Finance and Insurance

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.