Schedule a free call
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Breast reduction in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
Large, heavy breasts can cause back, neck and shoulder pain and sore skin underneath, and these do not ease while you wait.
Your breast reduction without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in Spain, paid back by the HSE where there is a medical need. The hospital, the surgeon, the price and your stay are in writing before you decide.
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Your right under EU law since 2011
2,266claims paid back to Irish patients in 2024
Your rights under the schemeAt the end of August 2026, 4,022 adults on the public waiting list for plastic surgery in Ireland had been waiting longer than six months.
National Treatment Purchase Fund, inpatient and day-case waiting list by specialty, August 2026
Your breast reduction in Spain, step by step.
Eight steps from the first conversation to your refund. You commit at step 4, not before.
Before you commit
Stop at any time, at no cost
Talk to us
You
Schedule a free call, by video or phone, at a time you pick. We answer your questions and tell you how the route works for a breast reduction.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You need a referral from your GP or from a public consultant that describes the symptoms behind it, such as back or neck pain or skin problems, or a letter showing you are on the public plastic surgery list.
We determine your eligibility
Ablement · within 1 to 2 working days
You get a clear yes or no on whether you are eligible for a breast reduction in Spain. The HSE pays only where the public system would provide it for a medical reason, not for appearance.
We find a private hospital
Ablement · within 5 working days of a complete file
We ask the hospitals and send you one written proposal: the hospital, the surgeon, the price of your breast reduction, the dates and your expected refund.
After you commit
We stay with you to the refund
Your date is confirmed
The hospital
The hospital confirms your date in writing within 10 working days of your acceptance, and then you book your travel. Whether you stay a night in hospital depends on your operation and your surgeon; the hospital's written plan says how long you will be away.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
If you stay overnight, you meet your plastic surgeon in person before you are admitted, as the HSE requires; for a day case you can talk by video or phone before you travel, where the hospital offers it. Then you have your operation and fly home when the surgeon says you are fit to fly. You pay the hospital directly and send us the documents for your claim.
We claim your refund
Ablement · within 5 working days of your return
We send your signed claim to the HSE and follow it until you are paid. The HSE paid in 45 days on average in 2024.
Your aftercare at home
Your GP
Your GP and the public system take over, as if you had the operation at home. Your GP looks after the wounds and any stitches still to come out.
One contact person, from the first conversation to the refund.
Easy to reach at every step. A family member can join every call.
What a breast reduction costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your breast reduction, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before the HSE pays you back.
The HSE
Pays you back, where the public system would provide it for a medical reason, up to what a breast reduction costs in the Irish public system, at the rate for the setting it would have had in Ireland, in 45 days on average (2024).
The detail for a breast reduction
The HSE pays back a breast reduction only where the Irish public system would provide it for a medical reason, not for a change in appearance. When it does, it pays up to what a breast reduction costs in the public system, or the invoice if that is less. The HSE pays at the rate for the setting the operation would have had in Ireland, whatever your stay abroad; your proposal shows the expected refund. The refund is paid into your own account after the operation; travel, a hotel and a companion's costs are yours. Before you accept, the price is fixed in writing, and if no hospital's price fits within the refund, we show you the gap in writing so you can choose.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a breast reduction in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
No commitment and no documents needed.
- Write to us: Send us a message →
- Want an answer now? Use the chat.
What a breast reduction involves
A breast reduction is for large, heavy breasts that cause back, neck and shoulder pain, sore skin in the folds, or grooves from bra straps. Under a general anaesthetic, the surgeon removes breast tissue, fat and skin, moves the nipple up to a new position and reshapes the breast so that it is smaller, lighter and higher. The operation takes a few hours and leaves scars around the nipple and below it, which fade over time but do not disappear.
You wear a supportive bra for some weeks while the breasts heal, and avoid lifting. Relief from the back and shoulder pain is usually felt as soon as the weight is gone. The surgeon discusses with you beforehand that sensation in the nipple can change and that breastfeeding may not be possible afterwards.
Questions about a breast reduction
Short answers to what people ask us most. Open a question to read the answer.
All frequently asked questionsYour question isn't here?
Ask us in the chat Or send us a message from the Contact pageIs a breast reduction paid back if it is not cosmetic?
It can be, when the public system would offer it to you for a medical reason such as pain or skin problems. A reduction wanted only for how you look is not refunded. Your GP's letter matters here, so ask your GP to describe your symptoms and how long you have had them.
How long will I stay in Spain after a breast reduction?
Your time in hospital, and then a few days near the hospital so the surgeon can see how the wounds are healing. The surgeon decides when you can fly, and your written proposal sets out the hospital's usual plan.
When can I lift, drive or go back to work?
That depends on your work and on how you heal, so ask the surgeon before you leave Spain. Back home your GP looks after you, including the wounds and any stitches still to come out, in the usual way.
Will I lose my place on the Irish waiting list?
No. The HSE's rules do not ask you to leave the list to use the scheme, and you stay on it until you have been treated. Once your operation is done abroad, you let the Irish hospital know, so it can take you off the list. If you change your mind before then, nothing has changed at home.
Do I have to pay up front?
Yes. You pay the hospital directly, and the HSE pays you back afterwards, in 45 days on average in 2024. Some people use savings, help from their family or a credit union loan. We do not lend money or arrange loans, and no money of yours passes through us.
Is it safe, and what if something goes wrong?
You see the hospital and the surgeon's name in writing before you decide anything, and you have a consultation with the surgeon before the operation. Every hospital we work with must be registered with its country's health authorities, use surgeons who specialise in the operation, give its price and its terms on complications in writing, and give you an English-speaking contact person. The hospital that treats you is responsible for your care, and it must have a complaints procedure. We help you deal with the hospital, and at home your GP takes over as after any operation.
Why is your help free? What's the catch?
There is no catch. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee; you never pay us anything, and the hospital's price is fixed in writing before you accept. You can stop at any time before you sign with the hospital.
Will the HSE really pay me back?
The Cross Border Directive is EU law, and the HSE paid 2,266 claims from Irish patients in 2024 alone. The refund is yours when the paperwork is right: the referral, the consultation, the itemised invoice and your receipt. We prepare the claim with you, and before you travel you can send the HSE a prior notification, which tells you in advance whether you are eligible and gives an indication of the amount.
Can a family member come with me, or join the calls?
Yes. A family member can join every call and meeting, be named on your Consent Form and travel with you. Their travel and hotel are your own cost.
Find out if this route can work for you
One free call, by video or phone. No commitment and no documents.
by video or phone, at a time you pick
Already spoken with us? Start your case →