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Cosmetic
procedures are not recognized by insurance companies as medically necessary
and, therefore, are not covered or paid by them. Payment for cosmetic
procedures is generally due several days prior to the procedure. There
are circumstances where facial procedures are medically necessary and,
under those circumstances, the insurance company should recognize this
as such and cover some of the expense. Examples of this include changing
the shape of the nose for nasal function or improving peripheral vision
through elevating the eyebrows. Reconstructive procedures following removal
of skin cancers are uniformly recognized as medically necessary procedures
and covered by insurance. Scar revisions that are performed for solely
aesthetic purposes are often viewed as elective and cosmetic. Plastic
surgery for the correction of congenital problems are widely recognized
as a necessary repair of a birth defect and appropriately covered.
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