Inland Cosmetic Surgery

The healthcare reform bill unveiled by the Senate Wednesday night includes a 5 percent tax against elective cosmetic medical procedures, a last-minute addition that is projected to collect $5 billion over the next ten years.

Cosmetic surgeons all over the United States have made their opposition to the tax public, and societies such as the ASPS and ASAPS have organized their members to contact members of congress.

“You’d be surprised how price sensitive people are to this.  It’s a tax against women and the baby boomer generation having these procedures” comments Tulsa cosmetic surgeon Dr. Angelo Cuzalina.

5 reasons to drop the cosmetic tax from the U.S. healthcare reform bill.

1. Discriminatory: Women purchase almost 90 percent of all cosmetic medical procedures in the United States.
2. Taxes middle class America: In a 2005 ASPS survey of people planning cosmetic surgery, 60 percent of the respondents reported incomes of $30,000 to $90,000 a year.
3. Record of being ineffective: New Jersey implemented a similar tax in 2004 and it fell drastically short (59 percent) of its projected revenue.
4. Distinguishing reconstructive from cosmetic isn’t always easy: the tax imposes the burden of making clear distinctions between procedures that are medically necessary and simply elective.  Who will make these distinctions?
5. Could promote medical tourism: Patient safety is a major priority; keeping costs down will discourage Americans from seeking risky cosmetic surgeries abroad.

A consultation with Dr. Haiavy is not an occasion that should worry you ( it isn’t a job interview) but if you prepare and come in with the right mindset, you’ll get more out of the experience.

Follow these 2 basic rules and your visit to Inland Cosmetic Surgery will definitely be worthwhile.

1. Prepare yourself with questions and an idea of your general goals.

Write up a list of questions that you personally think are important.  For the patient, a surgical consultation presents a great opportunity to receive clear and specific information from a professional.  This can be extremely valuable with all the conflicting information out there on the web.

2. Communicate with honesty and openness.

For both patient and surgeon, honesty and good communication are very important in the consultation and surgery process.  Share pertinent information with Dr. Haivy and he will be able to meet your needs better.  There’s no reason to hide your medical history, past procedures, goals, or reasons for cosmetics surgery.

Remember that a consultation doesn’t require any commitment; afterward, you can take as much time as you need to consider your options.

Warranties on silicone breast implants have been upgraded this year. Until December 31st, the manufacturers will be offering up to $3500 for surgery reimbursement.  In the event of an implant rupture – even ten years after your surgery – the manufacturer will cover costs like anesthesia, facility, and surgery.

Before this year, the standard warranty offered lifetime product replacement and a financial reimbursement of $1200, while the premium warranty offered $2400.  Although these reimbursements have always been in place to offset the cost of revision surgery, for the patient they still carry the potential for out-of-pocket expense.

Those considering breast augmentation with silicone implants may want to take note; this may be a great time to undergo the procedure.  If you have surgery on or before December 31, 2009, you’ll qualify for this special warranty.

If you want some extra insurance against the financial risks associated with implant rupture, this warranty is an excellent idea.  You might also say it represents the confidence implant manufacturers have placed in the longevity of their products.

Read: What if my implant fails or ruptures?

An NBC news affiliate in Texas reports that more men are seeking cosmetic procedures because they want to prolong their careers and remain competitive in the job market.  The reality is that women make up the vast majority of cosmetic surgery patients, but we could see a shift.  In fact, maybe we should see a shift.

With all the image-conscious men out there spending money on designer clothes, gym memberships, and other expenditures, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see an increase in professional cosmetic treatments.

What’s most likely to gain popularity is skin renewal treatments.  From experience I can tell you that the majority of males don’t possess a great deal of knowledge about caring for their skin and they often neglect it.

At a recent cosmetic surgery trade show, yours truly (copywriter extraordinaire), along with our human resources manager Angie, underwent a professional skin analysis using the Image Pro II Skin Analysis system, a machine very similar to the Visia Digital Skin Analysis at Inland Cosmetic Surgery.

While Angie’s skin came out clear and clean, my neglected male skin looked like a battlefield of sun damage and other imperfections. It appeared as if all those years of cheap skin care products and lack of sun protection had caught up with me.  That experience prompted an investigation of different skin care products and treatments to see how I could address the problem.

I would be very surprised if I was the only male who experienced these skin problems and concerns.