Written and medically reviewed by Prof Dr Srinjoy Saha, MS, MCh (Plastic Surgery), FACS, FRCS (Glasgow) · Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
28+ Years Experience • 8,000+ Treatments • PSF Achauer Award • Gold Medal • Harvard-Trained
Most people arrive at this question wanting one number. The honest answer is that the number depends on you, and this page explains exactly what it depends on.
How to get your cost estimate
Please go through the steps detailed below to know your approximate costs. If you want an indication before travelling from outside Kolkata, schedule an online second opinion. Send your photographs and medical history by Email and/or WhatsApp. The approximate costs will be an indication and not a quotation, and you will be told which is which.
Cost Range for Plastic Surgery in Kolkata
Following are the rough estimates of many plastic surgeries. Published figures, so you are not left guessing:
Plastic Surgery | Range of Costs (INR) | Key Variables |
|---|---|---|
Abdominoplasty | 1,20,000 - 4,00,000/- | Mini vs. full, extent of skin/fat removal, degree of muscle repair (diastasis recti). |
Blepharoplasty | 60,000 - 2,50,000/- | Upper vs. lower eyelid (or both), fat repositioning vs. removal, extent of skin laxity. |
Breast Augmentation | 1,20,000 - 3,50,000/- | Implant type, surgical approach, need for concurrent lift (mastopexy). |
Breast Reduction | 1,20,000 - 4,00,000/- | Volume of tissue removed, degree of ptosis (sagging), complexity of reshaping. |
Buccal Fat Removal | 90,000 - 2,00,000/- | Amount of fat pad extracted, individual facial anatomy. |
Carpal Tunnel Decompression | 60,000 - 1,50,000/- | Short vs. long incision technique, unilateral vs. bilateral, severity of nerve compression. |
Dimple Creation | 60,000 - 1,50,000/- | Unilateral vs. bilateral (one or both cheeks), thickness of cheek tissue. |
Fingertip Regeneration | 90,000 - 2,50,000/- | Extent of tissue/bone loss, nail bed involvement, need for specific grafts or flaps. |
Gynecomastia | 60,000 - 3,00,000/- | Grade (I–IV), gland excision vs. liposuction alone, need for skin tightening/excision. |
Liposuction | 60,000 - 3,00,000/- | Number and size of target areas, volume of fat removed, specific technology used. |
Rhinoplasty | 60,000 - 3,50,000/- | Primary vs. revision, requirement of structural grafts, functional vs. cosmetic corrections. |
Scar Revision | 60,000 - 2,50,000/- | Length and width of the scar, depth, location, surgical technique (excision vs. Z-plasty). |
How much does plastic surgery cost in Kolkata?
Costs vary by operation. Approximate figures for twelve procedures are published on this page, which are at par with indicative ranges across Indian cities. Those ranges run from a day clinic at the lower end to an accredited hospital at the upper end of city-wide ranges.
Plastic surgery costs, when performed at JCI-accredited Apollo Multispeciality Hospital, have the figures sitting at the upper end. The spread within any figure is not the surgeon's margin: rather, it is the difference between the simplest and the most complex version of an operation that share a name. The simplest version of an operation will always be at the lower end, but most patients are not treated by the simplest version.
Your own figure is confirmed by the hospital's billing department after your consultation and examination.
Why a price range, and not a fixed menu?
Now the part that matters. The gap between the high and low end of the spectrum is not the surgeon's margin.
It is the difference between a Grade I gynecomastia done under local anaesthetic as a day case, and a Grade IV needing skin excision, a general anaesthetic and a hospitalised stay.
Or the difference between a nose surgery requiring minor tip work versus a revision rhinoplasty requiring extensive nose reconstruction.
Two totally different operations that share a name.
Read the low end as "the simplest version" rather than "the real price", because most people are not the simplest version.
What follows is what you are charged for, what moves your figure, and what to check before you compare any quotation with anyone else's — including this one.
Your own surgery's approximate cost is estimated by the hospital's billing department after your examination, before you commit to anything.
What you are paying for
A surgical quotation is not one number. It is a set of items, and every written quotation you receive here lists them separately:
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Surgeon's fee.
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Anaesthetist's fee.
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Operating theatre charge.
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Assistance charges - Surgical & Anaesthetic.
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Hospital bed and stay, where an overnight is planned.
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Implants.
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Consumables and disposables.
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Medicines during admission.
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Compression garments, where the procedure needs them.
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Applicable tax
Surgery here is performed at JCI-accredited Apollo Multispeciality Hospital, with intensive care, a blood bank and a full anaesthesia department on site. That means the theatre, equipments, bed, and nursing components are hospital charges at hospital rates. It is a real part of the figure, and it is one of the main reasons a quotation from a hospital-based practice differs from one for the same operation in a day clinic.
What determines your plastic surgery cost?
1
Extent
How much tissue, how many areas, how large the correction. For example, a single-area liposuction and a four-area liposuction are not comparable.
2
Technique
Complexities involved, including skin excision, tissue removal, muscle repair, whether the correction is straightforward or requires grafting or a flap.
3
Anaesthesia
Local with sedation, intravenous sedation, or general — and whether an anaesthetist, medicines, and equipment is required throughout the surgery.
4
Hospitalisation
1. Hospital type - JCI-accredited hospitals are more costly.
2. Length of hospital stay: adds to the final bill substantially.
3. Cabin > Semi-private > General
5
Implants & Consumables
Where a device is used, the manufacturer and model matter. Prices vary several-fold between them. Same goes for implants. FDA-approved are costly.
6
Primary or revision
Revision surgery on a previously operated site takes longer due to more fibrosis and bleeding in the area. It's less predictable, and is quoted accordingly.
If a revision is needed
Revisions are chargeable. There is no free-revision policy here, and you should be sceptical of one offered elsewhere — it is priced into the original quotation either way.
In practice, revisions are uncommon. Where one is needed it is usually a small correction rather than a repeat of the original operation: releasing a tethered area, adjusting a scar, correcting a contour irregularity.
Many of these procedures may be done under local anaesthetic in a clinic room rather than a hospital theatre, which means no theatre charge, no anaesthetist and no bed — and a cost well below that of the original procedure.
Where a revision does require a full theatre and a general anaesthetic, it is quoted like any other operation.
What you are entitled to before surgery is a clear answer on this in writing, rather than after the event. Ask here, and ask anyone else you are considering.
When insurance may pay
Most Indian health policies exclude cosmetic surgery. Several procedures sit differently, because the indication can be functional rather than aesthetic:
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Breast reduction, where symptoms are documented.
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Carpal tunnel decompression — routinely covered, because the indication is functional rather than cosmetic.
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Panniculectomy after major weight loss, where overhanging skin causes recurrent skin problems.
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Gynecomastia, in some circumstances, where there is any defined radiologically diagnosed abnormality.
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Nasal surgery, where there is a documented breathing obstruction.
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Hernia repair, when performed alongside abdominoplasty.
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Reconstruction after trauma, burns, infection or cancer.
What you need to document before your consultation:
Whether your policy pays is a matter for your insurer, and no clinic can promise an outcome. What can be done at the first consultation is to tell you whether your case has a functional indication worth documenting, and what to gather:
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a record of the symptoms over time from your physician, not only from the surgical consultation.
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documentation of treatments already tried.
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clinical photographs and measurements.
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any relevant imaging.
Documentation gathered before surgery is worth considerably more than a letter written afterwards. Raise it at the first visit, not the last.
Why one clinic's quotation is half another's
The following attributes are the main reasons why your final costs vary. None of these make a cheaper quotation wrong. They make it a different quotation for a different thing. Get both itemised and compare the lines, not the totals.
1
Smaller Facility
A day clinic costs less to run than a hospital theatre. Whether that matters depends on the specific procedure. Like, for your safety, it matters a great deal for bigger surgeries viz. abdominoplasty.
2
A Different Implant
Implant prices vary hugely based on the manufacturer. FDA-approved implants are safer and more costly, and recommended. Long-term problems have occurred with cheap implants.
3
Not a Plastic Surgeon
MCh or DNB in Plastic Surgery is the specialist qualification in India. A general medical degree plus a short course in cosmetic procedures is not, and it costs way less effort to obtain them.
4
No Anesthesia Team
If the surgeon (or a technician) is managing your sedation there is no specialist anaesthetist fee. That is a saving with a specific cost attached. That saving is paid for in patient monitoring.
5
Less Surgical Experience
A surgeon who is less skilled or less experienced is often cheaper. Surgical quality differs despite the same degree. More experienced surgeon is safer, but it may often come at a cost.
6
Quote Surgeon's Fee Only
Operation theatre charges, anaesthetist, hospital stay, consumables, and implants are billed by the hospital afterwards. It can be substantial. The two numbers were never comparable.
GST & Taxes
Cosmetic and aesthetic procedures performed electively attract 18% Goods and Service Taxes in India. Treatment performed to restore form or function after injury, burns, cancer, infection or a congenital condition is treated differently, because reconstructive care is not taxed on the same basis as elective cosmetic care.
Which applies to you is determined by the clinical indication, not by preference, and it is stated on your quotation.
For Patients Travelling to Kolkata
The surgical quotation is not your total outlay.
Budget also for:
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Accommodation — most procedures need seven to ten days locally; abdominoplasty and combined procedures ten to fourteen.
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Travel for you and someone accompanying you.
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The consultation, which for most procedures cannot be done entirely remotely.
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Investigations done here rather than at home.
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A return visit, if one is needed.
Patients travel to this practice mainly from across West Bengal, the North-East, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bangladesh. There are also patients coming from other metro cities in India, and from other countries like the USA, the UK, South Africa, Australia, and Europe.
Patients are encouraged to take an online second opinion first and discuss their surgery. Send a history and photographs by Email or WhatsApp before committing to travel. Patients are usually told what is likely to be recommended, and what it will involve, before booking anything.
If you are travelling from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, or Chennai.
Apollo's pricing is broadly consistent across its Indian hospitals. Travelling to Kolkata will not make the hospital component of your surgery cheaper, and you should add travel and accommodation on top.
Come for the surgeon, the technique, or a second opinion on a revision. Do not come expecting to save money on the hospital bill, because you may not be able to do so.
Before you compare quotations
Ask every clinic, including this one:
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Is this the total, or the surgeon's fee?
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What is billed separately?
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Where is the operation performed, and is it an accredited facility?
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Is a qualified anaesthetist present throughout?
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What is the surgeon's specialist qualification in plastic surgery?
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Which implant or device, by manufacturer and model?
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How many follow-up visits are included, over what period?
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What is the policy if a revision is needed, and what does one cost?
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Is tax included in the figure quoted?
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Who do I call at 2 a.m.?
A clinic that cannot answer these in writing is telling you something.
Can I combine two procedures to save money?
Combining operations removes the duplicated costs: one anaesthetic, one theatre session, one admission, one recovery, one period away from work. It does not halve the surgical fees — each operation is still performed, and each is still charged.
Whether procedures can be combined is decided on your clinical risk. Not on the saving, and not on convenience.
Where combining would lengthen the operation beyond what is safe for you, it is staged. Staging costs more in total, and that will be set out for you rather than left to discover.
Staging surgeries, though apparently costly, may still be the cheaper decision for you.
A longer combined operation means a longer anaesthetic and a higher chance of a complication that needs intensive care. A single day in intensive care can cost more than the saving you were chasing; several days cost considerably more — before counting the additional time away from work, any further procedures needed, and a slower return to normal life.
The saving from combining is real. It is also small next to the cost of one avoidable complication. Safety sets the plan, and the figure follows from it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Is the consultation charged?
Yes, for every visit including follow-ups. This is an Apollo Hospital fee structure. There is no free consultation. The fee covers examination, discussion of options, and a written itemised quotation where surgery is being considered. It is not deducted from the cost of surgery.
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Is an online second opinion charged?
Yes. An online second opinion is a medical consultation and is charged separately. It can give you an indication of likely costs, but it is not a binding quotation, and the fee is not adjusted against the cost of surgery.
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What is the difference between a rough estimate and a written quotation?
A rough estimate is given by the billing department after consultation and is approximate. A written itemised quotation is the reliable figure for the planned procedure. Even that remains subject to the clinical findings at surgery and to the quotation's validity period.
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How long is a written quotation valid?
Quotations are based on current hospital rates, current implant costs and your clinical assessment at the time. They are usually valid for 2 weeks, and they will be answered by the billing staff.
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Is a deposit required to book surgery?
Yes. A booking deposit is normally required after pre-anaesthetic clearance. The deposit amount and the cancellation and refund terms are set by the hospital and are confirmed to you in writing before any payment is made.
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What happens if the surgery turns out to be more complex than planned?
Your final bill can exceed the estimate if additional work proves necessary during surgery. While this is not always common, it is the reason why an itemised quotation is described as an estimate for the planned procedure rather than a fixed price. Any significant change is discussed with you wherever it is possible to do so, and the final bill shows exactly where the figure changed and why.
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Do international patients pay the same rates?
No. Hospital rates are marked up for every international patient, and billed as per actuals. There is no separate international package price. International patients should budget for travel, accommodation, a longer stay in Kolkata and any follow-up visits on top of the surgical figure.
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Does a higher price mean a better result?
No. It often means more items are included in the figure. Compare the itemisation rather than the total, and check the surgeon's specialist qualification, the facility, and whether a consultant anaesthetist is present throughout.
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Where can I stay in Kolkata while recovering?
There are numerous hotels and guesthouses within a 2-kilometer radius of Apollo Multispeciality Hospital in the Salt Lake and Kankurgachi areas, ranging from budget accommodations to premium hotels suitable for a 7 to 14-day recovery period.
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Do you offer virtual consultations for patients outside West Bengal?
Yes, we routinely conduct initial online second opinion via Zoom and Email for patients in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangladesh, and beyond, including foreign countries, before they commit to travelling to Kolkata.
Consult Prof. Dr Srinjoy Saha
Prof. Srinjoy Saha is a Harvard-trained surgeon-scientist and a Member of the Regenerative Committee of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. He is the only Adjunct Professor of Plastic Surgery in Apollo AHERF among their 245 India-wide faculty list. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the American College of Surgeons. He is an innovator and the creator of Jyoticision™ - Precision surgical regeneration method.
He is an experienced plastic & cosmetic surgeon who has seen enough complications to be careful, and enough good outcomes to be calm. He analyses every case of body contouring individually, and operates accordingly.
Frequently, he receives complex and revision plastic & cosmetic surgery cases referred from across India.
Apollo Multispeciality Hospital is centrally located, making it easily accessible via Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) for international and domestic flights, so people from Bangladesh and other foreign countries can reach here easily. It is also linked by metro to major railway hubs like Howrah and Sealdah Stations for patients arriving from other parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and the North-East.
YOUR NEXT STEPS
A personal consultation will clarify what is achievable for your anatomy and goals.
You will receive a structured assessment, visual planning, and a detailed outline of the safest path to refinement.
