Do plastic surgeons also perform large hernia repair?

Hello and thank you for your question. The answer depends on the type and severity of your hernia. A tummy tuck brings your abdominal muscles together in the midline and closes the hernia defect. A surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery will be capable of performing both the hernia repair and tummy tuck at the same time. If she or he feel they would not be who would serve you best for the hernia repair, they will likely know a good surgeon to collaborate with. I practice in the Seattle area and will be happy to meet with you and discuss any of your concerns.

A surgeon must be credentialed by the hospital to allow him/her to do certain procedures, whether or not he/she feels comfortable with the procedure. Please check with the surgeon to see what his situation is. Usually, a boarded general surgeon is needed in addition to a plastic surgeon. Interview the general surgeon too!!

If the patient just has a large hernia and needs no other surgery done, my recommendation is for them to see a general surgeon, as they are considered to be the most experienced surgeons to treat hernias.  There are some plastic surgeons who do a lot of the abdominal wall reconstruction, which would include repair of a large hernia.  If a patient wants to combined a hernia operation with an abdominoplasty you can find some plastic surgeons who will do both procedures, especially if the plastic surgeon was fully trained in general surgery.  However due to insurance issues and wanting to have the best results, I have always found that it is best to do a combined procedure where the general surgeon fixes the hernia while the plastic surgeon does the TT, all as part of one operation.  In that case, you will have both problems being treated by the appropriate specialist.