Rhinoplasty in Brazil: how pricing really works.
Surgeons in Brazil do not price a nose from a photo. Here is what a rhinoplasty quote actually covers, why it follows the consultation, and how patients from abroad plan currency, travel, and recovery time.
In Brazil, rhinoplasty is quoted per case and only after a consultation, never from a photo or a message. The figure depends on the technique chosen, the surgical time, and whether grafts from septum, ear, or rib are needed. With Dr. Guilherme Sella, the quote is a single package covering the surgical team, anesthesia, hospital stay, materials, and the scheduled follow-up visits. Care is private, with no insurance contracts, though the clinic issues full documentation so patients can request reimbursement, including for the functional part. Payment is made in Brazilian reais, and installments are possible.
Why no surgeon in Brazil can price your nose online
Two patients can ask for the same thing and need two completely different operations. One has thin skin, a straight septum, and a small dorsal hump. The other has thick sebaceous skin, a deviated septum, collapsed internal valves, and cartilage already removed in a previous surgery. The first case may be a short preservation procedure. The second may require rib cartilage and a longer operating time.
That is why a serious quote in Brazil arrives after the consultation, not before. The consultation with the Dr. Sella lasts about one hour and includes history taking, a physical exam with internal examination of the nose, standardized photographs, digital simulation, and an explanation of the planned technique. High frequency dermatologic ultrasound is used when indicated, to measure skin thickness, detect previous fillers or grafts, and study columellar vascularization. Only after that does the team know how long the surgery will take and what materials it will need.
The surgeon is an otolaryngologist with more than 1,500 rhinoplasties performed, a direct doctorate in Morphophysiology of Facial Structures from HCFMRP-USP, and published work on dorsal preservation in indexed journals. You can read more about his background on the about page.
What the surgical quote includes
The quote is presented as one package, so you are not surprised by separate invoices later. It covers:
- The surgeon and the full surgical team
- The anesthesiologist and the anesthesia itself
- Operating room time and hospital admission, usually 12 to 24 hours
- Materials, dressings, splints, and sutures
- Grafts harvested from your own body, when needed
- The scheduled follow-up visits at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months
Surgery takes place at a boutique hospital in Maringá with 11 operating rooms, adult and neonatal intensive care, and intensivists on site 24 hours a day. Procedures under local anesthesia, such as upper blepharoplasty or otoplasty, may be performed in the clinic itself.
What the quote does not include: flights, hotel, local transport, preoperative tests done in your home city, and medications bought after discharge. The policy for any future revision is discussed openly during the consultation, since revision rates in the rhinoplasty literature sit around 5 to 15 percent and any reoperation is only considered after 12 months.
What makes one rhinoplasty cost more than another
| Factor | Why it changes the quote |
|---|---|
| Technique | Dorsal preservation with push down or let down, ultrasonic reshaping with piezoelectric instruments, or structural grafting all demand different time and materials |
| Surgical time | Primary rhinoplasty usually takes 3 to 5 hours; longer operations consume more team and room time |
| Grafts | Septal cartilage is simplest. Ear cartilage adds a second surgical site. Rib adds harvesting time and planning |
| Previous surgery | Revision cases involve scar tissue, missing cartilage, and longer dissection |
| Functional component | Septoplasty, turbinoplasty, or valve repair performed in the same procedure |
| Combined procedures | Chin implant, bone advancement, or eyelid surgery done at the same time |
No two quotes are comparable unless they describe the same operation. A short closed preservation case and a rib graft revision are different surgeries that happen to share a name.
Insurance, reimbursement, and the functional part
The practice is fully private and does not hold contracts with health insurance plans. That said, nasal obstruction is a medical problem, and the clinic issues the documentation needed to request reimbursement from your plan, including reports and codes for septoplasty, turbinate surgery, and endoscopic sinus surgery.
Whether reimbursement is granted, and how much, depends entirely on your policy. Brazilian plans generally do not reimburse the aesthetic portion. Patients from abroad should check with their own insurer before travel, since international policies rarely cover elective surgery performed overseas.
Currency, payment, and installments
All figures are quoted and paid in Brazilian reais. For international patients, the real figure in your own currency depends on the exchange rate on the day of payment, so it is worth confirming the amount close to the surgical date rather than months in advance.
Surgery can be paid in installments, and the available methods are explained by the team when the quote is delivered. Cards issued abroad, international transfers, and local payment all follow different rules, so clarify this early with the clinic through the contact page or the team WhatsApp at (44) 99121-2021.
What international patients should budget beyond the surgery
The surgical quote is one line in a larger plan. The travel side usually looks like this:
- Initial teleconsultation from your home country, with photographs and discussion of goals
- Preoperative tests performed in your own city, reviewed by the team before travel
- Arrival in Maringá 1 to 2 days before surgery
- Hospital admission of 12 to 24 hours
- About 7 days in the city until the external cast is removed
- Flight home released after cast removal
- Follow-up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, in person or online
Budget accommodation for roughly a week, local transport, and a companion for the first week, which is strongly recommended. Maringá airport receives direct flights from São Paulo and Curitiba, and the city is also reachable by road from the interior of São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Paraguay. The team can suggest hotels near the clinic, which is on Avenida Cidade de Leiria, Zona 01, with partner parking next door. Full logistics are detailed on the international patients page.
How to compare quotes without comparing only numbers
When you receive proposals from different surgeons, check the same items in each one:
- Specialist registration and surgical credentials of the operating surgeon
- Where the surgery takes place and whether the facility has intensive care
- Whether a dedicated anesthesiologist is included
- Exactly which items the package covers and which are billed separately
- How many follow-up visits are included and over what period
- The written policy for revision surgery
- How the surgical plan was defined, with examination and imaging or only from photos
A quote that arrives within minutes of a message, without an exam, is describing an average patient rather than you. Learn more about how the procedure itself is planned on the rhinoplasty page.
When to see Dr. Sella
Book a consultation when you want a specific plan for your nose rather than a generic estimate. That applies if you dislike the shape of your nose, if you cannot breathe well, if a previous rhinoplasty left you with an unsatisfactory result, or if you are weighing surgery abroad and need to understand the real timeline and total commitment. Indication, technique, risks, and the final quote are individual and defined only after an in person or online consultation.
Otolaryngologist and facial plastic surgeon · CRM-PR 33.018 · RQE 17.984. PhD from FMRP-USP, founder of the Sella Learning Center. Updated on 2026-10-07.
Frequently asked questions
Why will no one tell me the price of rhinoplasty before the consultation?
Because the price follows the operation, and the operation is only defined after examining your nose, your skin, your breathing, and any previous surgery. Technique, surgical time, and grafts all change the final figure.
What is included in the surgical quote?
The surgical team, anesthesia, operating room, hospital stay of 12 to 24 hours, materials and grafts, and the scheduled follow-up visits at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Flights, hotel, and preoperative tests done in your home city are not included.
Can health insurance cover part of a rhinoplasty in Brazil?
The practice is private and does not hold insurance contracts, but the clinic provides the documentation needed to request reimbursement, including for functional procedures such as septoplasty and turbinate surgery. Approval depends on each policy.
In what currency do I pay, and can I pay in installments?
Payment is made in Brazilian reais, so the amount in your currency depends on the exchange rate on the payment date. Installments are possible, and the available methods are explained when the quote is delivered.
How many days should I stay in Maringá?
Plan to arrive 1 to 2 days before surgery and stay about 7 days in total, until the external cast is removed. Flying home is released after cast removal.
Is the digital simulation a promise of the result?
No. Simulation is a communication tool that typically reaches around 60 to 70 percent similarity with the final outcome, which settles over 6 to 12 months and may take longer in thick skin or revision cases.
Book a consultation with Dr. Guilherme Sella
In person in Maringá, Brazil, or by video consultation. English-speaking team.