Breast Reduction: Q&A

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I Need a Breast Reduction but Can't Afford the Cost or Insurance? (photo)

I am a 26 yr old white female in michigan. i am very short (only 4'7") and a bit hefty (over 200lbs).i have tried to lose weight most of which has only been successful for other parts of my body. the most noticeable weight is my 48L breasts. my doctors say i need to have a breast reduction. But i can not even afford insurance let alone the cost of a surgery on my own. are there possibly any surgeons that would take on my case as a charity case or teaching case? i would greatly appreciate it.

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9 Doctor Answers | Asked by acflynn in michigan

Doctor Answers (9)
Community Comments (2)

Weight Loss and Breast Reduction without Insurance

I would recommend weight loss as well, but you clearly have an issue that needs to be remedied. Have you tried applying for Medicare or Medicaid? You may be able to find a surgeon who would waive the surgeon's fee or a teaching institution for a reduced fee. However, most surgeons also pay a surgery center for the time in the operating room. Your surgery would likely take 3 to 4 hours and may cost $4000 or... more

Breast Reduction cost

It will be difficult to find any institution offering breast reduction at no cost. You may consider a teaching hospital but I am not sure if you would find one willing to do it for free.

Affordable breast reduction

You can keep the costs under control by having the surgery done the surgeon's office operating room. We do these all the time. The other options are financing like CareCredit, or try a residency training program near you.

Reduction Candidate but no Finances or Insurance Coverage??

Thank you for the question and picture. Based on your description, I think you may be an excellent candidate for breast reduction surgery. As you know, it will be in your best interest to drop your weight closer to a long-term stable weight prior to undergoing the procedure. Doing so, will help decrease the risk associated with surgery and minimize chances that additional surgery will be necessary afterwards. You will need to take steps towards attaining health... more

I Need a Breast Reduction but Can't Afford the Cost or Insuranc

Yes you can see the residents in Plastic Surgery at the local university as a resident case. But I bet they would recommend a gastric bypass to have you loss 100 pounds before undertaking a reduction.

Free Breast Reduction

I find it unlikely that you will be able to find free breast reduction. However, you can check with your local teaching hospital and see if they having a training program for residents. In these clinics you can usually get reduced cost surgery with the understanding that it will be the resident in training performing the surgery. There is still some cost involved such as the anesthesia and operating room fees, so it will not be a free surgery. However, my suggestion... more

I Need a Breast Reduction but Can't Afford the Cost or Insurance?

Thanks for your question. I would agree that a breast reduction will be of great benefit for you and should greatly decrease your discomfort. However we do not do breast reduction on a patient whose weight puts them over a BMI of 35. It is an elective procedure and risks to your health go up significantly over that BMI. At 4'7"" that means a weight over 150 pounds. I understand that at present a reduction is not financially feasible but for now my advice is to concentrate on... more

Breast reduction

While it appears in the photo that you ahve very large breasts it does appear that you are significantly overweight as well. I suggest losing weight first. You will need to obtain insurance before undergoing the reduction unless you are going to pay for it yourself.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Costs

It appears from your photo that you still have weight to lose. The breasts do not weigh 40lbs each. Maybe 2-5 lbs. per breast are usually removed (more in extreme cases). No doubt surgery would help you, but there are no charities or teaching cases perse. You might look into financing.

Michael Hueneke, MD

6 reviews

Nashville Plastic Surgeon

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Comments (2)

Razorback 28 Dec 2012

"I" not "O". God bless you and good luck.

Razorback 28 Dec 2012

CareCredit offers financing; you can apply online. O used them for dental implants. I call it my car payment and drive an old car! As these doctors suggest, I think you would benefit from weight loss first, but I have first hand knowledge that is difficult to exercise with huge breasts. Some people will argue with this, but I've known women who lost weight AFTER a BR when they weren't able to before. Maybe it's psychological, but hey whatever works !

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