skin removal surgery cost?

Amy_B

Anyone lost a lot of weight and had skin removal surgery? If so, how much did it cost? I assume it depends on how much you have taken off. Did insurance cover any of it?

mallorybriann

I think that for those who lose a lot of weight and keep it off should get it for FREE!!!!!!
That's just my opinion
Great job on your loss Sorry I'm not helpful

adjones5

My guess would be that insurance will not cover it because it is cosmetic.

bethdris

If toning doesn't work for me (im giving it 12 months), Il be looking into that myself. My insurance(as of now) won't cover it. They consider it "cosmetic". nice huh?

mdbs2004

I also would like to knoe

6Pk2Go

My brother lost 200lbs and had to have skin removed. Insurance does not cover it. He had the abdominal done and it cost $10k. He is saving for the chest which is another $5k. I think it should be covered as well, it's a hinderance both physically and emotionally.

almawr

bump - interesting !

Gwooh

I work with plastics...here in NC it runs from about 8K-10K. Insurance will not cover it unless you have nice hernia to go with it...and its still a fight to get them to pay.

rfarinha

I know someone who had a tummy tuck. She said that it wasn't covered by insurance. They would only cover if the person was having medical issues due to the excess skin, i.e., sores, infections, etc. She said that it cost $10,000. I don't know if prices vary accross the country, but I do know of people who have travelled outside the US to have plastic surgery, and that even with all of the travel costs, said it was cheaper. I don't know if I would trust Dr.'s outside of the US though...

sandy2006

My mom went from 300+ down to 139 and she looks very scary naked, its so sad really that ins pays for bypass surgery and not skin removal. I can tell when she wears jeand that she has her skin all tucked in the front.

hoppinglark

I have a professor who reccently lost alot of weight, mention it, he said it was around $30,000 and not covered by insurance, and takes about 90 days of recovery.

SueInAz

Wow, $10K. There's a good reason (as if we needed another) to try to lose the weight slowly and steadily and minimize loose skin.

LynneGG

I did have excess skin removed from my stomach a few years ago. At that point in my life I had lost 85lbs. Insurance did pay for mine....if it stays red and irritated or prone to yeast infections are things they look for. I used a plastic surgeon I worked with in the operating room and he had no problems with the insurance. So don't rule anything out...you have nothing to lose (except excess skin) by visiting a surgeon that you know takes your insurance. It might be a hassle dealing back and forth with the insurance but trust me it is well worth the effort.

chanson104

I think that for those who lose a lot of weight and keep it off should get it for FREE!!!!!!
That's just my opinion
Great job on your loss Sorry I'm not helpful

I agree!!! After all, how much money are you saving them by living healthier!

Amy_B

I think that for those who lose a lot of weight and keep it off should get it for FREE!!!!!!
That's just my opinion
Great job on your loss Sorry I'm not helpful

I agree!!! After all, how much money are you saving them by living healthier!

Agree and agree!!!!

steffiejoe

One of my clients lost a lot of weight and she said she was having her skin removed for free at a local burn center hospital. Not sure if you have a burn center hospital near you but she went to the Shriners Burn Center hospital in Galveston , Texas.

Im not sure if she went through with it but it maybe an option and a way to help a burn victim.

missyeighmy

i checked into getting a tummy tuck ... which they required that i be at least under 200lbs but would like me closer to my goal weight ... the estimate was $6700 .... ins wont pay for me. But i am going to save for it ... i have had 4 csections and hysterectomy and also i am very Fat and my belly is just sagging and i know its only going to get worse the more i lose because my mom lost over 100 and had the same skin flap .... my opinion is ins should pay for it because its unhealthy to have it .. at least thats what my moms dr told her . i hope you get it if you can . good luck .

missyeighmy

i checked into getting a tummy tuck ... which they required that i be at least under 200lbs but would like me closer to my goal weight ... the estimate was $6700 .... ins wont pay for me. But i am going to save for it ... i have had 4 csections and hysterectomy and also i am very Fat and my belly is just sagging and i know its only going to get worse the more i lose because my mom lost over 100 and had the same skin flap .... my opinion is ins should pay for it because its unhealthy to have it .. at least thats what my moms dr told her . i hope you get it if you can . good luck .

tabethamturner

I wish it was easier to get skin removed or shrunk because it is so discouraging knowing that you tried so hard to lose weight then you see all that skin just hanging there. I was diagnosed in 2005 with breast cancer and that is the only cancer that you gain weight even though chemo make you sick it is the hormones. I also had to take steroids to reduce inflammation due to radiation recall and alot of pain meds. At my heaviest I weighed 275, as of now I'm cancer free and I'm still trying to lose weight because weight is a factor in cancer so I'm doing it for my health. As of now I weigh 207...I was 195 a year ago but some of it creeped back on. I believe though it is because of the way I look with out clothes, I'm scared to lose more due to the skin. If there was a reward program where they say if you loose this much the skin removal is paid for. You go to a doctor and get evaluated and they tell you how much should be lost before they will do the surgery. Just like on the TV shows....Biggest Loser, my 600 lb life, or extreme makeover weight lose edition. I hope I don't get as big as some of those but they deserve it loosing that much.

septemberchild83

Thank you for this thread! I was looking for information too!

katiejohnson1229

I had started at 276lbs. My doctors had been telling me to loose weight, but that was very hard for me back then. My mother was the one that asked my main doctor about a diet that my medicare would cover. I started the diet the begening of October in 2012. I have lost so far almost 70 pounds. I asked if Medicare would cover the skin surgery, but it comes out that they won't cover me on that. I lost all that weight so far, yet I feel the same. I can't ware anything smallerbecause of the way it looks on me, yet I can fit into sizes so much smaller. A surgery would make me feel so much better. I would then actually be able to see myself and bring me to my accomplishment. How many more pounds do I actually have to loose to get the surgery, and how much would it cost? I am under Social Security Disability with Epilepcy that I was told I recieved from my radiation that I recieved from my brain cancer when I was in elementry school and the radiation from the last few year cancers.

Slimdownmb

Im so worried about getting excess skin!

10k is ALOT! ... well ill just have to live with saggy skin i guess :-/

nwg74

I could do with surgery after losing over 200 pounds. I think I have less skin than I thought I was going to have. The onnly bit that bothers me is my chest and my belly, The skin is tight round my back and sides.

In the UK, some NHS authorities do not do the surgery because it is cosmetic and some will do it but not even soon as possible even for medical reasons. There was a person in the news that suffers sores and infections all the time and has been told to maintain his weight for 3 years before the NHS does it. I understand needs to show the NHS some commitment to keep the weight off but 3 years is too long. They don't seem to factor in how much the NHS will be paying out to deal with these infections and sores in the mean time.

Stomach surgery is around £5000-6000 and chest gynaecomastia surgery is £4000-£5000. That is around $15,000, I will never be able to afford it.

melindasuefritz

My guess would be that insurance will not cover it because it is cosmetic.

fit4lifeUcan2

I work with insurance companies and have to deal with getting things covered. If you can show that the excess skin is causing medical problem such as infections, ulcers etc. then yes the insurance will cover to have it removed. I had my eye lids lifted because of a medical condition that caused them to droop and the excess skin was interfering with my vision. I no longer look like I had a stroke. But until the skin got to the point where it was causing a decreased vision I couldn't get it done.

I have seen people get turned down for skin removal surgery while others get approved. It depends on the reason for the removal as well as how the claim is processed with the insurance. Discuss it with your doctor. Tell your doctor about any rash you may be getting in that area, is it getting in the way of doing daily tasks, is there an odor coming from the skin... all of this needs to be documented and can help you get approval from your insurance. You can't just walk in and say I want this removed because it looks horrible and get it approved. There has to be a medical reason/need to have it removed besides your vanity.

Hope this helps you get it approved.

fit4lifeUcan2

One of my clients lost a lot of weight and she said she was having her skin removed for free at a local burn center hospital. Not sure if you have a burn center hospital near you but she went to the Shriners Burn Center hospital in Galveston , Texas.

Im not sure if she went through with it but it maybe an option and a way to help a burn victim.

Yes SOME burn centers will do this for you as long as you are donating that skin to burn victims. I don't know how good you'll look afterwards or how much they will remove. They can not take skin from areas that get infected often. Typically they like to take the fleshy under arm area..."bat wings" as us women call it. But contact a burn center and ask. Worst that could happen is they say no.

99cherrypie99

I had the full 360 circumferential skin removal surgery 1 year ago yesterday. It was about $12,000 and insurance covered a whopping $1,000.

The day before surgery



Yesterday:



Jen

jenhudsonmosher.blogspot.com

cheddar2000

This sounds harsh and maybe it is but the saddest part to me is that anyone allows their body to get so overweight and stretched that you need to have pounds of skin removed. Maybe put pictures on chip and soda cans of naked people with saggy skin like they do pictures on cigarette packages. I can understand insurance not paying for something you intentionally did to yourself.

Really harsh, glad you are not a buddy of mine!

KristysLosing

This sounds harsh and maybe it is but the saddest part to me is that anyone allows their body to get so overweight and stretched that you need to have pounds of skin removed. Maybe put pictures on chip and soda cans of naked people with saggy skin like they do pictures on cigarette packages. I can understand insurance not paying for something you intentionally did to yourself.

Most of us didn't get here intentionally. Presumably, none of us did. Personally...I was ignorant. I knew exercise was important, but I knew nothing about calories. I've been overweight for about 1/2 of my life. I wish I would have had this knowledge and these tools much sooner. I wouldn't have gotten to this point. But ignorance does not make the gain intentional. I did not do it on purpose.

Kat5343

This sounds harsh and maybe it is but the saddest part to me is that anyone allows their body to get so overweight and stretched that you need to have pounds of skin removed. Maybe put pictures on chip and soda cans of naked people with saggy skin like they do pictures on cigarette packages. I can understand insurance not paying for something you intentionally did to yourself.

Well, insurance pays for cancer treatments when people have been lifelong smokers... they did that to theirselves also..

OneDimSim

One of my clients lost a lot of weight and she said she was having her skin removed for free at a local burn center hospital. Not sure if you have a burn center hospital near you but she went to the Shriners Burn Center hospital in Galveston , Texas.

Im not sure if she went through with it but it maybe an option and a way to help a burn victim.

Wow! Interesting! Sounds like a great way to also help others....