Coverage of Breast Augmentation Costs by Health Insurance

A patient just sent us this question about breast augmentation by e-mail:

What requirements must be met that a health insurance will cover the costs? What experience do you have?

Our answer:

The costs will hardly be covered. Most likely part of the costs might be covered if your breasts are very unequal, underdeveloped, or deformed. Also after implant removal and dimpling of the breast, for example, after tumor or cyst removal, you have a chance. However, for this purpose you must get the approval in advance from the person in charge at your health insurance company.

More about breast augmentation

DDr. Heinrich, MD

Breast Augmentation: How Much “More” Is One Cup Size?

A patient asked a question concerning breast augmentation with autologous fat and stem cells:

Before having my surgery I’d like to know how big my breast will really be if I get one cup size more. I have no idea about it.

Our advice to her:

The best way to find this out is by visiting a lingerie shop and asking for a bra which is one size bigger than your current breast size. Then you can see how big your breast will be and whether you like it or not.

DDr. Heinrich, MD

Is Breast Augmentation Always “Cosmetic Surgery”? (Part 4)

An underdeveloped breast (hypoplasia mammae) often causes severe psychological strain:

Having one or even two hypoplastic breasts is often very distressing for affected women. As a consequence private and sex life can be severely impacted. At this point a breast augmentation with autologous fat as therapeutic measure can often turn life to the better. In hypolplastic breasts mechanical pre-stretching of the breasts by wearing a BRAVA suction bra before having an autologous fat transfer can be recommendable.

DDr. Heinrich, MD

Is Hormone Therapy Useful When Hormones Are in the Normal Range? (Part 2)

Whether a therapy with bioidentical hormones (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, BHRT) is important, can be determined by a special anti-aging analysis where we

  1. compare the hormone levels from the laboratory with the optimal values for a young adult,
  2. compare the body’s condition (face, skin, tissue, etc.) with the body’s condition of a young adult and
  3. compare the patient’s condition (hormone anamnesis) with the condition of a young adult.

People who are about 50 years of age and still do not need treatment with bioidentical hormones can be identified by the fact that they appear 20 years younger than they are at points 1, 2, and 3. However, this is quite rarely the case.

DDr. Heinrich, MD

Is Breast Augmentation Always “Cosmetic Surgery”? (Part 3)

A sagging breast often causes strong psychological strain:

Significant deviations of the breast shape, such as severe sagging of the breasts after multiple pregnancies, can cause enormous psychological distress to patients that impairs private life and sex life. In these cases a breast augmentation with autologous fat as therapy could change life for the better by restoring breast volume lost due to breastfeeding. This approach can also be taken for the correction of breast asymmetries.

DDr. Heinrich, MD

“Perfect Skin”: Indulge Your Skin from Inside and Outside

Our face – certainly our most defining characteristic. Especially in winter we strain our face by exposing our skin to dry heating air and bitter cold outdoors. It’s time to spoil our skin both from the inside and the outside in time for the beginning of spring.

The following products and outpatient treatments for skin regeneration can help to make your face shine:

Perfect Skin Beauty Drink: Beauty to Drink

The beauty drink Perfect Skin by DDr. Heinrich® cares for your skin from the inside. A specially blended mix of collagen peptides, amino acids, and hyaluronic acid supports your skin in its regeneration by supplying essential components. Currently available as Premium Edition with organic pomegranate juice.

Application period: 4 weeks or more, 6 shots per week

Perfect Skin Powder: Mix Your Beauty Drink Yourself

If you like to create your taste yourself, Perfect Skin is also available as a powder. Mixed into your favorite drink or soup you can – the same as with the frequent intake of the beauty drink – achieve tightening and moisturizing effects.

Application period: 4 weeks or more, 1 teaspoon per day

Facial Regeneration with PRP from Autologous Blood

Injection of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a natural method for local regeneration of your skin. PRP gets obtained from a small amount of the patient’s blood and is rich of valuable thrombocytes and growth factors. It gets injected into the skin by the use of fine micro-needles. This “vampire lifting” promises an effect that lasts for several months. PRP treatment is also possible on hands and the cleavage.

Treatment duration: Outpatient, 30 minutes to 1 hour

Facial Regeneration with Bioidentical Hormones

As inside, so outside: With increasing age our hormonal glands’ and organs’ capability decreases. Stress, multiple burdens, an exhausting lifestyle, and poor nutrition affect our hormone production in addition, leaving its marks in our face as well. Hormonal Regeneration® by DDr. Heinrich restores the hormone balance by the means of bioidentical hormones and contributes to improvement of your skin appearance.

Treatment duration: 3 to 6 cycles (1 cycle = 28 days), depending on individual indication

Skin Regeneration with Stem Cells from Autologous Fat

In the beginning of skin regeneration with the body’s own stem cells a small amount of fat is harvested by liposuction. After preparation stem cell-enriched autologous fat or stem cell suspension is injected into skin areas concerned, where stem cells take their regenerative effect.

Treatment duration: Outpatient, 30 minutes to 3 hours

Facial Treatments with Growth Factors

Growth factors play an important role in our skin’s natural regeneration process. For local skin regeneration they can be injected directly into the skin. In addition there are also serums for fat reduction or stimulation of hair growth.

Treatment duration: Outpatient, 30 minutes to 1 hour

DDr. Heinrich is gladly at your disposal for comprehensive individual advices regarding skin regeneration in a consultation appointment. For further question or arranging of appointments kindly send us a message or call us by telephone at +43 1 532 18 01 (Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 6 pm).

Your Team at Clinic DDr. Heinrich®

BHRT for Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (Part 2)?

The patient kept asking me by mail:

May I ask what BHRT you propose for women over 40 if not progesterone and DHEA? I am 43.

My proposition depends on the deficiencies shown in analysis. Progesterone and DHEA are just two hormones that are mainly produced by one hormonal gland, which is sufficient in a 30 to 35 year-old woman.

With 43 most women have overall hormonal gland deficiencies (recognizable by the typical aging signs of face, tissue, and skin) which need to be addressed by supplying all mayor hormones in bioidentical form, including female sexual hormones and precursor hormones, (small amounts of) testosterone, progesterone, growth hormone, all adrenal gland hormones, thyroids, and so on, plus nutritional additives that naturally boost hormonal gland activity.

Only to treat adrenal fatigue without the rejuvenation mentioned above will just require some additional substances/bioidenticals according to the analysis that needs to be done prior to BHRT. For more information check our page about regenerative therapies with bioidentical hormones.

DDr. Heinrich, MD

Breast Reconstruction with the Body’s Own Fat Instead of Silicone Implants

Today we once again performed breast reconstruction in a female patient who was very dissatisfied with the silicone implant she got after a surgical tumor removal from her left breast. First of all the breast concerned was malformed due to a capsular fibrosis (resulting from the implant), after the explantation of the implant there was hardly anything left of her breast.

A very gentle and natural alternative to silicone implants would be a breast reconstruction with autologous fat and stem cells. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia and lasts approximately 3 to 4 hours. At the beginning fat gets obtained in a tissue-conserving way by microcannular liposuction. Afterwards the fat gets injected into the breast either in stem cell-enriched or untreated form.

Even after a complete breast removal (mastectomy) it is possible to reconstruct a well-shaped natural breast with the help of autologous fat and stem cells. Depending on the situation multiple surgery appointments might be necessary. For pre- or post-stretching it is often recommendable to wear a mechanical suction bra. The suction bra stretches breasts and allows them to accommodate even more fat, so that the desired result can be achieved in a timely manner.

The result of a breast reconstruction with autologous fat and stem cells completely consists of the body’s own tissue and is normally retained long-term.

After a few implantations of autologous fat, the patient’s breast is by now presentable again.

DDr. Heinrich, MD

Is Breast Augmentation Always “Cosmetic Surgery”? (Part 2)

With breast augmentation with autologous fat it is the same as with liposuction – it depends on whether therapeutic aims get pursued or if the intervention just serves as modification of the body shape.

As mentioned before almost all of the surgeries/treatments we perform in our office are meanwhile done for therapeutic reasons, even if we also take heed on the fulfillment of highest aesthetic requirements.

Often patients have a severe breast asymmetry, which causes them significant psychological strain that impairs personal life and sex life. In these cases correction using autologous fat as a therapeutic measure can help to change life for the better.

DDr. Heinrich, MD