Discussion
Hi, just hoping for any advice on this. My Daughter has a large haemangioma birthmark on her back, taking up about a sixth of her back in size.
Now she is approaching her 17th birthday and is starting to feel self-conscious about it. When she was little we were assured that most of these fade with time and it has seemed to 'flatten' over time but still very obvious when she wears backless dresses or a bikini.
She has approached her Dr who has referred her to a plastic surgeon (not NHS) who wants consultation fees of £300 before giving a decision of what to do (if anything). My question is, is it worth paying these fees or not, I don't mind paying £300 for her but not if they just turn round and say can't do anything but that's £300 anyway! Apparently she cannot have it dealt with by the NHS as it is purely cosmetic.
Is there was some way of finding out what her options are, but not paying silly money just to be told there is nothing that can be done? As she is now going on for 17, it is starting to affect her and she feels self-conscious about it.
Many thanks.
Now she is approaching her 17th birthday and is starting to feel self-conscious about it. When she was little we were assured that most of these fade with time and it has seemed to 'flatten' over time but still very obvious when she wears backless dresses or a bikini.
She has approached her Dr who has referred her to a plastic surgeon (not NHS) who wants consultation fees of £300 before giving a decision of what to do (if anything). My question is, is it worth paying these fees or not, I don't mind paying £300 for her but not if they just turn round and say can't do anything but that's £300 anyway! Apparently she cannot have it dealt with by the NHS as it is purely cosmetic.
Is there was some way of finding out what her options are, but not paying silly money just to be told there is nothing that can be done? As she is now going on for 17, it is starting to affect her and she feels self-conscious about it.
Many thanks.
My niece had a similar issue. It was treated on the NHS with the Op performed at Great Ormond Street. With one of my own kids we had the need for some minor plastic surgery. Initially the funding request was turned down but the GP and consultant were persistent and they got the decision over-turned eventually. The point being that sometimes pressure needs to be applied to the system to get what you should be entitled to.
Thanks for the informative replies. Yes I thought with it being a birthmark affecting her self-confidence that she would at least be assessed on the NHS. Apparently the last time she saw the Dr he said that the local health care trust wouldn't.
DrFrank, what does the local CCG mean? As she is now 17 she tends to have Dr appointments without me present obviously, so any tips I could pass onto her before she next approaches her Dr?
Many thanks again, this is what I love about PistonHeads!
DrFrank, what does the local CCG mean? As she is now 17 she tends to have Dr appointments without me present obviously, so any tips I could pass onto her before she next approaches her Dr?
Many thanks again, this is what I love about PistonHeads!
No, she has not had any treatment in the past. We were told that they mostly disappear as she gets older, so it was a case of wait and see.
She did have a small one on her forehead too, that one shrank and flattened as she got older and as she grew is 'moved' up her forehead so the remaining slight redness is now hidden by her hair. We did hope that the one on her back would fade in the same way.
The other thing about it is that when she was about 6 or 7 it got knocked and bled for a week or so on and off, this has resulted in the mark looking different at the top and bottom, i.e. not a uniform colour/texture - which seems to make it look worse than it is (if you see what I mean! It's quite difficult to describe).
She did have a small one on her forehead too, that one shrank and flattened as she got older and as she grew is 'moved' up her forehead so the remaining slight redness is now hidden by her hair. We did hope that the one on her back would fade in the same way.
The other thing about it is that when she was about 6 or 7 it got knocked and bled for a week or so on and off, this has resulted in the mark looking different at the top and bottom, i.e. not a uniform colour/texture - which seems to make it look worse than it is (if you see what I mean! It's quite difficult to describe).
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