Many women and men feel a renewed sense of well-being following a large amount of weight loss. However, they can be left with an excess amount of skin.
Weight loss can occur from bariatric surgery, an intense program of diet and exercise, or even following a surgical procedure for lipedema, an adipose tissue disorder (also called painful fat syndrome) where fat loss is resistant to diet and exercise.
While some skin will shrink back to accommodate the body’s new size, the extent to which it does can vary widely from person to person. For those that don’t shrink back, the excess amount of skin may be a burden, and they might further need, or desire, skin removal surgery to restore their appearance.
Will I Need Surgery to Remove Excess Skin?
The only way to truly know if surgery to remove excess skin is needed is to see where your situation stands after a massive weight loss. It is difficult to predict beforehand because many factors may be involved.
The skin is naturally elastic in nature, containing elastic fibers similar to what you might find in a rubber band. Weight gain can be thought of like stretching a rubber band. The band will change to accommodate the new size; when it is no longer stretched, it may bounce back to its original shape.
However, if the elastic band is older or has been stretched constantly for a very long period of time, some of the elasticity may be lost, just like with your skin, and it may not retract to its original shape.
The amount the skin is stretched plays a bigger role than skin age in knowing if the surgery will recoil to accommodate the new weight, eliminating the need for surgery to remove excess skin. The more it is stretched, the less likely the skin is to recoil back to accommodate the body’s smaller size, so the more weight that is lost, the more likely it is to need skin removal surgery.
The age of the skin factors in to the ability of the skin to recoil after weight loss because younger skin has more elasticity. Your skin is not only determined by your chronological age, but also is affected by things like skin damage from the sun, smoking, malnutrition, poor vitamin intake and your genetic makeup.
Does Kaiser Medical Insurance Cover Skin Removal Surgery?
Each individual situation is different, so it is impossible to know with 100% certainty if Kaiser medical insurance will cover skin removal surgery. In the case of reconstruction, there are a number of factors that the insurance company may use to determine if a claim is eligible to be paid.
In general, reconstructive plastic surgery for removing excess skin is considered cosmetic by some companies, with Kaiser medical insurance historically being one of them. Other insurance companies may simply assume that weight loss surgery and skin removal surgery go hand in hand and cover both interventions.
Many things can factor into coverage for removing excess skin, such as how the procedure and diagnosis gets medically coded, how long weight loss has been sustained following the massive weight loss, and more.
Individuals suffering from issues surrounding excess skin such as rashes and restrictions of daily living may have a better chance of having their insurance cover skin removal surgery because the condition is causing other medical issues.
Filing a Kaiser Bad Faith Insurance Lawsuit
In 2012, a plaintiff filed a class action lawsuit in California Superior Court against Kaiser alleging that Kaiser denied her skin removal surgery and that of about 10,000 other patients who had bariatric surgery.
The plaintiff alleged that she met criteria for Kaiser medical insurance to repair abnormal body structures because obesity was recognized as a disease in 2013 under the American Medical Association.
In 1998, a California statute was enacted to redefine reconstructive surgery to not only include restoration of bodily function but also to restore a normal appearance. The plaintiff maintained that Kaiser engaged in bad faith insurance practices by not covering surgery for removing excess skin for allegedly eligible patients.
If you were denied coverage for skin removal surgery by Kaiser medical insurance, you may have a legal claim. A Kaiser bad faith insurance attorney can review your case at no charge and can help you understand your legal options.
Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The insurance attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual insurance lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.
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Join a Free California Plastic Surgery Insurance Denial Class Action Lawsuit Investigation
If your insurance denied coverage for a plastic surgery procedure, you may have a legal claim. Submit your information now for a free case evaluation.
An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.
- First Name*
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Tummy Tuck
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