Well, the frivolity of summer and chilled lavender towels is waning and as we move into fall, one of the first issues at hand is the focus on breast cancer awareness in October. As many of you know, through my Classic Beauty permanent makeup studio, I work on a tremendous amount of breast cancer survivors when they have reached the post mastectomy phase and are ready for paramedical repigmentation. This mean I add areola color to the reconstructed breast and often create the illusion of nipples where there are no nipples at all. I have always considered myself an artist in this area and I hope many of you agree.

 

 

Insurance Companies and Red Tape (10/1/07)

The paperwork and red tape that insurance companies require in order to work in conjunction with them on any issue related to breast cancer is nearly overwhelming. Only now are insurance companies starting to recognize paramedical repigmentation as a legitimate last step in the recovery fo breast cancer. Therefore, I am now compiling a case to take to insurance companies in the hopes of setting industry standards on the importance of insurance compensation for any woman in need of this type of reconstructive repigmentation. When you are fighting for your life, you shouldn't have to fight for your breasts.

A new mission beyond artistry has now been illuminated, and I would like to help build the bridge between breast cancer and beauty. Even more important is to build a community that bridges the void between chemotherapy and common sense by providing solutions to the problems, issues and concerns that fall between the gaps from your team of medical specialists to final recovery. It is our mothers, daughters and sisters that have cared for us, not as doctors, but as family...not with hemostats, but instead with healing hands and hearts. Just being women is our speciality and there are times when that is what is most needed.

Classic Beauty Magazine wants your stories, solutions and support. Tell us about any problems you encountered during any phase of your breast cancer treatment and the solutions you found so we can share them with other women. We want to build a community where beauty reaches far beyond breast cancer by solving real problems for and by real women.

I want to share the story of one of my clients and what happened with her insurance company.

 

 Susan's Story (10/15/07)

 Yesterday I walked into the office of Permanent Make-Up Artist Rachell Hall. I entered as a 39-year-old breast cancer survivor and less than one hour later I came out a new person! For the first time since my mastectomy (2 years ago), I can look in the mirror and feel like a woman again. It is unbelievable how tattooed nipples have transformed these implanted mounds on my chest into breasts. I feel human. I feel normal. I feel sexy! I can’t thank Rachell enough for her kindness and for using her skills to give breast cancer survivors a chance to feel normal again.

In February of 2006, I went in for a routine mammogram, which ultimately ended up saving my life. Because I have a history of breast cancer in my family, my doctor had encouraged me to start getting yearly mammograms before the age of 40. Had I waited until my 40th birthday, my lump may have gone several years undetected and my prognosis may not have been as promising. Many women are waiting to have mammograms until they are 40 because either their doctors do not feel it is necessary or because the insurance companies are unwilling to pay for it.

This is appalling! We need to take a stand against insurance companies who are denying women these tests that could possibly save their lives. After my diagnosis, which was Stage 1 Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma, I chose to have a bilateral mastectomy and go through reconstruction. The results were amazing! Medical science has come a long way since 1957 when my grandmother had her mastectomy and was left with a flat chest, skin graft from her stomach and a severe scar. I was left with very naturally shaped breasts. Fully dressed, no one would ever know that I had been through a bilateral mastectomy. Undressed, however, the 2-3 inch horizontal scars and lack of nipples were a constant reminder of my cancer. I was thankful to be alive, grateful for reconstructed breasts but still felt “unfinished”. My plastic surgeon talked to me about the option of having nipples reconstructed from skin near the breast, but upon hearing that these would remain hard at all times, I lost interest. I had also read about some women having tattoos of nipples done on their breasts as an alternative. When I saw pictures of this and how real and natural they looked, I knew this was the choice for me.

With a prescription from my plastic surgeon, I called to make an appointment for my tattoos. I also called my insurance to make sure that it would be covered. They asked if the surgery was medically necessary. I said, “Well, no I won’t die without them but I had a mastectomy due to cancer and I’d really like to finish my reconstruction process.” I was told that unless it was medically necessary, my tattoos would not be covered. Upon learning this and the cost of the tattoos, I called back and cancelled my appointment. I had to finish paying off my medical bills before I could get into any more debt. The nipples would have to wait.

 Fast-forward 3 months when I received a call from Rachell Hall. She asks if I still want to have my nipples done and I tell her “yes”. She tells me that I have been on her mind for quite some time and that she feels that I should not have to live without nipples because I can’t afford it. Rachell tells me that next month is Breast Cancer awareness month and offers to have me come in and she will do my nipples for free.

It all happened so fast. Thirty-six hours later, I was nervously walking into her salon. As I sat down in Rachell’s office, she spoke to me of her passion to take a stand against the insurance companies who will not cover this procedure. I filled out some paperwork, looked at some pictures and removed my shirt. Rachell took “before” pictures and proceeded with drawing nipples on top of my scars with an eyeliner pencil. Once we had decided on placement and size, she began the tattoos. It hurt a bit, but it was quick. Within a half an hour, she was done and I was amazed. I sat up and as I looked in the mirror, I felt that I was a woman once again. It was unbelievable how the presence of the nipples not only covered part of the scars I once had, but distracted from the fact that they were even there!

- Susan

 

 

Now They Pay! (11/1/07)

Isn’t it interesting that after my Dear Oprah letter reached Susan’s insurance company they contacted me to emphatically let me know that they absolutely DO cover nipple/areola reconstruction. Why then did they not cover the procedure when asked by their own health subscription member?

It appears that the insurance companies themselves are confused about the difference between cosmetics and reconstruction rights. It  is an unnecessary battle that women are having to fight individually to get the coverage that they have the right to without having to go first through the immediate response of most companies which seems to be to first deny the claims.

 As we at Classic Beauty continue to address these rights by spending countless hours on hold with insurance providers, we are confident that with your help and perseverance, and with the support of many fine plastic surgeons and oncologists, we will indeed get this process simplified for all women. It is your right to reconstruction and these rights should not be hidden underneath piles of red tape and med speak rhetoric.

 
What You Can Do To Help (1/4/08)

 

We propose to produce a special edition of Classic Beauty Magazine; an education publication that will fill in the information gaps for women with breast cancer. We want to build the bridge between breast cancer and beauty. Even more important is to build a community that bridges the void between chemotherapy and common sense by providing solutions to problems, issues and concerns that fall between the gaps after medical specialists are done and before final recovery.

 The gaps lie between the valuable team of medical specialists including oncologist, surgeons and diagnosticians and complete recovery from breast cancer. After the medical professionals have addressed their respective specialties, many women are left without important information to guide them comfortably and knowledgeably through the process of living with complete breast cancer recovery.

 It is not the responsibility of the medical specialists to educate women on how to live through the process, although many do help as much as they can. But someone must fill in the gaps because life becomes very different through that process.

• Who will tell you that seat belts are going to be a painful proposal after your mastectomy and what you can do in order to buckle up for safety…comfortably?
• Your doctors may prepare you for hair loss after chemotherapy but who will tell you that there are cosmetic procedures that can be done before the chemo to give the illusion that you still have eyebrows and eyelashes after all your hair does fall out?
•  Who will tell you that when your hair falls out that it might even hurt?
• Who will tell you it’s all going to be okay and will tell you there are the things you can do at each phase of recovery to make it better?
• Who will tell you in the end, as one woman put it, that you will still look like a real girl?

We will ... with a little luck and a lot of help from our friends!

We are hoping to find corporate sponsorship to help us pay for the cost of creating, printing and distributing the magazine. So if you know of any companies we should be in touch with, please let us know.

In addition, we are hoping to find an attorney to do some pro bono work to help us cut through some of the insurance red tape!

Finally, you can help us bridge the gap between breast cancer and beauty by sharing your stories with us so we can help other women overcome the same obstacles you have faced and conquered.

 

A Big Win! (6/29/08)

We finally had a big win cutting through the red tape that surrounds the pink ribbon. Thanks to numerous exhaustive phone calls with her insurance company, we helped one women get paid on the first filing of her claim. Here is what she has to say...

"Progress in the fight with the insurance companies! I got paid on the first filing! Thanks for all your help + a really well done job with my repigmentation."
- Linda

Of course, this is only one among many insurance companies, so the fight goes on! Wish the staff at Classic Beauty luck as we tackle the big task ahead!