Plastic surgeon for saint louis area for whole body.

Hello All,

I am in the process of looking for a plastic surgeon and who will at least try to help with insurance. I went to my PCP and she told me that my loose skin can cause medical issue as I get older and is now a necessity to get remove because all the problems I have. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

usually insurance won't help with the cost unless you have a paper trail of documented medical issues with it (e.g., chronic rashes that don't respond to other treatments). So if you start having these kinds of problems, see your PCP about them and make sure it's all documented. I don't think the potential of having problems with it the future (even though you don't have problems CURRENTLY) will fly with them, but then, who knows. Maybe your insurance company is different than most.

I'd start with realself.com to look for plastic surgeons in your area. It's a site where people review doctors - all kinds of doctors - but a majority of the doctors reviewed seem to be plastic surgeons. People write about their experiences and many post before & after pictures. I created my short list from there and then had consults with three different plastic surgeons. Make sure you find one who's a board certified plastic surgeon and one who has done a TRUCKLOAD of body contouring for massive weight loss patients (better yet, find one who specializes in this area). It's a challenging subspecialty, so you want someone with a LOT of experience - not one who only does it a handful of times a year.

Look into your health insurance coverage, but as you have already been told, it is rare to actually get help from an insurance company. They still consider it to be cosmetic. My insurance offered to pay, but I had not had any rashes or any documentation. My sister-in-law's insurance paid for saggy breasts because she had pictures of the large bra strap welts on her shoulders and documents from her doctor. But they did not pay for implant's.

They might pay to remove the overhanging stomach, but not to repair the abdominal muscles.

I would advise you to look at this as a necessity, not a luxury. If your car broke down, you would probably go unto debt for repairs or a new car. Think about you body in the same way. For the cost of a new car, you can get your body in good condition and have the improvements last a lifetime.

Start by checking with your weight loss surgeon for the names of plastic surgeons who work with loose skin from weight loss. Look into options such as using plans like Care Credit, refinancing your home, or borrowing from your 401K.

Start by contacting your insurance company. Call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card and asking for the "coverage guidelines" document for the specific procedure you want done (abdominoplasty, arm lift, etc.). That will tell you if it's completely excluded, or under what criteria it will be covered.

Some insurance companies flat-out do not cover plastics at all, even if they're causing medical issues. Others will consider it a "medical necessity" with appropriate documentation of things like rashes and infections. It is your responsibility to know what your insurance company needs; at that point, you can ask a potential surgeon to submit the necessary documents for insurance approval.

Hi, I am planning to do rhinoplasty surgery. Is there a breathing problem happens after the surgery?

I was just researching this yesterday! I am pretty sure that once I have WLS, that my skin will not bounce back to "Sports Illustrated bikini-ready" so I am sure surgical intervention is in my starts. There were a few individuals in my support group who have asked questions and stressed that if you have issues with your skin, GET IN THE OFFICE to document. Take a photo and add it to a thumb drive so it can be tracked and document everything that would help you win your case.

Here are some articles I found regarding insurance and plastic surgery (I found all of these on this website, so I am not linking you to tim-buck-tu):

Is It Mission Impossible For Insurance To Pay For Plastic Surgery After WLS?

Will Insurance Cover My Plastic Surgery After Massive Weight Loss?

And then I think both the ladies in my group stated they were denied multiple times and have had to resubmit, so being the info hoarder I am found this one too:

7 Tips for an Effective Insurance Appeal

I hope to see more of your journey here! Plastic surgery transformations are so interesting/fascinating!

Best of Luck!

I live in Saint Louis and my plastic were approved on the first try. They made an error and only approved one thigh but two tummy tucks, weird. So, we waited till the new year to put it back through. I wanted it done this year so my deductible/out of pocket would be meet early as I wasn't even close last year.

Just got them back today and they approved everything, added the arms this time and I have until May to get everything done.

I am so happy for you may I ask what dr did you go to?

Thank you for sharing. I am so happy for you! May I ask what dr. Did you go too? Who is performing your surgery.

Sure!! I'll be back at work Monday and I'll post it!
Liz