 |
Each hour of anesthesia
A thigh lift that runs an hour longer than the CMS median adds $82 at the national anesthesia factor: four time units of fifteen minutes. It is the line that most often surprises patients, because the anesthesia bill can arrive separately, weeks later, from a group the patient never chose. The anesthesia page explains how the units add up.
Anesthesia for a longer thigh lift
Anesthesia for thigh lift at national rates
$348
| Base units, anesthesia code 00400 | 3 |
| Time units for 210 minutes | 14 |
| Conversion factor of the locality | $20.50 |
| Each extra 15 minutes | $20 |
Thighs and arms together
Patients who have lost a lot of weight sometimes have both lifts in one session. In a surgery center the second code is paid at half rate and anesthesia is billed once, which brings the room and anesthesia of the pair to $2,293 against $2,978 for two operations. In a hospital, both codes are comprehensive, so only one is paid. Whether a long combined session is advisable is for the surgeon and the anesthesia team to decide.
Metro areas
Washington comes to $1,579 and Nashville to $1,440 for the room and anesthesia. As for the arm lift, the spread is small because the lines that move with local wages are small. The comparison of metro areas lists every procedure in every metro.