Private care for 'cosmetic' issues

Paediatric dentists work mostly in hospitals and for the NHS

Here the NHS dentist also does private work. One DGC needed a 'baby' molar extracted, nothing wrong with it but it is hindering a brace being fitted. With NHS the wait was months, the same dentist could do it the next week (same clinic). One molar removed in a few minutes - that'll be £170 please.

Callistemon21

I'm glad you made the decision, Franbern and hope it improves your self-esteem. Money well spent.

Yes, where is the line drawn? I suppose the criterion is it depends on the cosmetic procedure involved and whether or not it is badly affecting someone's mental health

When even children can't access NHS dental services now for essential treatment something is wrong.

I think the dentistry service is an ideal example of how a two tier system doesn't really work. Dentistry mostly involves qualified dentists setting up or joining a practice where they will make most money from private patients. Paediatric dentists work mostly in hospitals and for the NHS. There has been a massive shortage in the area for years. It takes real commitment and intention to work in a hospital when you could make far more. Most children are admitted to hospital if any teeth need extracting. It's a dreadful situation

MadeInYorkshire

Shantygirly

I have a problem with a fingernail. About a year ago I caught my index finger in my misnamed 'soft close' kichen drawers. The nail went black and was detatched from the nailbed. A paramedic at my local surgery removed it (painfully) but now its grown back, just the same as it was before, lifted right off the nailbed and I keep catching it on things, its very uncomfortable it aches and is ugly. The GP surgery now say I have to 'go private' to get it treated. My problem is where? I know I will have to pay for it but I can't even find someone to do it!

Any ideas?

Beware, I had a funny growing fingernail (the kids called it my 'witchy nail') which I had removed many years ago now. It was done under a local anaesthetic, a bandage thing put over it, think cartoons, and was told to leave it 10 days I think before getting the stitches removed at the GP surgery. At around day 8 I started to feel unwell, feverish etc and thought I as about to get a nasty cold. Went to the surgery at day 10 to get the stitches out, but the bandage would NOT come off, so I sat in the waiting room with my hand in a basin in order to soak it off. But it still would not budge! By now I was still in there at their closing for lunch period. In the end my GP distracted me by asking me something and ripped it off quickly - it was a good job nobody was in as I screamed something quite rude! Turned out the finger was going black, hence the fever ... got that sorted and the ruddy thing grew back exactly the same, so it looks like if you have any damage to the nail bed you would be wasting your money having it removed again ....

Oh my goodness! That's a nightmare! Poor you. I never had any stiches when my fingernail was removed. I had to change the dressings myself. It seemed to heal up quite nicely until the new nail grew back still not attached Mine is now an ever-changing mix of yellow and black and flips up and down, very uncomfortable! I sometimes put a big plaster over it, taking care not to get the sticky bit on the nail. My GP surgery won't help at all despite several emails and two letters of complaint! I have had some toenails removed and they put a chemical on to stop it regrowing, which does not always work and I would be happy to have that done to the finger, but I just can't find anyone to do it. Podiatrists are not interested. Although I said I would have to pay for it I would rather not have to!

The op is lucky but don’t blame her at all just feel sorry for those who can’t but it isn’t her fault

Well, you did the right thing for your self preservation and happiness. You deserved to have that taken care of after years of lowered self esteem.

That’s the crux of it - extreme cases like that Should Be Covered By Insurance. Laws and regulations should be updated, changed to accommodate unusual cases.

But this could be a pipe dream, waiting for that to ever happen. Fortunately you were able to afford this procedure. There are people that will have to live their remaining lives as is.

Yes, apparently I have Viking ancestry - ‘the Viking disease’.

If it prevented someone from working that would be different, and if I had had it to this degree when working it would have slowed me down to an unacceptable extent - I used to touch type but now it’s one finger only. It would take me far too long to draft and amend documents. If it interferes with your life to that extent, ok - but I’m retired and for me it’s just an inconvenience and a cosmetic issue. I’m in great company though, Bill Nighy has had it for many years and it hasn’t done his career or appeal any harm!

Callistemon21

Germanshepherdsmum

I have du puytren’s contracture - all but two of my fingers are bent and crooked to a greater or lesser degree. It’s inconvenient sometimes and unsightly (which doesn’t concern me) but I manage, though the only gloves I can wear now are woolly ones, and it’s not painful. It’s not curable but the bent fingers could be temporarily straightened. That could be done on the NHS. However, unless I get to the point of having no useable fingers I consider any correction would be purely cosmetic and would not expect to be done at public expense.

It depends.

If it prevents someone from working then it's better for the NHS to carry out a procedure, physiotherapy or an operation than that person have to give up work.
Do you have Viking ancestry?

PS I wouldn't call that cosmetic surgery.

Germanshepherdsmum

I have du puytren’s contracture - all but two of my fingers are bent and crooked to a greater or lesser degree. It’s inconvenient sometimes and unsightly (which doesn’t concern me) but I manage, though the only gloves I can wear now are woolly ones, and it’s not painful. It’s not curable but the bent fingers could be temporarily straightened. That could be done on the NHS. However, unless I get to the point of having no useable fingers I consider any correction would be purely cosmetic and would not expect to be done at public expense.

It depends.

If it prevents someone from working then it's better for the NHS to carry out a procedure, physiotherapy or an operation than that person have to give up work.
Do you have Viking ancestry?

I agree with you, Irismarle.

I also paid for having a breast reduction having been out of proportion and self conscious since teens. Was refused nhs treatment and couldn’t afford it earlier. I’ve never regretted it.

I tend to disagree with people who go abroad for cosmetic surgery, presumably at some cost, but then resort to the NHS when treatment like liposuction goes wrong. I feel they should pay for the corrective treatment, but wonder if I’m being mean. What do others think?

I have du puytren’s contracture - all but two of my fingers are bent and crooked to a greater or lesser degree. It’s inconvenient sometimes and unsightly (which doesn’t concern me) but I manage, though the only gloves I can wear now are woolly ones, and it’s not painful. It’s not curable but the bent fingers could be temporarily straightened. That could be done on the NHS. However, unless I get to the point of having no useable fingers I consider any correction would be purely cosmetic and would not expect to be done at public expense.

Over many many years I have had warts removed from my nose Back in the day this was done either by the doctor or a dermatologist, with a 2 minute cryotherapy procedure. Then came the day I was refused this treatment by a dermatologist, the wart having been deemed "cosmetic". I found it very embarrassing and ended up having it removed at a private hospital. It cost more than 500 pounds and I was refused treatment at the same time on a second wart that I could see was developing just above the same site. Sure enough I had another develop within 6 months. I treated it myself with a common treatment for verrucas "Do not use on face" warning on packet. That was about 6 years ago and I have had no bother since.

Shantygirly

I have a problem with a fingernail. About a year ago I caught my index finger in my misnamed 'soft close' kichen drawers. The nail went black and was detatched from the nailbed. A paramedic at my local surgery removed it (painfully) but now its grown back, just the same as it was before, lifted right off the nailbed and I keep catching it on things, its very uncomfortable it aches and is ugly. The GP surgery now say I have to 'go private' to get it treated. My problem is where? I know I will have to pay for it but I can't even find someone to do it!

Any ideas?

Beware, I had a funny growing fingernail (the kids called it my 'witchy nail') which I had removed many years ago now. It was done under a local anaesthetic, a bandage thing put over it, think cartoons, and was told to leave it 10 days I think before getting the stitches removed at the GP surgery. At around day 8 I started to feel unwell, feverish etc and thought I as about to get a nasty cold. Went to the surgery at day 10 to get the stitches out, but the bandage would NOT come off, so I sat in the waiting room with my hand in a basin in order to soak it off. But it still would not budge! By now I was still in there at their closing for lunch period. In the end my GP distracted me by asking me something and ripped it off quickly - it was a good job nobody was in as I screamed something quite rude! Turned out the finger was going black, hence the fever ... got that sorted and the ruddy thing grew back exactly the same, so it looks like if you have any damage to the nail bed you would be wasting your money having it removed again ....

In the 18 months before OH retired we used his work private health insurance for two hernia repairs, a new hip and cataracts. I expect we'd still be waiting otherwise - fine for those of us lucky enough to have means to pay. I hope the NHS can keep going and maybe improve what it can offer but at least most life threatening things still get covered. Save us from an American style of healthcare!

Aveline

It seems quite reasonable to me that the NHS doesn't cover cosmetic procedures. Where could they draw the line?

There is 'cosmetic' and 'cosmetic' though - things like breast reductions can have a big impact on people's lives as their backs are affected and may be unable to work etc as a result.

I remember a real furore going on maybe around 20 years ago a young lass in Yorkshire had either a reduction on the NHS or an enhancement on the NHS as it was affecting her MH. Then a year later said it was worse and got it reversed! I think it should be how it is impacting on your life really, like it was with the OP, who at £350 looks like she got a bargain ...

Shantygirly

I have a problem with a fingernail. About a year ago I caught my index finger in my misnamed 'soft close' kichen drawers. The nail went black and was detatched from the nailbed. A paramedic at my local surgery removed it (painfully) but now its grown back, just the same as it was before, lifted right off the nailbed and I keep catching it on things, its very uncomfortable it aches and is ugly. The GP surgery now say I have to 'go private' to get it treated. My problem is where? I know I will have to pay for it but I can't even find someone to do it!

Any ideas?

inquire at Bupa.

The advice to put a plaster over a skin tag is good.
It is a known way of shifting the buggers.

Greyduster

I have a skin tag where it catches on my underwear and bleeds. I had it looked at by the surgery and they agreed it needed to be removed, but the wait is eight months to a year. The advice was to “put a plaster over it”. I can see that I will have to go down the private road sooner rather than later☹️!

Crikey, my GP just freezes them off at a routine appointment!

One thing I have done previously is taken one off myself by tying a bit of cotton very tightly around the stem of the tag - cuts off the blood supply and falls off in a matter of days! Obviously that will depend on where it is and whether or not you can get to it!

I have a problem with a fingernail. About a year ago I caught my index finger in my misnamed 'soft close' kichen drawers. The nail went black and was detatched from the nailbed. A paramedic at my local surgery removed it (painfully) but now its grown back, just the same as it was before, lifted right off the nailbed and I keep catching it on things, its very uncomfortable it aches and is ugly. The GP surgery now say I have to 'go private' to get it treated. My problem is where? I know I will have to pay for it but I can't even find someone to do it!

Any ideas?

RakshaMK

My partner has a basketball sized lipoma hanging from the bottom of his belly.. it's causing repeated antibiotic resistant urinary infections, making him walk like a crab and affecting his left him which already has no socket.
NHS have been aware of it for 5 years but still not seen a surgeon for its removal, current waiting list for initial assessment is 13 months. It's growing daily and starting to tear at the skin because of the weight of it 😞

That's truly awful!
Surely at that size it will now start causing extra problems, which will then also need treatment after treatment?

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....... are being educated privately suddenly joined the State sector.

I feel no guilt about using either over the decades. I just was a tad jealous of friends being able to afford expensive holidays when we couldn't!!

(Apologies for the disjointed comment. Writing in the car and the roads are so b***dy awful that the first part "sent itself'. No, I wasn't driving!!!)

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Just always remember that every time someone has any medical procedure done privately, everyone on the NHS for that procedure goes up one on the NHS waiting list.

Ditto Private Education. Think of the pressure it takes off of the State system and what more of a mess it would be in if the 600 000+ children who are

cc

Greyduster

I have a skin tag where it catches on my underwear and bleeds. I had it looked at by the surgery and they agreed it needed to be removed, but the wait is eight months to a year. The advice was to “put a plaster over it”. I can see that I will have to go down the private road sooner rather than later☹️!

I had a mole which was removed from my thigh for just this reason and I was really pleased. But it was 20 years ago and was done in a couple of weeks, rather than your long wait. I'm not sure what the cost would be, but I'm sure it wouldn't be enormous.

About 30 years ago, I had a raised mole removed from my face too. The GP burnt it off in his routine minor ops clinic. It took a few minutes, so i doubt it cost much. However, it did mean I felt lot more confident and didn't catch on scarves and collars.

Just to say I had about 6/8 skin tags and had them removed by a beautician(one i have been to before) and it was only about £30 and done quickly and painlessly. So no need to see doctors etc and they never came back!