Cosmetic Surgery Cost Considerations

    NEWPORT BEACH, CA, February 24, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Any time you have surgery, whether it's for cosmetic reasons, for reconstruction, or for emergency situations, it has an impact on your daily activities and your budget. Health insurance does not typically cover everything that's needed and never covers cosmetic procedures unless they have a health reason as well as being cosmetically beneficial.

A cosmetic procedure can be well-planned so as to minimize any negative impact on your life. If you have not yet chosen your cosmetic surgeon, be careful about who you choose. By selecting a highly-qualified and well-experienced cosmetic surgeon, you have already minimized any risk associated with your procedure. Follow-up or enhancement procedures to correct undesired results can drive up your total cost.

Get Accurate Cost Information
When questioning potential surgeons about the cost of your procedure, be sure and get a figure which includes all costs. Sometimes the figure you are first given covers only the procedure itself. There are other cost items however, such as:
• Anesthesia and the anesthesiologist's services
• Medications for before or after your procedure
• Use of an operating room
• Follow-up visits to check on your recovery
• Use of any disposable items such as needles and bandages.

By being persistent in your questions you can gather all the cost items and arrive at an accurate total.

Financing Companies
Most cosmetic surgeons work with one or more third party financing companies to help you budget your procedure. They are alternatives to using your own credit cards, getting a loan from your own bank, or using checks or cash.

One of the best-known is Care Credit, which has easy application procedures, quick responses, no-interest plans for those who qualify, low monthly payments, and a good choice of timeframes.

Be sure to ask your cosmetic surgeon which financing companies he works with, and look into what terms you would be offered. Most cosmetic surgery offices have a financing staff person to help you with the application process.

Consider the Value of What you Will be Receiving
Considering cost by itself is not very realistic. When you buy an appliance, for instance, like a snow blower, you would normally check into its features and benefits when assessing whether the cost is fair. It's best to do the same thing with a cosmetic surgery you are considering. Check such things as:
• The surgeon's degree of experience in your procedure;
• How confident you feel as to your safety in his or her office;
• The surgeon's training and background, Board certification, professional memberships, reputation, and extent of community involvement. These things tell you what sort of practice this surgeon has and how well-regarded it is by his or her peers.
• How long and how strongly you have wanted to have this cosmetic improvement done
• What type and extent of improvement it will make to your appearance

Certainly it is a good idea to be careful in making your decision to have a cosmetic surgery. Sometimes, as you get further into learning about the options, you will find that a less-invasive procedure will do just as well or better than an invasive surgery.

An example of that would be choosing to have an Affirm CO2 laser skin treatment instead of a full facelift. Once you choose your cosmetic surgeon, he or she will help you decide by explaining how each procedure works, what your individual cosmetic issues are, and how each procedure would improve your appearance. Most cosmetic surgeons place a high value on patient education and will not rush you into a procedure before you understand all your options and feel ready.

If you are in the Newport Beach/Orange County area of California, you could do well by consulting with cosmetic surgeon Dr. Hendricks, who is certified by three medical boards and well-respected in the area.

Source: Dr. Hendricks
Website: http://www.drhendricks.com

# # #