In short. Why this site publishes no prices, what drives the figure you will be quoted, and how to compare two quotes without being misled by the number.
Key points
- A quote worth comparing names the technique, the anaesthetic, the facility, the number of follow-up visits, what scar care is provided, and what happens if a complication needs treatment or if a revision is required.
- A figure that covers only the operating room is not comparable with one that covers the whole episode, and the difference between two quotes is often the follow-up rather than the surgery.
This site does not publish prices. That is a deliberate decision rather than an omission. A figure invented for a web page is either a marketing number that will be revised upward, or a real number from a plan that has nothing to do with your face. What can be described honestly is what drives the figure, and what the operation costs you in time.
What determines the number you will be quoted
The technique matters, because an open approach and an endoscopic approach take different amounts of operating time and different amounts of a surgeon's attention. Whether another procedure is performed in the same anaesthetic matters, since combined surgery is a longer anaesthetic but a single admission. Anaesthesia and facility fees are a substantial part of any hospital-based figure. The surgeon's experience is a legitimate component. So is what the quote includes afterwards.
The cost in time, which is easier to state
Expect a consultation visit, possibly a second visit for planning and consent, pre-operative tests, the operation day and a period of observation, at least one post-operative review in the first weeks, and further reviews as healing proceeds. Most people take ten days to two weeks off work, with strenuous activity restricted for four to six weeks. If you are travelling to Chongqing, add travel and accommodation, and ask when booking whether the assessment and tests can be compressed into fewer trips.
What a quote should include
A quote worth comparing names the technique, the anaesthetic, the facility, the number of follow-up visits, what scar care is provided, and what happens if a complication needs treatment or if a revision is required. A figure that covers only the operating room is not comparable with one that covers the whole episode, and the difference between two quotes is often the follow-up rather than the surgery.
Comparing two quotes honestly
Compare what is included rather than the total alone. Ask whether revision surgery is priced separately, whether treatment of a complication is covered, and whether follow-up ends at six weeks or continues to a year. Ask who performs the operation and whether they are the person who assessed you. A quote that answers these questions is comparable; one that does not cannot be compared at all.
Cost is not the right way to choose
The cheapest operation you can buy is the one you do not need. If the assessment concludes that eyelid surgery, injectables or no operation at all is the right answer for your face, that conclusion saves more than any discount. A practice that finds a reason to operate on everyone who walks in has a business model, not a selection process.
Financial pressure is a warning sign
- Discounts that expire, limited slots, or a deposit requested before an examination and a plan.
- Packages bundling procedures you did not ask about into a single price.
- Quotes that omit follow-up, complication care or revision, and are revised upward later.
What the recovery itself involves is described in the guide to the first six weeks, and questions to take to a consultation are listed in questions to ask before you agree.
Frequently asked questions
Why will nobody give me a price before a consultation?
Because the honest figure depends on findings that require an examination: which technique suits your hairline, whether eyelid surgery is combined, how long the anaesthetic runs, and what facility and follow-up the plan includes. A number given before that is either a marketing figure or a guess, and it is usually revised upward later.
What drives the cost up or down?
The technique, because different approaches take different amounts of operating time; whether another procedure is performed in the same anaesthetic; the anaesthesia and facility fees; the surgeon's experience; and the follow-up and scar care included. Combining operations usually costs less than two separate admissions, though it is a longer single anaesthetic.
Is a cheaper quote a worse operation?
Not necessarily, and a more expensive one is not automatically better. What matters is what the quote includes: whether follow-up visits, scar care and the treatment of a complication are covered, and whether revision is priced or included. Compare the whole package, and ask what happens financially if something needs correcting.
Risks & Limitations
- Bruising and swelling lasting two to three weeks; the brow continues to settle for several months before its final position is seen.
- Scars are permanent. They mature and fade over 6–12 months but never disappear, and hair around the incisions may thin temporarily.
- Numbness or altered sensation behind the incisions, usually recovering over 3–6 months but occasionally lasting in small patches.
- Asymmetry between the two brows is common and rarely perfect; over-elevation produces a startled or operated look that is hard to revise.
- Temporary weakness of the nerve that lifts the brow, usually recovering over weeks to months; permanent weakness is rare.
- Bleeding or a collection of blood under the skin, which may need drainage; infection, which is uncommon.
- A permanent rise in the hairline after techniques that remove forehead skin, most visible when the hairline is already high.
- General risks of anaesthesia, which a hospital setting manages but cannot remove.
When to Seek Care
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath — seek emergency care immediately.
- Rapidly increasing swelling, or a tense, painful, tight area across the forehead.
- Fever above 38 °C, spreading redness, warmth, or discharge from an incision.
- Bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure.
- Sudden change in vision, or a new droop of the brow or eyelid that appears after the first days.
References & Further Reading
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) — brow lift and upper facial surgery guidance
- International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS)
- American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) — eyelid and periocular health resources
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) — relevant guidance
- Cochrane Library — systematic reviews in facial plastic surgery
This page is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not cite individual studies. Discuss your own case with a qualified clinician. To arrange an assessment at Chongqing West District Hospital, see Contact & Consultation.