Does insurance pay?

Aesthetic treatments are self-pay services. Wrinkles, volume, lips, skin quality, lipolysis – neither statutory nor private health insurance pays for these. That applies regardless of the practice and of how much it bothers you. VIVA DERM is a private practice; every service is billed under the German medical fee schedule (GOÄ) and invoiced to you directly.

When botulinum toxin is medical: for severe axillary hyperhidrosis after other therapies have been exhausted, for chronic migraine (from 15 headache days a month), for spasticity, blepharospasm or dystonia, botulinum toxin is a licensed insured service – via neurology, dermatology or ENT. Bruxism and jaw-joint pain are mostly not covered; dental splints are.

Privately insured: here too aesthetics is excluded. With a medical indication (e.g. hyperhidrosis) a cost-coverage request with medical justification before treatment is worthwhile. Civil-servant allowance schemes proceed similarly.

Tax: purely aesthetic treatments are not deductible as extraordinary expenses. With medical necessity (official medical certificate before treatment) it may differ – seek tax advice.

The GOÄ invoice: it contains codes for consultation, examination, injection and the material costs (product, amount). The multiplier (usually 2.3) is shown on the invoice. A written cost plan before treatment is mandatory for self-pay services – you know beforehand what it costs.

Instalments and financing: possible but with caution: aesthetic treatments on credit are a warning sign of a decision under pressure. A treatment should be affordable without going into debt.