<![CDATA[Jezebel: reconstructive surgery]]> http://tags.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png <![CDATA[Jezebel: reconstructive surgery]]> http://jezebel.com/tag/reconstructivesurgery http://jezebel.com/tag/reconstructivesurgery <![CDATA[Breast Reconstruction Patients Are Not Given All The Options]]> Many women who have had mastectomies are not being informed about new breast reconstruction procedures by their doctors because the operations are expensive and not all surgeons know how to perform them.

According to the New York Times, though "flap" procedures have been developed that reconstruct the breasts using tissue and fat removed from a patient's abdomen or buttocks, most women still get implants, which often come with complications and require further surgeries. Compared to implant surgery, the flap procedure requires more advanced medical training, takes much longer, and can cost more than twice as much, leading many surgeons to not even mention it as an option. “It’s really embarrassing to say so, but, from a purely selfish point of view, if you are looking at insurance reimbursement for [the flap procedure], it’s a loss leader,” said Dr. Scott L. Spear, chief of plastic surgery at Georgetown University Hospital. “They really require so much time and effort that a surgeon thinks, ‘Man, I can’t afford to do this.’ ” [NY Times]

]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5116885&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Plastic Surgery: Where Do You Draw The Line Between Deformity And Vanity?]]> Americans are spending a reported $13.2 billion on cosmetic surgery (more than the GDP of Bolivia!), but should health insurers be reimbursing at least a few of these procedures? Over on the New York Times "Freakonomics" blog, plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Zenn points out: "Insurance companies often insist that surgery should treat a functional problem, not a cosmetic one. However, the distinction is not as black and white as they would like and there is a large gray area between the two." Zenn uses the following as an example: "We might all agree that a woman who is a C cup and wants to be a D cup should not be covered by insurance, but what about an 18-year-old girl who has one B cup breast and one D cup breast? Many would argue that this scenario creates a functional problem that is hard to describe as only cosmetic. What about a woman who has had a mastectomy and wants a reconstruction? Cosmetic?"

Zenn also talks about how difficult it was to get breast cancer patients covered by insurance for reconstruction — same thing for children born with congenital deformities. So where should insurance companies draw the line? When Is a "deviated septum" an actual deviated septum and not just what people claim when covering up their frivolous rhinoplasties?

Your Plastic Surgery Questions, Answered [Freakonomics — NYT]
Americans Putting Up The Dough For Plastic Surgery [Houston Chronicle]

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