Good news if you’re considering plastic surgery

No medical aid? No problem. Mediclinic’s fixed fees programme means your surgery costs are defined upfront – allowing you to budget accurately for your procedure. 

New year, new you? Cosmetic surgery and non-elective plastic (or reconstructive) surgery both deal with improving your body. Cosmetic surgery focuses on enhancing your appearance, while reconstructive surgery aims to correct dysfunctional or damaged areas of the body.

‘It’s a common misperception that plastic surgery patients come in mostly for elective procedures – breast augmentation, for example, or cosmetic facelift surgery, says Dr Gloria Tshukudu, a plastic surgeon affiliated to Mediclinic Muelmed and Mediclinic Legae. ‘A lot of my patients are here because they need to be, not because they want to be.

The main reasons for reconstruction are:

• physical deformity due to congenital anomalies, such as a cleft lip
• cancer, for example, the reconstruction of a new breast after a mastectomy
• trauma, such as tissue loss as a result of a car accident or burns
• tissue loss through infection, such as gangrene or meningococcus.

‘Plastic and reconstructive surgery can improve a person’s confidence and sense of self-worth,’ Dr Tshukudu continues. ‘Surgeons help people in a physical and meaningful way. But what we do has an emotional effect too. Plastic surgery can have a huge benefit in a person’s life.’ Elective cosmetic surgery also has its rightful place. As Dr Peet van Deventer, a reconstructive and plastic surgeon practising at Mediclinic Hermanus, says, breast reductions are a common request. ‘Oversized breasts, or pathological breast hypertrophy, can cause a variety of symptoms, including shoulder pain, muscle spasms of the shoulder girdle, headaches, skin rashes underneath the breasts, pins and needles in the arms, and postural problems. Once normal activities are hampered by the size of the breasts, a breast reduction can be considered,’ he says. ‘Most patients never look back.’

Dr Tshukudu adds that plastic surgery is about more than helping people look good. ‘I’ve seen it in my patients’ faces: they feel restored, transformed,’ she says.

The good news is that Mediclinic day clinics are equipped and ready to provide the latest in reconstructive surgical procedures, and the fixed fees programme makes the process easier and more efficient than ever. When it comes to surgery – whether it’s reconstructive or aesthetic – private-paying patients appreciate predictable pricing. They include patients who don’t have medical aid and pay upfront for their surgery, those whose medical aid does not cover specific procedures, or those whose medical aid benefits have been exhausted for the year.

These fixed fees apply to the hospital cost of planned treatment for the duration of your stay. They do not include your surgeon and anaesthetist’s fees; associated provider fees while you’re in hospital, such as radiology scans and pathology tests; prosthetic devices; crutches, wheelchairs and similar items; or take-home medication.

Mediclinic has a set number of plastic surgery procedures on the fixed fees list, including: Breast reductions; augmentations and lifts; cosmetic excess skin removal; cosmetic eyelid procedures; external ear otoplasty, liposuction; and tummy tucks. We will update this list regularly.

Mediclinic day clinics are equipped and ready to provide the latest in reconstructive surgical procedures, and our fixed fees programme makes the process easier and more efficient than ever.