When you have oversized breast or the technical term macromastia, that can lead to all sorts of other complications and making your life difficult. Big breasts are often followed by back and neck pain, skin rashes, irritation and of course having trouble finding clothes that fit comfortably. Now you might not have any of these issues yet, but you just feel self-conscious about your breast and you want to have breast reduction surgery.
Is breast reduction surgery covered by insurance?
The goal of breast reduction surgery or mammaplasty is to provide you relief from some (or all) of the symptoms mentioned above and thus it might be covered by your health insurance. The main thing necessary is that the macromastia is symptomatic and that the procedure isn’t elective but medically necessary in order to provide better quality of life.
Some patients are not sure whether their surgery will be covered by insurance so we highly recommend that you first contact your provider and confirm with them. You can also ask them for a copy of your insurance policy to see if you qualify for breast reduction surgery coverage.
Do cosmetic surgeons accept health insurance?
If you’re looking into having breast reduction surgery and you believe that your insurance will cover it, during the first consultation with your selected plastic surgeon, you should enquire if they accept your insurance.
There are some cosmetic surgeons that work with healthcare insurance providers, while others don’t because the majority of the procedures that they perform are elective and not medically necessary.
In majority of cases, patients pick the surgeon that will provide them the best possible outcome, regardless whether they work with the insurance provider or not. So in cases like this, the patient pays out-of-pocket for the procedure or they submit a claim with the insurance provider after the procedure.
Consultation for your breast reduction surgery
Now that you have decided on the surgery, found yourself a qualified, experienced and board-certified cosmetic surgeon, it’s highly advisable that you schedule for a consultation. You will most likely have a list of questions. During the consultation you will not only have the opportunity to ask your surgeon a few questions, but the surgeon can also visually demonstrate what your end results might look like, you can see photos of his previous work (before and after) and so on.
The minimum size of reduction
When it comes to breast reduction there are a number of factors which determine how small you can go with your reduction. Things like your breast composition, the amount of breast tissue and volume, incision type that is used and more all play in important part. These are all things your surgeon should discuss with you during your consultation since these factors can set certain limitations for your breast reduction surgery.
How small do most women go?
Every patient is different and there’s no “one size fits all”. Some women might go down one or two cup sizes while others can go down more. This varies from patient to patient and it’s something you should discuss with your surgeon.
