Private care for 'cosmetic' issues

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 😞

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.

I can't agree that this sort of treatment should be on the NHS (I have ugly blemishes too) when things like preventative chiropody for diabetics and ear wax removal for the elderly has been removed. My Mum has to pay for these procedures regularly on the top of her care fees. They seem like little things but not caring for feet properly could mean the loss of it and not being able to hear affects the level of her dementia behaviour quite significantly.
I'd love my skin tags and lumps to be removed but I honestly don't think the NHS can afford that sort of treatment unless they are malignant.

Unless a condition is life threatening or needed to improve mobility (and you are prepared to join the waiting list) most other conditions will eventually have to be paid for privately.
Maybe if the number of doctors and nurses had increased in line with the population and tax payers were prepared to pay more tax to fund the NHS, we could expect a health service from cradle to grave.
But with the number of elderly people living longer and younger people living with chronic illnesses draining the NHS, the service that we grew up will no longer exist.

I hope you get your treatment growstuff, all cancer patients should receive whatever treatment they need to restore them, as far as is possible, to their former selves.

My mother had a ‘thing’ removed from her face on the NHS. It was frozen off. My father also had some rodent moles taken off his face.

Me? I’m just lazy, I simply thought it would be quicker to do a do-it-yourself job. I wouldn’t recommend that method for a breast reduction though.

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.

Good luck growstuff

Oldnproud

Calendargirl

Yes, I think that it is reasonable to pay for cosmetic issues.

What classes as cosmetic, though?

Does that / should that include breast reconstruction after breast removal due to cancer?

Or what about an 18 year old girl who only has one properly-developed breast, and who through acute embarrassment at her 'deformity', has restricted her life since puberty (avoiding boys, not going swimming, wearing baggy tops) to hide it, even from her mother ?

I do know that the second of those is classed as cosmetic (certainly in one NHS trust, at least). Treatment on the NHS was refused when the girl, her self confidence rock bottom, finally plucked up the courage to open up to her family and seek treatment. The two operations involved cost many thousands of pounds privately. The money for the first was found by selling their house, but they will have to go into debt to fund the second.

Maybe different trusts have different rules. I'm on the waiting list to have one of my breasts reduced after cancer surgery on the other one. Before I made the request, I looked up the criteria for breast reduction ops and certainly in my trust significant asymmetry of breasts is valid.

Franbern, I am glad you had your warts/moles removed and am sorry that you had to pay for it yourself. Your NHS is sounding very much like our health services here in Canada. Because they are funded provincially, each province may have different rules and funding from another.

It does sound to me like things need to be at a critical stage before anything is done. My DH has Dupuytren's contracture in his hands, and has had operations on both(at different times), but there is a non-invasive needle procedure that can loosen the contracture without surgery, when the disease is still at a less serious stage, but for some reason is only done at private clinics. So you have to just let it get worse, and then have surgery. It makes no sense to me.

Our wait times for certain procedures vary from area to area. DH has been waiting for a hip labrum repair for around 18 months which is causing issues to his cardio health since he has pain walking. We haven't even looked into private repair for that since we know it would be exorbitant.

I did the same with a horrible mole on my neck. That took about a week to fall off.

I had a small skin tag. I tied cotton thread around it really tightly. After a few days it fell off. Job done.

www.cryotag.co.uk/
This is what we used.

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☹️!

Me and my partner took ours off ourselves! We got a skin tag and wart kit, you squirt a measured dose of what I believe is liquid nitrogen onto a swab & press it on. After around 4 rounds they blackened and dropped off. It was a proper brand name & cost around £20. Job done! Private London clinic wanted £500 each. Partners was getting massive & of course no dice with NHS.

I have had about 5 surgeries on my skin for different ‘dodgy’ marks, one of which turned out to be a malignant melanoma. Fortunately it was dealt with speedily and hopefully I am in the clear. Now I am super vigilant, checking my skin regularly but of course I can’t check my back.I have asked at my GP surgery if I can have an annual, preventative check up on my back. The answer is no, so I have to pay privately £250 to have this checked every year. If I get another melanoma the cost of treatment to the NHS would far outweigh the cost of a precautionary check up. The NHS is a disease service, not a health service.

I have lots of moles, and had a large one in my eyebrow. (Even though I haven't really got eyebrows!)
It grew, and crusted, and started to pull down my skin, and I thought eventually I wouldnt be able to open my eye properly.

My gp said it was cosmetic, and wouldnt refer me, so I paid to see a dermatologist.

She decided that it wasn't just cosmetic, and said that while they could remove it privately, she would write to my gp and ask him to refer me directly for removal, bypassing the nhs dermatolgist.

I got called into the gp after it was done, and was told off!

That's it exactly Calendargirl.

What classes as cosmetic, though?

I agree, that is a problem. I suppose I was thinking of things that weren’t painful or life threatening, but upsetting for the person concerned.

As with many things in life, it’s not an issue until you or your loved ones are affected by it.

I watched a documentary about this, years ago, and it was interesting to see that that decisions that surgeons would take regarding "cosmetic" issues still had to be put to a panel, who could decide for or against.

There was a woman who had lost around ten stones, and was left with awful loose skin.

The surgeon was keen to help her, but it was turned down for funding.

Another who had already had quite a lot of surgical procedures, who simply wasn't looking after herself was turned down.

Breast surgery featured a lot, with young women who had extremely small breasts, or one which had never developed.

The surgeon said that years ago, it would just be kept "a secret".

Calendargirl

Yes, I think that it is reasonable to pay for cosmetic issues.

What classes as cosmetic, though?

Does that / should that include breast reconstruction after breast removal due to cancer?

Or what about an 18 year old girl who only has one properly-developed breast, and who through acute embarrassment at her 'deformity', has restricted her life since puberty (avoiding boys, not going swimming, wearing baggy tops) to hide it, even from her mother ?

I do know that the second of those is classed as cosmetic (certainly in one NHS trust, at least). Treatment on the NHS was refused when the girl, her self confidence rock bottom, finally plucked up the courage to open up to her family and seek treatment. The two operations involved cost many thousands of pounds privately. The money for the first was found by selling their house, but they will have to go into debt to fund the second.

Cosmetic problems can seem trivial to those looking in from the outside. They can have a devastating effect on the sufferer. I was at the end of my tether when I lost my hair. On top of problems I already had, it was the final straw. There was no help.

For those saying it's right to have to pay, what about those who can't afford to pay, should it be means tested?
This was causing the OP anguish leading to areluctance to socialise (isolation is a factor in the onset of dementia). It's really not as clear cut as it appears.

Oldbat1 but you are right to be bitter and twisted. The NHS is well accessed by patients who scream and shout for treatment. For anyone else, it’s a non service.
I have recently become aware that one gp had a nervous breakdown about 6 years ago. He was one of 3 male gps who misdiagnosed and mistreated me. However when explaining this to a friend, he said that his practice had a gp partner who had also resigned due to a mental health breakdown. However the difference was that in my friend’s surgery, the new gp partner insisted on reviewing each patient’s medication and treatment plan. So seems to me that there’s much inequality embedded in the NHS.
I am sorry to hear about your DH.

Yes i am bitter and twisted!

I have a “growth” just on bottom eyelid. Optician said it really needs to be removed but on a positive note he didnt “think” it is cancerous. Optician with my permission sent referral to gp who in fairness contacted the eye hospital. I didnt meet their criteria so couldnt even join a list be seen! It is growing and is very itchy and unsightly but as it is not within my vision nor bleeding nor infected I fail. GP suggested during phone consult that i go privately. This particular optician also works on occasion at the eye hospital. It was him who recommended i needed something done. The policy seems to be to leave a minor issue until it becomes a major issue. DH knows only too well. A Piles diagnosis became Stage 4 bowel cancer through not being checked.

Enable not unable!!