Average Salary

• The average plastic surgeon earns an annual salary of $320,230 as of December 2010, according to Salary.com. Half of all cosmetic surgeons practicing during that time span earned between $274,825 and $395,491 annually, but the 10 percent with the highest salaries earned $464,012 or more in a year. These surgeons typically have two to four years of experience in the operating room, as well as the medical training necessary to perform as a surgeon.
  
  

Salary By Experience

• As with many surgeon's skills, cosmetic surgeon's abilities improve the more patients they operate on. Because of this, plastic surgeons' salaries increase the longer they practice their skills. Surgeons with four or fewer years of experience typically earn salaries between $81,389 and $256,813 annually as of December 2010, according to PayScale. Experience begins to pay off, with surgeons with five to nine years in the profession earning salaries that ranged from $122,716 to $339,915 annually. Seasoned veteran cosmetic surgeons earn between $130,000 and $325,000 each year once they receive 10 years of experience.
  
  

Salary By Location

• The demand for cosmetic surgeons varies around the country, and thus so does their annual earnings. Surgeons in Dallas and Charlotte, North Carolina, earn the highest average annual salaries of areas surveyed by Salary Expert, earning average annual salaries of $162,597 and $152,848, respectively, as of December 2010. Surgeons in Houston reported the smallest annual salary, of $77,340, although those earnings were far below the typical salaries surveyed, as Orlando, Florida, the city with the second-lowest average annual salary, reported earnings of $137,248.
  
  

Necessary Training for Cosmetic Surgeons

• Cosmetic surgery isn't a field that college graduates may immediately enter. Like any other physician or specialist, surgeons must successfully complete medical school, including a residency that focuses on surgery. In addition to basic surgeon's training, cosmetic surgeons must complete 50 documented procedures during a two-year fellowship program to become certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.