Hernia after birthing twins. Do I have any options besides a tummy tuck? (photos)

An aesthetically pleasing abdomen is something many of us desire and while proper nutrition, exercise and weight control are very important, sometimes we cannot achieve our goals. Simply getting older and pregnancy also play a role in the appearance of our abdomen. If you desire the most dramatic improvement, then a full tummy tuck can help you achieve your goals. A tummy tuck removes excess fat and skin, and tightens muscles. However, a mini tummy tuck or just liposuction are very good procedures and many patients are happy with only these surgeries.

I would recommend that you see a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area that is a member of both ASPS & ASAPS and performs a lot of tummy tucks and body contouring. Good luck with your future surgery! I hope this helps answer your question. If it does, please take a moment to up vote this answer on the “respond” button on the top right.

Hello @NurseChick90, thank you for your question. Yes for best result you need a Tummy tuck because there is an excess of skin. There are 4 factors that are taking into account when it comes to the abdomen shape: Lax skin, diastasis recti, fat under the skin and intra abdominal fat. The first two are treated with a tummy tuck and the latter with lipolysis made with liposuction. Besides your specialist cloud add in your surgical plan to remove the hernia. It is important that you have a consultation with a board certified specialist to determine a surgical plan according to your needs. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS.

Dear NurseChick90,
based on your photos, you look like a good candidate for a TT. Full tummy tuck should tighten your abdominal muscles and remove the excess skin. Flanks liposuction would give you a better shape. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon because only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your question about Tummy procedure options and for including pictures! Congratulations on your twins! How exciting! Now to repair some of the damage from pregnancy.

If you have diastasis recti from your pregnancy, a tummy tuck would be the only procedure to bring those muscles back together.

To be sure, see two or more experienced, licensed and board-certified providers in your area for a complete evaluation to make sure you are a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have treatment.

I hope this helps.

Have your hernia repaired and see if you are then satisfied. If not, you could consider liposuction to remove excess fat. Once you are 6 to 12 months out from the hernia repair, you could tighten your abdominal wall with noninvasive EMSculpt.

You can elect to have your hernia repaired without any further procedures. This can be performed by a general surgeon. If you are wanting to combine it with aesthetic procedures this can be done as well. From your photos it appears you would be a good candidate for a tummy tuck with liposuction for contouring. This would remove excess fat and skin as well as correct abdominal wall laxity. The result would be a flatter, tighter abdomen. The next step is to visit with a board certified plastic surgeon near you to learn more.

Hello, thank you for your question and pictures.
After evaluating your case you seem to be a great candidate for a Tummy Tuck to remove the skin excess on the abdomen combined whit 360 liposusuction to reshape your body. The BMI neet to be under 33 for surgery. By combining these procedures we can achieve goog results.
Yes it is possible to remove the hernia and achieve good results.

Make sure to approach to a certified surgeon to help your clear all your doubts.

Best wishes!

Nobody wants to have a tummy tuck. Nobody loves the big scar or the unnatural looking belly button. Women choose to have the procedure in order to regain a tight flat abdomen after pregnancy related abdominal changes.
There are four variables that determine what the abdomen looks like. Treatment options should be based on what the primary problem is. The four variables are skin laxity, excess subcutaneous fat, muscle separation from previous pregnancies and access visceral or intra-abdominal fat.
A full tummy tuck primarily treats abdominal muscles separation from previous pregnancies and skin laxity.
Having had previous pregnancies does not change fat distribution and does not increase visceral fat.
Nobody has to have a tummy tuck but it is the only way to get the abdominal wall flat after significant muscle separation.
There are many different types of hernias and it would be helpful if you would include what type of hernia you have. Plastic surgeons are generally trained in hernia repairs I can often do the hernia repair in conjunction with the tummy tuck. midline hernias are generally automatically corrected simply by doing muscle tightening as part of the procedure.
If you opt for having a tummy tuck then choose your plastic surgeon carefully.
The hallmarks of quality work typically is presented by surgeons who can deliver a consistent natural looking belly buttons. that tends to be one of the hardest parts of the procedure and surgeons who get that part right typically get all aspects of the procedure right.
Other characteristics of quality work include a very low set scar that follows anatomic contours naturally. Likewise, the torso should look proportionate balanced and attractive from all angles including from behind. A good plastic surgeon will take the appearance of the entire torso into consideration and adjust the procedure accordingly to make the entire torso look good. this may mean liposuction of the waist and love handles or extending the procedure if there is excess skin laxity on the sides or back.
A full tummy tuck is not for everyone and it is a big undertaking. Generally most patients need two full weeks of uninterrupted recovery without obligations.
Depending on what type of hernia you have it makes a lot of sense to combine the procedures or have the plastic surgeon address the hernia. depending on how it’s done doing insurance and cosmetic combined procedures can sometimes create cost savings for patients in regards to facility fees, anesthesia fees and potentially cover an overnight stay which is highly recommended after a full tummy tuck. I would definitely consult with plastic surgeons before moving forward with any surgical procedure based on what you described.
To find the right provider I suggest must patients schedule multiple in person consultations locally.
Whenever possible I recommend avoiding a virtual consultations whenever possible.
During each consultation ask each provider to show their entire collection of before and after pictures. Being shown a handful of sample pictures which most likely represent the best results of each providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what the average results look like in the hands of each provider.
Ask the providers to show as many pictures as possible of patients with similar body characteristics to your own.
You may also want to ask to see examples of excellent outcomes, average outcomes and less than outcomes. we all have them and it’s fair game to ask to see a variety of outcomes from the procedure. an experienced plastic surgeon and should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 sets of before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures like a tummy tuck. surgeons may be apprehensive to simply open up their entire portfolio but I would encourage each patient to request seeing as many pictures as the surgeon is willing to show you especially pushing to see a variety of outcomes to confirm what their typical results look like. When judging results try not to look at the scar itself as a representation of the outcome of the procedure. Scars require 12 to 18 months before they’re mature and can look pretty horrific early after surgery. depending on each persons genetic makeup and history of healing scars typically improved dramatically if given enough time and then some impatiens simply become a faint barely visible thin line. for other individuals who are prone to forming highly visible scars it can be a highly visible and undesirable aspect of the procedure. It’s important to go over your own history of healing to get a good idea of what your scores will look like and this could potentially influence the decision to have or not have the procedure. A full tummy tuck is a permanent and irreversible procedure. It’s very difficult to improve outcomes if not done correctly the first time.
For that reason I encourage patience to be very careful in the vetting process and be selective when considering providers.
Simply being a board-certified plastic surgeon with overall good reputation and numerous positive reviews is insufficient to confirm that the provider can deliver quality results on a consistent basis for any particular procedure.
Finally I recommend reading all the reviews on various physician review websites avoiding providers with any significant number of justified negative reviews. The absence of justified negative reviews is more important and far more telling then having an abundance of positive reviews.
When did out slow down and continue having more consultations.
This is a procedure that should be well planned out and scheduled and not done in a hurry or without consideration to recovery when it comes to physical and emotional support.
The procedure can cause an emotional roller coaster but often in the end is often worth it and can’t deliver stunning results.
Women should be fairly certain they are not planning on having more pregnancies before committing to having the procedure.
Continue having consultations until you feel you found a provider who meets your needs.
Find the right plastic surgeon and everything falls into place.
Good luck,
Mats Hagstrom MD

Hi and welcome to our forum!From your photos, I note a degree of abdominal fullness.After birthing twins, I would expect a degree of anterior abdominal muscle separation. This is termed a diastasis recti and differs from a hernia where abdominal contents pass through a defect in the abdominal wall. The former requires reapproximation of the musculature while the latter requires hernia reduction and removal of the hernia sac, followed by fascial repair.Without a physical examination, I cannot differentiate between the two entities.Many plastic surgeons are fully trained general surgeons as well with much experience in hernia repair. The procedures of abdominoplasty and hernia or diastasis recti repair can be performed concomitantly. A non-surgical modality will not improve abdominal fullness due to hernia / diastasis.Visit an experienced double board certified general / plastic surgeon for evaluation and discussion.Best wishes...