Is gynecomastia surgery tax deductable?

[AnonymousCoward]

I know insurance won't cover it, but is it still considered "cosmetic" as taxes go and you can't write it off, or is it considered more as a disfigurement from a disease and you can write it off?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Interesting question.  You are correct -- cosmetic surgery is not tax deductible as a medical expense.  But gyne surgery is in a gray zone -- the men who have the surgery certainly feel it is a medical condition which merits correction and therefore should be deductible as a legit medical expense.  The insurance companies use any excuse not to cover the surgery, so they call it cosmetic.  Would you want Uncle Sam to be the final arbiter should you deduct it and then be questioned about it?  Don't know.

Dr Jacobs

[headheldhigh01]

i'd tell them it's psychological necessity and you chose to respect yourself as a man.  i'd tell them if they have no problem allowing deduction for cosmetic dental bridge work to function in normal society, they d**ned well better let you take credit for slicing a pair of breasts off, which is obviously a bigger deal, and if you don't, you'll report their butts as far up the line as it takes.  if you have to, look up that new york case where the court ordered the insurance company to cover it (don't mention that most other companies are still copping out).  difficult as it might be to believe, i bet at some point even most irs agents, maybe not all but most, probably have some tiny speck of shame in them and figure if it costs them a few hundred collected to let you live with yourself, maybe they can.  if not, appeal as far as it takes and hold their feet to the fire. 

[Jack17]

I would really doubt the feds would accept that.

As much as everyone with gyne thinks the surgery is necessary, I doubt the feds would concede the $5000 to a surgery conducted by a cosmetic surgeon. Not sure I’d risk the audit, personally. Once you get audited, your taxes are examined line by line for many years to come.

Good luck though, I hope I’m wrong!

[headheldhigh01]

i've been spared the experience, knock on wood, but even though every agent is probably different, i don't think it's a hard case to make.  in any case, it's not 5k they're losing, it's the differential taxable amount against 5k off your income.  like i said, since cosmetic dentistry is defensible on business grounds, i think the ability to function normally, especially given how many times you see the word suicide appear on these boards, would be really easy to defend.  tell them a few of your stories and see if they dare to hold the line.  just my fallible $.02.