If breast reduction & tummy tuck don't come out as planned, shouldn't the cost be absorbed by surgeon?

It's understandable that you would feel concerned about being charged for a revision after a surgery, especially if you believe it might be correcting something that didn't turn out as planned. Surgeons often have different policies regarding revisions, and it’s common for them to outline this in advance to set expectations.

Here are a few things to consider:

Complexity of Healing: Healing is a complex process, and even when a surgery is performed perfectly, factors like individual healing responses, scarring, or unexpected tissue behavior could lead to the need for a revision. This is why some surgeons have revision policies in place to cover these less predictable outcomes.

Surgeon Policies: Some surgeons absorb the cost of minor revisions within a certain time frame (e.g., 6-12 months post-op), especially if it’s to fine-tune the results. Others may charge for revisions but at a reduced rate. It’s important to ask your surgeon how they handle different types of revisions—whether due to complications or aesthetic preferences.

Discuss the Specifics: You should bring up your concerns with the surgeon directly to clarify why they charge for revisions and under what circumstances. Some revisions could be deemed “cosmetic refinements” versus medically necessary corrections, and this can impact who covers the cost.

Second Opinions: If the policy makes you uncomfortable, it might be worthwhile to consult with other surgeons. Different practices have different approaches to post-surgery revisions, and finding one that aligns with your expectations is key.

Ultimately, it’s about transparency and ensuring you’re comfortable with the policy before proceeding. Trust between you and your surgeon is crucial for a smooth process.

Revisions, large or small, are a normal risk of any procedure. Most often these are not the result of surgical ineptitude but rather normal patient variance in anatomy or other issues. For example, underlying breast asymmetry is common in breast reduction surgery, and many times this can only be corrected to a certain degree at the time of the original surgery. Similarly, abdominal skin may be abnormally distributed after weight loss or having children creating an uneven abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) scar. Many of these issues are out of the control of either the patient or the surgeon, and the original procedure was, in most cases, performed appropriately and as offered.
Revisions will involve costs of supplies either in the clinic or operating rooms, and may even involve costs of anesthesia. This cost will need to be covered by the patient for any revision that is considered a normal part of any surgery (which is 95-99% of revisions) and often cannot be discounted as these are the basic cost of having surgery or performing any procedure. Many surgeons will discount any surgeons fee associated with the revision in order to decrease the financial burden to the patient, but this is practice, locations, and physician specific.

The outcome of the surgery is dependent on your healing ability, and the skill of the practitioner. Some people heal well in a predictable way. Others, such as massive weight loss individuals, heavy people, or inherited collagen disorders, are much more likely to require revision. This doesn’t mean the surgeon did a bad job - you just don’t have a perfect outcome. In cases where the result was due to surgeon mis-calculation, the surgeons fee is often waived, but the anesthesia and facility fee still applies.