NHS Liposuction Treatments

The NHS is the National Health Care System in the United Kingdom. A spokeswoman for Britain's Department of Health said, "The NHS does not carry out surgery for cosmetic reasons but does carry out surgery to secure physical or mental health." The NHS performed liposuction on 471 patients in 2009, according to its information center.

• Cosmetic Surgery in the UK

Significance

• While 471 liposuction procedures are not dramatic, it is important to acknowledge that what most consider cosmetic surgery is being performed under the United Kingdom's health care system. In the United States, the health care industry considers liposuction to be a cosmetic surgical procedure and it is not funded under any federal assistance program. Some exceptions include therapeutic reasons such as breast reduction to relieve chronic back pain.

Qualifications for Coverage

• It was once much easier to get coverage for such cosmetic procedures as nose jobs, tummy tucks and breast augmentations, but the NHS has tightened up its guidelines. Straight-up cosmetic surgery is no longer covered. In order to get cosmetic surgery, you will need a referral from your general practitioner. The next step is a consultation with a plastic surgeon, and then a psychiatric assessment to decide whether there is a valid mental health problem that justifies the surgery.

Circumstances

• High BMI and lipo

  There are circumstances under which liposuction is covered. The NHS has looked at the conditions of lymphoedema (extreme swelling usually in the arms and legs), gynoclamastia, (fatty tissue in the male breast caused by hormone imbalances), lipodystrophy syndrome (redistribution of fat from one area of the body to the other) and the need for extreme weight loss (body mass index of 40 or more).

HIV and Lipo

• HIV meds and lipo

  Certain medications given to HIV patients are believed to cause fat to build up in their necks. Barbara Jemec, consultant plastic surgeon at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in England, says liposuction figures are increasing because of such of fat buildup in those with HIV.

Speculation

• Unrealistic body expectations

  Dysmorphic syndrome is a disorder in which a people become excessively concerned and preoccupied by an imagined or very minor defect in their appearance. There have been sensationalized stories of people such as Englishwoman Sarah Burge, who has endured more than 100 cosmetic surgeries at a cost of $850,000. Body dysmorphic disorder can cause severe psychological distress that impairs social functioning, sometimes to the point of total isolation; some of the NHS liposuction procedures were performed for this reason.