I’ve been researching plastic surgeons in the area, and researching if my new insurance going into effect in February will cover any part of the body contouring surgery I’ll need.
Sadly, most insurance companies will not cover excess skin removal due to weight loss. I figure the companies got fed up with forking out the dough to Bariatric surgery patients who lost hundreds of pounds in a short period of time. People who lose weight too quickly have much more skin to deal with than say, someone who safely and healthily loses it a few pounds at a time.
Body contouring surgery is an umbrella phrase encompassing different surgeries which target different areas of the body. Brachioplasty, for example, is a surgery to remove the excess skin under the arms. Abdominoplasty focuses on the tummy area.
These surgeries aren’t cheap and they’re not without risks. An abdominoplasty (aka, lower body lift), which is the surgery I need the most, costs on average, $7578. That’s not including the fees for the facility, the anesthesiologist, the operating room costs, the hospital stay, or lab fees. Kinda depressing, especially since I need three other surgeries.
I averaged out how much it would cost me for everything I needed done and came up with a price tag of $50,000. Ouch. Hmmm, down payment on a house or skin removal….
It’s a safe guess I’ll only be getting two surgeries per year, due to cost and healing time. It takes about two months to heal up from many of the surgeries, well enough to return to strenuous activity. I can’t see going back under the knife two months after a prior surgery anyway. Surgery is traumatic, and takes its toll, no matter how healthy a person is. Which would mean I’d be finished with all the weight loss details by the end of 2010, maybe. Who knows?
This is mostly conjecture at the moment. There may be some sliver of a chance my insurance may cover some of the costs. Something would be better than nothing.
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February 1st, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Rachel I had surgery back in December with a plastic surgeon here in St. Louis. He was really good! I had a very minor operation however I think this guy was great like I said. His office is near the Meramec campus and I can give you his name if you’re interested. One very minor detail = he has Apple computers throughout his practice and modern furniture. I know I know, that’s not how you pickout a PS but I thought it was pretty neat once I was referred to him (and found out). Anyway his nurse was very caring too throughout my process. Now mine was outpatient and I’m not sure if he has a specialty, but like I said if you’re interested just send me an e-mail or post a response and I’ll provide his name. Take care!
February 1st, 2008 at 8:30 pm
@Gregory, that’d be great if you could e-mail me his name and info! I’ll need to see if he’s covered by my new insurance, though. There may be some chance he would advocate my cause to the company. Thanks!