You’ve probably been keeping a close eye on tariff discussions, especially how they could affect the prices of the products you buy every day. And if you’re considering a cosmetic procedure anytime soon, you might also wonder if it could get more expensive, too.
There’s been seemingly endless back and forth regarding tariffs, including how much they’ll be, which countries they’ll impact and which items will be affected, and that’s fueling uncertainty. So right now, doctors say exactly how these new taxes will impact Botox, dermal fillers, breast implants and surgical supplies is still up in the air.
“Even though there’s a lot of speculation, we just don’t know yet,” Dr. Roy Kim, a plastic surgeon in San Francisco and Beverly Hills, told HuffPost. He said he hasn’t noticed any price changes in his practice so far.
“Like everyone in every industry, we’re monitoring and collecting data because there’s a lot of uncertainty,” Dr. Bob Basu, a plastic surgeon in Houston and president-elect of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, told HuffPost. However, he said the ASPS hasn’t issued specific guidance to doctors on the potential impact of tariffs.
As many of these procedures are elective and something you have to pay for out of pocket, here’s what plastic surgeons want you to know about how tariffs could affect popular procedures.
What’s happening so far?
The plastic surgeons we spoke to said they haven’t noticed any significant price increases.
“Honestly, I haven’t seen any direct impact on my practice so far,” Dr. Anthony Berlet, a plastic surgeon in New York City, told HuffPost. “Any price fluctuations we’ve encountered have been consistent with general inflation trends, not specifically tied to tariffs.”
Berlet said his patient volume has increased this year — and most of the products and equipment his practice uses are manufactured in the U.S. “So, we’re relatively insulated from international trade shifts at the moment,” he said.
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While his practice also hasn’t experienced any price increases on products, medications or medical supplies due to tariffs, Basu said the costs of many items have gone up in the past few years due to “post-pandemic inflation,” which has been “quite noticeable.” This is related to supply chain issues and drug shortages, and he said it’s affecting the entire medical industry, not just plastic surgeons.
However, the tariff uncertainty is leading some doctors to purchase expensive items sooner than they’d planned in case prices rise, Dr. Sean McNally, a plastic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, told HuffPost. He said his practice recently bought a “several hundred thousand dollar” piece of equipment that incorporates liposuction, electrosurgery and other features.
But overall, he said, “It’s hard to know what to expect in the future, which itself is incredibly unnerving as a provider, not knowing what the pricing of your products is going to be from time to time.”
What could be affected by tariffs?
Pharmaceutical products, like Botox, likely will be exempt from new tariffs, Berlet said. But that could change. Botox is made in Ireland, and other neuromodulators are made in South Korea, so it’s possible they could be affected, McNally said.
Many dermal fillers, including hyaluronic acid fillers, are manufactured overseas and may become more expensive, Berlet said. But some are made in the U.S., so they won’t be affected by tariffs, Kim added.
Breast implants are typically manufactured in the U.S., so that’s “tariff-free,” Kim said, but some are made in Costa Rica and the Netherlands, which could be affected.
Medical supplies, like syringes, gauze and gloves, are mostly imported, typically from China, Southeast Asia and Mexico, Kim said. He added that the U.S. actually raised tariffs on syringes, surgical gloves and and face masks from China in 2024. Some medical supplies are also made in the U.S.
Anesthesia medications are typically imported, Kim said. But they’ll likely fall under the pharmaceutical exemption, if it stands.
If prices of anesthesia medications increase, surgeons can use alternative medications or different regimens, which they often do when natural disasters or supply chain problems cause shortages, Dr. Bianca Molina, a plastic surgeon in New York City, told HuffPost.
Could procedures become more expensive?
Some manufacturers of fillers, medical supplies and other items may absorb tariff-related costs, Basu said. However, some may have to raise their prices.
In those instances, many doctors likely will try to “absorb that as much as possible,” Basu said. “We want to make these procedures accessible to patients.”
Molina said she makes adjustments in her practice’s spending during times of economic uncertainty and hasn’t passed on any increase in the cost of goods or materials to patients.
“I think most plastic surgeons do not aim to increase costs where a patient would be priced out of a service they would benefit from,” she said.
Still, it’s possible patients could see “mild increases in pricing,” especially for some nonsurgical procedures, if imported materials become more expensive, Berlet said. However, he doesn’t foresee any widespread unavailability of treatments.
What the possibility of tariffs means for you.
While he acknowledges that cost often plays a role in your decision to get plastic surgery or a nonsurgical procedure, Basu emphasized that safety should be the priority. That and seeking out a board-certified plastic surgeon.
If you find someone offering a procedure at a much lower price than everyone else in your area, especially if tariffs are implemented, that’s a “red flag,” Berlet said, possibly indicating a lack of proper training, use of substandard products or corner-cutting on safety measures.
“As with anything in medicine, you get what you pay for — and with your face or body, that’s not something to gamble on,” he said.
No one is certain what the future holds for how tariffs will affect plastic surgery or nonsurgical procedures (or anything else, really). Berlet urges anyone thinking about a procedure to stay informed and to try not to base all decisions solely on cost.
Still, if you’ve been thinking about a procedure, McNally said, “It may not be a bad idea to have that procedure now rather than wait six months and have it all of a sudden be significantly more expensive.”