Should I get umbilical hernia repair with a general surgeon or tummy tuck/diastasis/hernia repair with a plastic surgeon?(photo)

 Thank you for your question in the photos. A lot of the time, I will repair the umbilical hernia at the same time I am doing a tummy tuck. Only if the hernia is very large do I do this procedure in conjunction with a general surgeon.  The general surgeon that you saw clearly does not understand your wishes to reestablish your flat tummy prior to pregnancy. As long as you're not planning on having additional children, I would recommend doing it the tummy  tuck and the hernia repair at the same time. Best of luck!

Umbilical hernias are quite common and occur in the setting of a previous surgery, pregnancy, or diastasis recti. We treat umbilical hernias with or without correction of diastasis recti using a combination approach that corrects redundant skin in the lower abdomen and around the belly button. If there is a lot of skin, we would use a tummy tuck scar whereas smaller corrections can be performed using just the belly button incision which is well hidden inside your belly button.


Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

I recommend the hernia be repaired by a general surgeon.  I would discuss your rectus diastasis with them and see if they feel comfortable repairing it.  If not they may be able to team up with a plastic surgeon who can.

1. Umbilical hernia repair: most small umbilical hernias can be treated by either a general surgeon or a plastic surgeon.  If you are strictly undergoing hernia repair, this is usually treated by a general surgeon.  If you are undergoing liposuction or tummy tuck, the plastic surgeon usually performs the repair at the same time (since he/she is "in the neighborhood").2. The more complicated question is how to treat the remainder of the abdomen.  If your abdominal wall protrusion is related to excessive abdominal wall fat (can you pinch more than an inch?), then diet and weight loss or liposuction are reasonable options.  If your abdominal wall protrusion is related to abdominal wall laxity (which you can blame on your kids), then a modified tummy tuck focused on abdominal wall tightening with minimal skin removal and "umbilical float" may be worth consideration.  

You do NOT look like you need a tummy tuck - your skin looks great.All you need is weight loss and the hernia repaired -an easy procedure. If you feel you can't get rid of that little bit of fat and prefer a liposuction that is reasonable. The opening to repair the hernia can be used for the liposuction as well, to give a better result from a "crosshatching" technique. It is easy to overdo liposuction in a person like yourself you do not want to alter that nice skin.