Tummy tuck with hernia repair

You sound to be the ideal person to do a tummy tuck after 5 pregnancies and repair the hernia at the same time. Plastic surgeons are trained to repare the abdominal wall more than any other specialty. I think because of the severe seperation of the muscles and the protrusion of the abdominal content it looks as if you do not have excess skin.

but once the muscles are repaired there is a lot of skin to be removed and tightened. Personally, I have seen this many times, where my patient looked as if she is full term pregnant because of muscle seperation. If the abdominal wall is that bad you probably will benefit for a “component seperation type of repair.” (Samir Shureih, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

Hernia repair with tummy tuck

Tummy tuck with hernia repair photo

Some I (and the patient) identify prior to surgery because they are large enough to feel, others are small and I find them during a tummy tuck surgery. Not all plastic surgeons are comfortable fixing hernias, some are. I am Board Certified in both General and Plastic Surgery and therefore am comfortable fixing them due to my extensive extra training.

I suggest you seek out a surgeon with the same board certification (certified in both specialties by the Amercian Board of Medical Specialties, their website is a good resource for research) Have them take a look and assess your comfort level with them, their expereince and their results.

These two procedures are commonly done at the same time and are very safe to perform. (John Philip Connors III, MD, FACS, Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon)

It sounds as if you WOULD benefit from a tummy tuck

Tummy tuck with hernia repair image

I would be surprised if after 5 children you would not benefit from some skin tightening. If you do not, you may still benefit from a tummy tuck with a shorter scar from tummy tuck to visualize and repair the separated muscles (diastasis recti) while at the same time repairing the umbilical hernia through the same incision. Many plastic surgeons would feel comfortable repairing a small umbilical hernia at the time of a tummy tuck. (York Jay Yates, MD, Orange Plastic Surgeon)

A tummy tuck can include the removal of skin, fat and/or muscular repair. You don’t have to have all these things done at the time of the operation. It can be modified to suit you. The condition of your tissues can be an issue at surgery. These are things to discuss at consultation. See a few surgeons to get several opinions. (John P. Di Saia, MD, Bay Area Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy tuck surgery with hernia repair

Tummy tuck for separated muscles and hernia

Getting two opinions for any major surgery is a good idea. From the concerns you describe, you need a tummy tuck to address the separated muscle and umbilical hernia.

If you do not have enough skin for a full tummy tuck, you can do a modified tummy tuck and still repair your separated muscles and address your umbilical hernia – depending on how large it is. I would suggest getting a second opinion from a board certified plastic surgeon. (Bahram Ghaderi, MD, )