Boob Jobs

Medical Tourism to Reduce the Cost of Breast Implants

September 02, 2011 Elise No comments

Breast implants can boost your self esteem but they’ll usually do the opposite to your pocketbook; unfortunately most women are stuck paying the entire cost of their surgeries since health insurance only covers breast implants and augmentation surgery in reconstructive cases. How can you reduce the cost of breast implants? One common tactic is to travel, sometimes out of the country. This is called medical tourism.

Medical tourism is becoming a mainstream practice for people who need or want procedures that their medical insurance carriers refuse to compensate them for, including plastic surgery and breast implants. Traveling to another country costs money, but oftentimes not as much as staying in your own country to get breast implants. You may be able to save thousands of dollars by having your procedure done in a first world facility in a third world country. A medical tourism provider which specializes in plastic surgery can help you find the best opportunity to lower your costs.

What if you really can’t afford to leave the country to get breast implants? You may still be able to reduce the cost by simply traveling in your own country. A lot of people forget that upscale urban centers tend to be more expensive (in every sense) than rural areas or smaller towns. Getting breast implants in upscale areas will cost an upscale price, but you can probably afford the same quality of surgery in another town where prices may be reduced by as much as half! This is another great way to save thousands of dollars on breast implants. Don’t forget also that you can usually save $1,000-$2,000 on your implants by choosing saline. That shouldn’t be the sole factor in your decision, but it may help you make your choice if you are pinched for financial resources.

When Does Insurance Cover the Cost of Boob Jobs?

January 19, 2011 Elise No comments

You’ve probably heard that health insurance carriers aren’t too helpful with plastic surgery and usually turn customers down for coverage on breast implants. This isn’t always the case; depending on your situation you may be able to get coverage for your surgery. It all depends on your reasons for wanting breast augmentation. If those reasons relate to a past injury or illness (or sometimes a birth defect) there’s a great chance you’ll get covered.

Plastic surgery can be considered cosmetic, reconstructive, or both. Reconstructive plastic surgery is plastic surgery which is needed to repair damage and help a person lead a normal life, whereas cosmetic plastic surgery is aesthetic in nature. Naturally reconstructive surgery is usually aesthetic as well as reconstructive. Insurance carriers will cover reconstructive surgery because they see it as necessary, but won’t cover purely cosmetic surgery since they consider it elective.

Did you lose your breasts to cancer, or did you get into an accident that mutilated your breasts? If so, insurance carriers will usually cover your breast implants and surgical costs as they would any other type of surgery. You will want to call to make sure you know what part of the bill you might owe, but you shouldn’t let trepidations stand in your way.

If you are getting breast implants for reasons relating only to self image and confidence, your carrier won’t cover you (even though it may be necessary to you). You can reduce the cost though by traveling for your surgery to a rural area or even leaving the country for your surgery (a process called medical tourism). Costs of breast implants and surgeries vary greatly across geographical areas. You also may be able to save more money by getting saline implants, which are a bit less expensive than silicone implants.

Cost of Solid Silicone Boob Jobs

November 16, 2010 Elise No comments

Planning to get breast augmentation surgery soon? You will have to factor in the cost in advance since for most women this cost has to be borne without the assistance of health insurance. If your surgery is reconstructive you probably will be covered, but if you are getting the surgery solely to enhance your looks, you’ll have to pay the price yourself. How much does it cost to get solid silicone breast implants? Is it much different from getting saline implants financially?

One some sites you’ll see claims that the cost is about the same, while others will tell you there is a substantial price difference. This is because both saline and silicone breast implants have a wide range to begin with. Saline implants usually cost between $1,500-$2,500 while silicone implants tend to cost $1,000-$2,000 more than saline implants. This means that the lower end for silicone implants might be around $2,500—the same as the upper end for saline implants. It also means the upper end of silicone implants could be closer to $4,500. This doesn’t include the fees for the actual surgery which can tack on a few thousand more dollars. You’re looking at $8,000 or higher for solid silicone implants in upscale urban areas, but many people end paying as little as $6,000 in less expensive towns or in rural areas.

Solid silicone implants aren’t adjustable by simply pumping a solution in and out like saline implants though, so keep in mind if you need adjustments later you’ll need to buy brand new implants. This additional cost should be accounted for in your budgeting and you should definitely keep some money set aside to use later if you do need your implants replaced at any point because of defects or simply the desire to move to a larger or smaller size as your own body changes over the years. Shop around and don’t settle for the first deal you find and you should get a good price!

Cost of Silicone Gel Breast Implants

October 24, 2010 Elise No comments

Thinking about breast augmentation surgery? If you are getting breast implants for purely cosmetic purposes, you will have to put forth the entire budget for the surgery on your own including the cost of the implants. Those who are getting reconstructive surgery may have an easier time financially since the bill can be passed to the insurance company. You may have heard that silicone gel breast implants cost more than saline breast implants. How much more will you have to pay for your surgery if you choose silicone?

Typically saline implants are about $1,500-$2,500. Silicone gel breast implants usually cost $1,000-$2,000 more, placing them in the $2,500-$4,500 range. So if you’ve read on some websites that the variance is great and on others that it is small, both are right in a sense. It depends on the options (texture for example) that you ask for and also where you buy your implants and get your surgery performed. This is only the cost of the implants though; the surgery itself will also include the surgeon’s and anesthesiologist’s fees, the facility fee, and sometimes additional fees for compression garments or other expenses. This means the surgery could be $8,000-$10,000 in an expensive urban area. In a more rural location your surgery might be closer to $4,500-$7,000. The huge regional variations reflect differences in demand and local economies.

One thing which you will have to have in mind when you get silicone implants is that revisions may be more expensive in the future with silicone than with saline. If a saline implant needs adjustment you don’t need to have the implant removed and replaced, just drained a bit or filled up a bit through a tube. If a silicone implant needs adjustment though there’s nothing to do but replace it and pay for a new implant on top of the price of the adjustment surgery. Of course, even a saline implant can rupture and need to be replaced completely, so in all cases with breast implants you should be considering the possibility of future costs. Save as much as you can on your implant surgery and set some money aside in case you need revisions later!

Cost of Saline Boob Jobs

March 12, 2010 Elise No comments

When planning breast augmentation surgery one of the steps you’ll have to take will be to calculate the costs and figure out how to finance your surgery. While the costs of different types of breast implants are relatively comparable, there are some variations; among the most affordable breast implants are saline implants. How much does it cost to get saline breast implant surgery?

Saline breast implants by themselves usually cost about $1,500-$2,500 for a pair. The factors which can cause the price to vary include the texture (smooth or textured), the shape, and the profile of the implants. Silicone breast implants typically cost $1,000-$2,000 more than saline breast implants, which to some people isn’t a major difference but to others is quite hefty, particularly if surgery isn’t reconstructive and therefore isn’t covered by medical insurance. That is one reason why many women opt to purchase saline breast implants instead of their more realistic silicone counterparts.

The full cost of saline breast implant augmentation surgery usually costs between $5,500 to $8,000 in an expensive urban area. This is the full sum including the price of the implants, the surgeon’s fee, the anesthesiologist’s fee, and the fee for using the facility along with any compression garments and other costs. In a less expensive region though your surgery could cost as little as $3,500. Less expensive areas to get saline implants and augmentation surgery are usually rural locations. Traveling out of town can save you thousands of dollars. If that doesn’t work you could consider medical tourism if you are conveniently close to the border. You can get excellent breast implant surgery in a foreign country at a fraction of the cost. One thing is for sure though; if you are struggling to afford your breast implant surgery and a couple thousand dollars makes a big difference for you, you can definitely save some money by getting saline implants.

Boob Job Surgical Procedures

February 18, 2010 Elise No comments

When you select the type of breast implant you would like to receive during breast augmentation surgery, the choice you make will influence the procedure itself, as well as any subsequent revisions you might need in the future. How do different types of breast implants impact surgical procedures?

There are three incision types usually used for boob job surgeries including incisions through the aureole, the armpit, or the fold of the breast. The most flexible type of implant as far as insertions goes is the saline implant. The saline implant is inserted unfilled and the saltwater solution is pumped in after it is placed. This means that any incision point can be used for the saline type of implant. If you opt for silicone your choices may be more confined.

All three types of implants can usually be placed in different positions including over top of the chest muscle, underneath it, or partially underneath. Depending on the type of implant you get though some placements may be better than others. Silicone boob jobs are quite realistic and can be placed on top of the muscles without looking or feeling odd, but if you get a saline implant you might want to consider having it placed beneath the muscles to eliminate the strange texture and appearance that saline can have particularly if you have very thin or translucent skin. Your surgeon can help you figure out if this might be necessary for you based on your skin type and build.

Finally it is helpful to note that revision surgeries are easiest with saline implants since these types of implants are adjustable without the surgeon needing to remove them first. The surgeon can simply drain some fluid or add some fluid to the implant without removing it from the chest, whereas if you get silicone implants you will need to have them replaced. All of these matters should be accounted for in your decision making process when you select which type of breast implant you would like.

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