Cosmetic / Aesthetic / Body Contouring Procedures (Surgery to improve appearance)

Not Routinely Funded

Cosmetic/Aesthetic/Body Contouring procedures (undertaken exclusively to improve appearance) are a low priority treatment. They will only be commissioned by Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board on an exceptional case basis.

Cosmetic/Aesthetic/Body Contouring treatments are intended to change aspects of a person’s appearance. There is insufficient evidence to support cosmetic procedures as an appropriate treatment for psychological distress such as low self-esteem or depression – https://nwknowledgenow.nhs.uk/

Referring patients for treatments that can only be funded in exceptional circumstances may raise false expectations. The requesting clinician must demonstrate exceptional circumstances in that there must be ‘some unusual or unique factor about the patient’s clinical circumstances which suggests that the presentation/effect of the condition in the patient differs significantly from that found in the general population of patients with the condition and as a result the patient is likely to gain significantly more benefit from that treatment than might generally be expected for these patients.

Applications should be submitted via the Individual Funding Request form located via https://nwknowledgenow.nhs.uk/

Procedures that have been identified as cosmetic procedures and not routinely funded are as listed below:

Abdominoplasty
Buttock Lift
Thigh and Arm Contouring
Calf Implant
Liposuction for Lipoedema
Labiaplasty
Cosmetic operations on Umbilicus
Face Lift

Clinical threshold policies and criteria for the following procedures can be found: https://nwknowledgenow.nhs.uk/

Pinnaplasty
Breast Surgery
Rhinophyma
Rhinoplasty
Cosmetic Excision of Skin of Head and Neck

Cases for Individual Consideration

On a case to case basis, patients might be eligible for surgical intervention, in consideration of their exceptionality. The requesting clinician must provide information to support the case for being considered an exception, by submitting an individual funding request.