Will Insurance Cover My Upper Blepharoplasty?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Thank you so very much for the information you have provided on blepharoplasty.  I found you through a Google search hoping to find some information on whether insurance will cover surgery in severe cases.  My hooding is genetic; insurance paid for my grandmothers surgery by the age of 50.  Now at almost 50, I look 20 years older all because of my hooding.  My huband doesn’t understand my desire to have surgery because he sees me as beautiful the way I am.  After reading your information and seeing the images, I can see that perhaps someday there is hope for me as well.  Thank your for your encouragement.

A: Hooding or extra skin that hangs on the upper eyelids is easily and often dramatically improved by the blepharoplasty procedure. Of all the anti-aging surgeries of the face, an upper blepharoplasty is one of the ‘simplest’ in terms of the results, short recovery and very low risk of any significant complications.

When it comes to medical coverage, things have changed dramatically since your grandmother’s time. Insurance rarely covers an upper blepharoplasty anymore and, even when they say they will, they often reverse their position when the procedure is done and the physician submits their charges. For this reason, many plastic surgeons no longer process a cosmetic or even a functional blepharoplasty as a medical procedure to an insurance company. It is done on a cosmetic fee basis only.  

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana