Qualifications of a best plastic surgeon performing Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty procedures are designed to remove infraumbilical skin and fat; and to tighten the anterior abdominal wall musculature.
Patients should always undergo these procedures with a well qualified plastic surgeon who is board certified.
In more complicated abdominal reconstructions, cooperation between and general surgeon and a plastic surgeon is sought to correct abdominal wall hernias and acheive a cosmetically acceptable result.
This cooperation between specialities is important in minimizing risk of hernia recurrence and optimizing tissue dynamics to acheive a more acceptable abdominal contour. (Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)
Tummy Tucks are not part of General Surgeons’ scope of training
Only go to doctors who practice within the scope of their training. A weekend course or reading about it in a book is not a replacement for years of training. (Brian K. Brzowski, MD, Ogden Plastic Surgeon)
Best board certified plastic surgeons are best at tummy tucks and I would keep it that way.
One would never expect a plastic surgeon to take out a gallbladder and one should not expect a general surgeon to do an abdominoplasty, especially a complicated one like you describe. (Francisco Canales, MD, Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon)
Tummy Tucks should be performed by plastic surgeons
Even a simple tummy tuck should be performed by a plastic surgeon if you are interested in getting the best result. The goal is not to just survive the procedure. The goal is to have a beautiful result with the nicest recovery and the least chance of developing a complication. This is what a plastic surgeon is trained to deliver. Your case is potentially quite complicated. The special expertise of a best tummy tuck surgeon is critical if you are going to have a tummy tuck. You may chose to have the hernia repaired without the tummy tuck. This can be performed by a general surgeon. However, since you’ve had wound healing issues in the past, the presence of a best tummy tuck surgeon may be beneficial in optimizing your potential to heal your surgical wounds also. Look for a board-certified plastic surgeon and go for a consultation. (Parham Ganchi, PhD, MD, Wayne Plastic Surgeon)
Unfortunately, this has become much more common as plastic surgeons have chosen for the most part to not accept insurance payments for procedures which are sometimes medically necessary, as it sounds like this might be. However, the more complicated the case, the less appropriate it is for a surgeon to range outside their comfort level.
It sounds to me like this patient would be best served by a combined approach involing a general surgeon and a plastic surgeon. At 65, an abdominoplasty is already one of the most invasive procedures we, as plastic surgeons, perform. Add to this the fact of multiple hernia surgeries, and this patient is at risk of multiple complicationsm, especially deep venous thrombosis, which could lead to pulmonary embolus, which can be fatal. (W. Tracy Hankins, MD, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)
A general surgeon who has not also trained in plastic surgery should not attempt this. Being a Board Certified General Surgeon myself, I know how they think and they think a tummy tuck is easy compared to what they do within the abdomen. I can tell you that a beautifully done tummy tuck will not be performed in the hands of a non-plastic surgeon. It actually sounds as though this case is also extremely complicated and a tummy tuck by anybody may not be safe or wise to do. Here again, a general surgeon wouldn’t know how to make this call. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
It is close enough to civilisation to find a plastic surgeon who can either do the entire procedure or work with the general surgeon. The complication rate for abdominoplasty surgery is not zero even when performed by a well trained plastic surgeon. For a general surgeon, it would be prohibitive. Find a plastic surgeon to participate to get the safest and best result. (Kenneth R. Francis, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)
While you might get lucky and get a good result with a general surgeon doing your tummy tuck, it does not seem logical. This tendency to see general surgeons do tummy tucks for cheaper rates is insane. Would you go to a plastic surgeon and say, while you are doing some liposuction, can you take out my gallbladder? Do you want your plastic surgeon delivering your baby?
Sure, we are all doctors, but we all are trained in specialities that we should stick to. Bargain hunting for prices is likely to leave you with a bargain basement result or even worse, dangerous complications. Go to a board certified plastic surgeon for cosmetic surgery for the following two reasons, they are certified by a board that demands rigorous standards of training and patient safety! (Evan Sorokin, MD, Cherry Hill Plastic Surgeon)
You have already had multiple issues and heading down the path of having further issues to come. I am a board certified general surgeon as well as a board certified best tummy tuck surgeon. I can manage both issues as far as dealing with complicated hernia issues and abdominoplasty.
However, I would have never thought about doing a tummy tuck when I was a general surgery. It goes beyond the technical aspects. BE CAREFUL!!!! If you want to have everything done at the same time.
It is very feasible to find a plastic surgeon that would work jointly with the general surgeon or find a plastic surgeon that is also board certified general surgeon to deal with the hernia and then do your tummy tuck. (Farbod Esmailian, MD, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)
As a plastic surgeon who does a lot of body contouring for massive weight loss patients, I have seen a number of tummy tucks done by general surgeons who have been the initial bariatric surgeon. These patients do not exhibit incision placement, consideration for the other areas of skin redundancy and fat contour residuals, and closure technique which reflect the thoughtfulness that a plastic surgeon would have brought to these patients. They are, in fact, seeing me to re-do the issues they have been left with after the general surgeons have relieved themselves of the situation or the patients themselves have decided for another opinion. In your situation, I would look for a Board Best tummy tuck surgeon who can work in conjunction with a general surgeon as a team to address both the recurrent hernia and the redundant tissue in your abdomen. With a hernia which took years to heal, the expertise of 2 surgeons may be needed to avoid another prolonged post operative course of healing. (David N. Hing, MD)