Personal Loans for Plastic Surgery & Other Cosmetic Surgery Financing Options

Opting for plastic or cosmetic surgery is a personal decision. Once you decide you’re ready to move forward, it’s time to figure out how to pay for the procedure. Your health insurance may cover reconstructive or medically necessary plastic surgery. 

But if you’re getting an elective procedure, you may have to bear the entire cost.

Explore plastic surgery financing options to find the most affordable funding that works with your ideal timeline. We’ve rounded up the best personal loan options and alternatives to consider.

Personal loans for plastic surgery

Here are our top-rated lenders if you’re considering taking out a personal loan for plastic surgery.

Lender	Best for	Rates (APR)
Credible	Marketplace	7.49% – 35.99%
LightStream	Excellent credit	7.49% – 25.49%
SoFi	Good credit	8.99% – 29.99%
Upgrade	Fair credit	8.49% – 35.99%

Many companies offer personal loans for plastic surgery expenses. Some lenders may brand their personal loans as medical loans. Often, these are the same as a traditional personal loan. However, certain companies cater to medical financing, such as a line of credit designed just for health care costs.

Ready to explore plastic surgery financing options? 

We researched multiple options and chose the top loans you can use for elective plastic and cosmetic surgery. We’ve included options for borrowers with all types of credit scores.

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Best marketplace – Credible

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Editorial rating: 4.8 out of 5

• Compare prequalified rates suitable for financing plastic surgery¹
• Transparent comparison tools showcase fees, rates, and terms without affecting credit scores
• Streamlined application process

Credible stands out in the personal loan marketplace for its user-friendly platform that simplifies the comparison of financial products, particularly personal loans.

By partnering with a broad spectrum of lenders, Credible enables prospective borrowers to access various prequalified loan options. This allows those looking to finance plastic surgery to find terms that best fit their financial situation and cosmetic goals.

Credible’s commitment to transparency plays a pivotal role in our designation as the best marketplace for those seeking personal loans for plastic surgery. Use Credible’s tools to compare interest rates, repayment terms, and loan amounts from different lenders without any impact on your credit score.

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Best for excellent credit – LightStream

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Editorial rating: 4.8 out of 5

• Rate Beat program: Will beat a competitor’s offer by 0.10% APR if approved for a lower rate elsewhere
• Unique satisfaction guarantee: Borrowers who are not satisfied with their loan experience can get a $100 refund
• Loan amounts: $5,000 – $100,000

LightStream offers personal loans with low rates, no fees, and a Rate Beat program—it will beat any rate a competitor offers by 0.10 percentage points. LightStream’s product is an unsecured personal loan, but you must disclose the purpose of your financing. 

LightStream is well-suited for applicants with a good credit score and a low debt-to-income ratio. You’ll also need liquid assets, such as cash and retirement savings, to get approved. In other words, this lender wants to ensure you have stable financial footing with a high likelihood of making on-time payments every month.

Because LightStream doesn’t allow prequalification with a soft credit check—which doesn’t affect your credit score—we think it’s best for borrowers with excellent credit who are confident they’ll be approved.

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Best for good credit – SoFi

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Editorial rating: 5 out of 5

• Fast, easy application: Get a decision in minutes
• Loan amounts: $5,000 – $100,000
• No fees required

You’ll need a good credit score to get approved for a SoFi personal loan. But if you’re looking to finance a larger amount for your plastic surgery, SoFi might be suitable. Plus, you can get funds deposited as fast as the same day.

You could be ready to pay for your procedure whether you see your provider for a last-minute opening or want to be prepared with a deposit. 

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Best for fair credit – Upgrade

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Editorial rating: 4.9 out of 5

• Credit health tool to monitor your credit score and get personalized recommendations
• Loan amounts: $1,000 – $50,000
• 15-day grace period before late fee is assessed

Upgrade is an appealing option for borrowers with credit scores of 560 or higher, as well as those who need smaller loans, thanks to a low $1,000 minimum loan amount. Upgrade offers several loan types. For plastic surgery financing, opt for the “major purchase” loan.  

You can check rates without affecting your credit score, and eligibility is based more on free cash flow than other lenders. Upstart often shows several loan offers with different terms, so you can compare monthly payments. 

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Should I get an unsecured or secured loan for plastic surgery?

As you weigh your options, consider how your loan offers are structured. They could be unsecured or secured, which come with important distinctions.

Unsecured personal loans don’t require collateral, but you’ll often need a good or excellent credit score to get approved for a low rate.

If your credit score doesn’t measure up, you might qualify for a secured personal loan or a bad-credit loan. Secured loans are collateralized by property, such as your home, car, or savings account. If you default on the loan, the lender can take the asset used as collateral. Bad-credit loans have high interest rates that may not be worth it.

	Unsecured medical loans	Secured medical loans
Collateral required?	❌	✅
Credit score	⬆️ Higher score required	⬇️ More flexible
Interest rates	⬆️ Rate may be higher	⬇️ Rate may be lower

How much more expensive will the surgery be with financing vs. cash?

You’ll save money by paying for your plastic surgery with cash rather than financing because of the interest and potential fees you’ll pay with a loan. 

Let’s say your cosmetic surgery costs $3,500 total:

Example only
Loan amount	$3,500
Origination fee	2% (often deducted before loan funds are disbursed)
Interest rate	12%
Repayment terms	3 years
Monthly payment	$116.25
Total interest paid	$685
Total cost of loan	$4,185

You might pay $4,185 to borrow $3,500.

Are there financing benefits for medical uses?

Advantages to financing your plastic and cosmetic surgery include:

• Afford your surgery faster than saving up to pay cash. Whether you’re getting your surgery for comfort, confidence, or another reason, you can enjoy the effects sooner rather than later.
• Keep your cash savings in place for an emergency. If an emergency occurs after you drain your savings account, you may need time-sensitive funding, which can be expensive.

How to repay a personal loan for cosmetic surgery

When taking out a loan, you get the money upfront and repay it in monthly installments. Payments include the principal balance and interest. If your lender charges origination fees, it will often deduct them before you get the funds in your account.

Typical repayment terms range from two to seven years. Most lenders allow you to repay the loan early, but ensure yours doesn’t charge prepayment penalties.

Impact of your APR

The total cost of a plastic surgery loan depends on the APR. If you have an excellent credit score, you’re more likely to qualify for a low interest rate.

If your score is less than perfect, your APR might reach double digits. To understand the difference this can make, we’ll examine two APRs for a $2,000 loan spread over two years.

	$2,000 loan	$2,000 loan
APR	6%	15%
Monthly payment	$88.64	$96.97
Total interest paid	$127.39	$327.36

That’s almost $200 more to borrow the same amount. This example illustrates why comparing offers is essential when searching for the best plastic surgery financing.

How much does plastic surgery cost?

Plastic and cosmetic surgery aren’t cheap. 

The table below shows the average surgeon or physician fee for certain standard procedures, according to a 2020 study from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Cosmetic procedure	National avg. surgeon / physician fee
Breast augmentation	$4,516
Buttock implants	$5,278
Calf augmentation	$3,845
Cheek implant	$3,669
Chin augmentation	$3,137
Ear surgery	$3,736
Lip reduction	$2,503
Nose reshaping	$5,483
Tummy tuck	$6,154

Should you get a personal loan for plastic surgery?

It’s wise to weigh all your payment options before you choose a personal loan for your plastic or cosmetic surgery. If you can’t cover the costs with cash, look at multiple loan options to consider the monthly payments and total interest paid.

Ensure you can afford the monthly payments and have a financial cushion to cover those payments in case another emergency arises.

>>Read more: What credit score is needed for a personal loan?

Alternatives to plastic or cosmetic surgery loans

If a plastic surgery loan isn’t right for you, check out the alternatives below. These options may have more competitive rates or fewer fees, so be ready to compare the pros and cons.

Medical payment plans

Your plastic surgeon’s office might offer interest-free payment plans customized to your budget. You can save on interest and fees, and a missed or late payment won’t appear on your credit report. 

However, if you don’t pay your bill, the doctor might use a collection agency or sue you, both of which will appear on your credit report and can damage your score.

Medical credit card or 0% intro APR card

Medical credit cards are meant to pay for medical care only. Some offer 0% financing if you repay within a set time. If you miss the deadline, you’ll owe retroactive interest for the period. 

As of March 2023, CareCredit is the primary medical credit card available. It may offer 0% interest repayment options, which your medical provider can tell you more about. 

Another option is a 0% APR credit card. Like medical credit cards, interest doesn’t accrue on your balance for a set period. This option may be viable if you can pay off the balance in that time. If not, the high interest rates could make this one of the most expensive options.

Savings

If you don’t have the money on hand to pay for a cosmetic procedure, you might be able to save up for the cost by pushing back the procedure date. This option, of course, depends on whether your surgery is time sensitive.

To determine whether it’s worth it, consider the total cost of your surgery and how much extra money you can stash away each month. Divide that cost by your savings amount to determine how many months it would take to save. 

Example only
Procedure cost	$2,500
Monthly savings	$250
Cost / savings	10 ($2,500 / $250)

In this example, it would take 10 months to save the $2,500 needed for your procedure.

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Tip

You can also pay for part of your surgery with savings and then finance the rest. That helps lower your monthly payments and total interest paid.

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¹ Prequalified rates are based on the information you provide and a soft credit inquiry. Receiving prequalified rates does not guarantee that the Lender will extend you an offer of credit. You are not yet approved for a loan or a specific rate. All credit decisions, including loan approval, if any, are determined by Lenders, in their sole discretion. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Rates from Lenders may differ from prequalified rates due to factors which may include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in your personal credit circumstances; (ii) additional information in your hard credit pull and/or additional information you provide (or are unable to provide) to the Lender during the underwriting process; and/or (iii) changes in APRs (e.g., an increase in the rate index between the time of prequalification and the time of application or loan closing. (Or, if the loan option is a variable rate loan, then the interest rate index used to set the APR is subject to increases or decreases at any time). Lenders reserve the right to change or withdraw the prequalified rates at any time.