I have pretty bad hirsutism - I shave my neck, chin and sideburns every day. I have hair all over my lower back, butt, thighs, stomach, chest and arms. I don't mind the body hair as much as the facial hair. I've been shaving my face every day for so long, it's starting to show. I'm looking into laser hair removal, and I'm wondering if anyone has had any success getting their insurance companies to help pay for it. My policy says that it doesn't cover cosmetic procedures, but I don't think it's elective when I look like a mountain man if I stop shaving. Let me know what you guys have found out about this. Thank You!!
__________________ Diagnosed in 1995
Metformin 1000mg/day - moving up to 2000
Spiro 100 mg/day
Horrible hairy body - shave chin, neck, sideburns every day
5'6" 265 lb.
I have the BEST Endo in the Milwaukee area - ask me!
It's not fair... but this is considered a cosmetic problem by most insurance companies. It shouldn't be that way... since there is a medical reason for this excess... and I'm pretty sure insurance would pay for the removal of something like an extra toe or finger... and I know some insurance companies will pay for fixing a scar from something like a dog attack... but there ya go. We have beards. It's cosmetic. (But my ACNE is cosmetic... and they pay for my retin-A... go figure. I guess if laser didn't cost so much, maybe they'd cover it?)
I have HEARD... though I have not had the gall to try this, since I am the world's worst liar ... that if your excess hair is causing so much psychological distress that your well-being is affected... supposedly you can get a shrink to tell your insurance that hair removal is medically necessary, and they will pay for it to be removed...
But I don't know if this is true... I don't know which companies will go for it, if it is...
I would suggest shopping around and giving laser a try, even if you have to pay on your own. I have had 4 treatments, and yeah it's cost a good bit... but it has been soooo worth it. Even if you can only afford one or two treatments, you will be amazed at the difference. I have only had my face done - I really wish I could afford all my hairy spots, but the face bugs me the most, since I can wear long pants year round, but I'd raise some suspiscions in a ski mask...
Let me ask you? Is the hair causing you to do depressed?
K, if the insurance companies will pay for sex change due to depression. Then they should cover lazer treatment due to depression for hirutism. Depression is not a cosmetic diagnosis. I would say that if you know a medical biller, go to them and start finding out what diagnosis you need for the insurance to cover a treatment. Then go and fight w/ your insurance.
And also hirutism is caused by PCOS (sydrome, disease... whatever you call it), its not because of hereditery line (not in our case at least)!!!!! IF they are treating the hair by medications and it does not work then they have to pay for the lazer treatments!!!!
I called my insurance company today to see if they would cover me going to a nutritional counceling. I really need help eating right, because working out just isn't helping me loose weight. They said they wouldn't cover it if it were to lose weight. Why isn't weight considered a health issue, I don't get it. I figured out that I can go for nutrition counceling do to diabetes anyways, They said it will all depend on how it is billed on whether they will pay for it or not.
I am glad you asked the question about hair removal... I have been considering doing it, but how much does it cost? I have no clue.
Hi, all! I'm new (my first post). I was diagnosed in 1995. I haven't responded to fertility treatments. Currently, though, I'm very happy being the mother of three wonderful stepsons. They're only here part of the time, which is probably best for all of us, but I know I couldn't love them more than I do if I'd given birth to them.
I've learned through the years to pick my PCOS battles. Sometimes that means I go for months just ignoring it. Sometimes that means I'm up in arms every minute of every day. My current battle is hirsutism. When I was 20, the hair on my upper lip was a little dark. At the insistance of my then husband, I started shaving it. The hirsutism has gotten worse through the years, and here I am, at 41, with black hair, some coarse and some soft, all of it LONG, on my legs from ankle to hip, on my arms from wrist to shoulder, on my bottom, on my lower back (slowly working its way up), on my lower abdomen (honestly, this is just an extension of my pubic hair), my upper abdomen, sparsely scattered across my upper chest and on my breasts, and most recently, all across my upper back extending down to the bottom of my shoulder blades. My mother in law gave me a gift certificat for an hour massage and I was so excited to use it! Until I realized that meant someone would get to see my hairy back. It's just more than I can handle. The rest of the hair I can shave or cover up (I've had my face and neck lasered, so they're really no longer a problem). But the hair on my back... I can't wear anything that scoops in the back. I can't wear a bathing suit. I can't go for a massage. My dear, sweet husband honestly seems to not care or not be bothered, for which I'm very grateful.
Enough rambling, here's my point: So much cosmetic surgery is covered by insurance, at least in part. Rogaine is covered by insurance (with a doctor's prescription) because being bald is socially unacceptable. No one dies from being bald! And no one dies from too much hair. But if these other things are covered, why not this? I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to start a petition and get it submitted to the IRS, which is the department of the government that determines what is and what is not an eligible expense. I am MORE than willing to spearhead this. Just not sure how to get the ball rolling or who to throw it at.
Feel free to email me privately if you'd like. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Elizabeth
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Thanks! I've drafted a letter to my RE, who specializes in PCOS. He's very open minded and proactive and is the best doc I've found! I wish I could see him more frequently than just once a year, even though I'm no longer trying to conceive. I'm pretty certain I can get him to write something up explaining the severe hirsutism and the emotional impact this can have. It's affecting my sex life. I don't want my husband to have to see all the hair, and for awhile we could find positions where that was possible, but that's a thing of the past. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to mind. But I still know it's there and it bothers me. Sort of dampens the mood.
Thanks for the welcome! I'm still learning all the terminology here. What does "TTC" stand for?
Elizabeth
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Rogaine is covered by insurance (with a doctor's prescription) because being bald is socially unacceptable. No one dies from being bald!
Elizabeth, welcome!
And I tell you what's more ironic, Rogaine very seldom does any good for anyone, and it's a battle to the death to get an insurance company to pay for a wig or a hairpiece, if one's hairloss progresses to that point!
Oh, TTC means trying to conceive.
__________________ "I knew I had a problem when I put my underpants on backwards and they fit better..."
Age 46
Obesity, very mild hirsuitism now almost gone with age and met, seriously thinning hair. Regular cycles on met.
Diagnosed with diabetes 8/2003
Insurance help 
