Most people are surprised when they first find out about the expensive cost of most plastic surgical procedures. A typical plastic surgeon will change anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars for a single surgery, depending upon the complexity of the operation. Counted in those high costs are not only the plastic surgeon’s costs, but also the costs of the anesthesiologist, operating room facilities and accommodations for recovery.

The average kind of elective plastic surgery patient only makes about $50,000 a year. As you may know most optional cosmetic surgeries are not covered by any sort of health insurance, leaving most patients to pay the bill another way. Cosmetic surgery is not exclusively for the wealthy. Here are several different ways you can pay for your plastic surgery:

Personal Loan: You could outright borrow the money from a bank or other lending institution without any sort of collateral such as a home or car. There are lots of reputable internet loan agencies that can offer often offer you lower interest rates than a bank because they have less overhead. Some loan agencies specialize in medical or smaller loans for minor elective surgeries. The approval process for these types of loans can be a few hours to a few weeks.

Home Equity Loan: If you own your home and it is worth more than you owe the bank, then you could borrow some money against your home to pay for your plastic surgery. Most home equity loans don’t have restrictions on how the loaned money is used and the money you pay in interest may even be tax deductible.

Credit Card: Yes, some people put their entire plastic surgery bill on their credit card and pay it off over time. Generally the interest rates will be high, but you could get special incentive points and bonuses from the credit card company for spending that much money at once.

Plastic Surgery Financing: There are companies that actually specialize in giving out loans that are intended to be used for plastic and cosmetic surgeries. These loans are generally lower interest rates than many other loans and many plastic surgeons prefer using them when possible. Some plastic surgeons now work with financing companies or even offer their own financing services.

LendingClub is a peer-to-peer service that offers personal loan rates that are much lower than a bank. You can create a free account to learn more!

Personal Networking Loan: Peer-to-peer loan programs allow hundreds of people to loan you very small amounts of money at a relatively low pay back rate. There are many web based peer-to-peer loan sites that will loan you money as long as your credit rating is not too bad. This is one of newest ways of borrowing money.

Save it Up: Yes, you can save up the money, but it could take a long time, depending upon the cost and the amount of money you are able to put away. By the time you save up enough for the procedure you want the cost may have risen! Many people have a difficult time saving up enough money to pay for a specific plastic surgery procedure.

The idea of taking out a loan for something like plastic surgery tends to scare some people, but you have to consider plastic surgery as an investment in your health, both physical and mental as well as an investment in your career, relationships and quality of life. It is a high cost to pay, but the rewards of a successful cosmetic surgery often outweight the costs.