is plastic surgery a type of health care? (skin, insurance, cancer)

[lemon&lime]

Is a plastic surgeon a type health care provider? Or do you think of plastic surgery as being purely cosmetic?

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by catrinac

Is a plastic surgeon a type health care provider? Or do you think of plastic surgery as being purely cosmetic?

Plastic surgery is definitely an important part of healthcare. Please keep in mind that not all plastic surgery is cosmetic in nature. Plastic surgery is a viable part of medicine what with the trauma victims that need their face put back together, the mastectomy patient that needs breast reconstruction, the children born with deformities, etc.

[bibit612]

Originally Posted by catrinac

Is a plastic surgeon a type health care provider? Or do you think of plastic surgery as being purely cosmetic?

Not sure exactly what you're asking here or if you are asking whether insurance covers it. Plastic surgeons are health care providers. Plastic surgery would be considered cosmetic if the procedure that is done is not considered medically necessary. Plastic surgery following medical procedures are covered most of the time...for example, plastic surgery following mastectomy, burns, bariatric surgery where there is loss of skin elasticity, accidents that disfigure the face, etc.

Plastic surgery for liposuction or removal of wrinkles will not be covered by many insurance plans.

Hope this answers your question.

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Plastic surgery for elective cosmetic purposes is quite different from plastic surgery that is required due to trauma. Depends on the procedure if it is to be deemed "health care" or "cosmetic". Insurance companies usually will not pay/cover elective cosmetic surgery as it is really not needed but they will almost always cover surgery from trauma as it is usally always needed.

[NOEM1226]

As earlier stated- from an insurance companies perspective most plastic surgeries are considered to be cosmetic in nature. There are some exceptions to this including disfiguring injuries, birth defects, breast reductions (if the required amount of tissue is to be removed) and reconstructions following mastectomies, certain scar revisions, and various procedures following medically required surgeries.If the question is for billing purposes I could answer more clearly if you were specific in the nature of the procedure.
If your asking personally how people feel about cosmetic surgery that is a different story. I personally believe that if a person is confident with their apperence it can do wonders for their health both mentally and physically. I worked for a plastic surgeon for a couple of years and in almost all cases it was about improving things that a patient saw as their flaw-it was amazing and inspiring to see how our own self esteem can effect how we interact with the world. These people had always "held back" due to their self confidence. In cases of breast cancer, it was so rewarding to see these people one step closer to being back to "normal" after this monster invaded their bodies and lives. Did we get a few crazies??- well of course.Those patients had more issues than any amount of physical reconstruction could cure. Overall 98% percent of these people drastically improved their quality of life by undergoing plastic surgery. So yes, I am for it.

[lemon&lime]

No actually my question has to do with perception. I'm hoping that soon plastic surgery, even the cosmetic kind, will be viewed as a legitimate type health care, although I would never expect it to be covered under a medical plan.

Originally Posted by bibit612

Plastic surgery for liposuction or removal of wrinkles will not be covered by many insurance plans.

Hope this answers your question.

[GLS]

Originally Posted by catrinac

No actually my question has to do with perception. I'm hoping that soon plastic surgery, even the cosmetic kind, will be viewed as a legitimate type health care, although I would never expect it to be covered under a medical plan.

As several others have pointed out, plastic surgery Is considered health care when it is medically necessary. Years ago I did a clinical rotation at Shriner's Burns Institute and the plastic surgeons were a godsend to these patients.

However, to address your question on the perception of cosmetic surgery, my opinion is that invasive procedures, with significant accompanying risk, will not be considered a "legitimate type of healthcare" when done solely for VANITY.
For the average person, "healthcare" does not include moving portions of the area you sit on into your lips. Remember Goldie Hawn in the Ex-wives Club? Collagen or butt fat, it's still the same concept. True "Healthcare"
should not be vanity-driven.

[frogandtoad]

Originally Posted by catrinac

No actually my question has to do with perception. I'm hoping that soon plastic surgery, even the cosmetic kind, will be viewed as a legitimate type health care, although I would never expect it to be covered under a medical plan.

Gosh, I sure hope you are wrong. People are being murdered in Sudan, starving to death in N.Ethiopia, wars and killing and starvation around the world...I sure hope spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to nip and tuck would not be considered legitimate healthcare. We only have time to even consider that maybe our crow's feet are a bit too deep or our breasts are a bit too saggy b/c we live a really easy life. Maybe we should put ourselves in the shoes of others who are not so fortunate and try to get a little more perspective on what is important in life. You can feed a family in the developing world on $300/year and cosmetic plastic surgery should be considered legitimate? Never in my book. In my book it's total vanity and shows we have too much free time, too much money, and not enough compassion for others to help them with that money or at least do something better with our own lives than nip and tuck.

[lemon&lime]

I wish I agreed with you, but I don't. Life is too short to live with a poor self image. A lot of people, celebrities especially, get plastic surgery for what the public perceives as "vanity" reasons. I got my nose done 3 years ago after living quietly in misery for 25 years. I don't want to go in to the details of my paticular situation but I assure you, I am not a vain person and did not change my nose for any other reason than to put an end to my suffering. Good looking people would not be able to relate to how it feels to look different from the mainstream, to have a feature that does not fit or is out of place. Unfortunately the media focuses on celebrities who have surgery to make themselves even better looking, not on those of us who were barely average looking to begin with. I think public opinion is sadly skewed because of this. In my view plastic surgery is a type of health care and will eventually be recognized as such, if not within the decade than certainly within the next twenty five years.

Originally Posted by frogandtoad

Gosh, I sure hope you are wrong. People are being murdered in Sudan, starving to death in N.Ethiopia, wars and killing and starvation around the world...I sure hope spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to nip and tuck would not be considered legitimate healthcare. We only have time to even consider that maybe our crow's feet are a bit too deep or our breasts are a bit too saggy b/c we live a really easy life. Maybe we should put ourselves in the shoes of others who are not so fortunate and try to get a little more perspective on what is important in life. You can feed a family in the developing world on $300/year and cosmetic plastic surgery should be considered legitimate? Never in my book. In my book it's total vanity and shows we have too much free time, too much money, and not enough compassion for others to help them with that money or at least do something better with our own lives than nip and tuck.

[frogandtoad]

Although I see what you are saying, I know some pretty unattractive people who think they look fabulous. I think self-confidence can come from within. I know that I had some features I wasn't too fond of (don't we all??) but I can tell you that after living in Africa for 2.5 years volunteering, my entire perspective on life changed. I am completely 100% happy with how I look now. I just feel there are so many bigger things to think and worry about than looks. I wish I'd gained the perspective earlier, but I do think that there are ways other than conforming to what we see as projected images of beauty, to be happy with who we are and what we look like.

Someone once told me if you ever think something doesn't look great, just imagine being 80 years old and looking back on a picture of yourself today. You'll probably think "dang I looked good...what was my problem?!"

Also, perhaps a bit morbidly, I would say another way to look at it is think about how lucky you are to be alive. I know a very young mother who just died two weeks ago. I am sure she didn't care whether her nose was big or her butt was flabby. I bet she had a really good perspective on life by the end. I do think about things like that too--I want to be healthy (which to me includes fit, so I'm very slender), but as for features...I am glad I am alive and healthy and have the chance to live my life. I am not going to fret over imperfections.