Do I Have to Pay to Redo a Surgery Even Its Not my Fault?

Hello.

It seems that you are expressing a case of early capsular contracture based on the description provided in your post.

If this is the case, then it is neither your surgeon's fault nor yours as no one could have predicted that you will be forming a capsular contracture after your surgery.

As for the fees and expenses for a revision, every surgeon/office is different and if your surgeon chooses to waive his/her fees you may still need to pay the fees attributed to the services rendered by the anesthesiologist, nurses and the OR services.

As a footnote, patient with early CC tend to have certain risks of recurrent CC forming.

It is important to communicate with your surgeon and to be on the same page with him/her.

The best of luck to you.

Dr. Sajjadian

    The implant is high because it never dropped or due to capsular contracture.  If you have capsular contracture, this is not the surgeon's fault.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

You raised a great question which should be discuss clearly before your original surgery. It would be nice if you and your surgeon have a clear guideline in the case just like this. Having said that, it appears from your description that you may have capsular contracture which can happen to anyone who's having breast augmentation. Each plastic surgeon has his or her guideline in dealing with situation like this. Additional surgery is part of surgical risks of the original surgery. It sounds like that he is absorbing his additional surgical fees, facility fees and other cost, having you be responsible for the additional implants and anesthesia fees. This is quite similar to the revision policy that I have in my own practice. I can't make judgement to say who's right or wrong, only letting you know that it's not unreasonable arrangement.

Best Wishes,

Stewart Wang, MD FACS, Wang Plastic Surgery

all surgery centers have fees for paying expenses which include supplies, nursing and anesthesia. This is pretty standard.

  Having said that, for revisions, I may well waive my fee but the anesthesia/OR and supplies will have to be paid for by the patient.   That is why some people buy insurance for their cosmetic surgery, to cover any expenses if they occur.

If your problem is capsular contracture, then although it is not your fault, it is also not the fault of your surgeon. It is your scar tissue contracting around the implant.

In my office I waive the surgeon fee, but the patient pays for facility, anesthesia and new implant, which is $1900 for silicone.

I think your surgeon is being fair and reasonable.

One of the known risks of the breast augmentation is capsular contracture. Your surgeon is offering his/her time and talent and asking you to cover the expenses that he does not have control over. I would not go bigger .

Capsular contracture is a known risk, and is something that is no one's fault. Almost all surgeons will charge at least the operating room fee and the anesthesia fee. Some will charge a professional fee. I would guess that most would charge a professional fee for a size change.

Your surgeon seems to be absorbing the operating room costs (around $1000 in my area), which I feel is quite generous. All you are being asked to pay for is anesthesia and the cost of new implants. 

Thanks for your question, best wishes.

In your case, the capsular contracture is nobody's "fault" but it is the most common complication of breast implants according to statistics and it is an overreaction on the part of your body to the implant.  So it is reasonable for you to have to cover some of the costs as it is not something the surgeon can ever complataly control.