Can I Get Lipo with a Hernia or Will I Need a Tummy Tuck?

1. If you have a hernia of the abdomen liposuction around it will only make the bulge of the hernia worse.  This probably won't look good.....But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

2.  It is generally considered good practice to fix abdominal hernias.  Often times they can be fixed during a tummy tuck procedure.

3.  Doing liposuction in the area of a hernia could be risky because of the risk of poking a hole in the hernia contents which could be your intestines.

Thank you for your question.Yes, it is possible to have those procedure at the same time. But first, for safety reasons, to be a good candidate for the procedures you want at the same time, your labs and  cardiovascular preoperative evaluation must be optimal.
Kind Regards,Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

As you have several issues possibly such as diastasis rectus (weak fascial support for the abdominal muscles), excess fat in the abdomen and a hernia, I would suggest you seek consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who should examine you and make suggestions about the repair of the hernia and whether a tummy tuck is needed in addition to the liposuction.

You best bet here is a second opinion with a general surgeon (not a general plastic surgeon) who is in the business of hernia repair.  Your internist or gynecologist can most likely refer you to someone in the DC area.  If this surgeon say you have a hernia-there is you answer.  Regarding what to do, this is a circumstance where it pays to have surgery with a board certified general plastic surgeon.  There is undoubtedly and increase risk when liposuction is performed in the setting of abdominal wall herniation.  

It is common for general plastic surgeons to do both tummy tuck and a durable repair of the abdominal wall weakness.  This is an instance where it makes sense to seek out a double boarded plastic surgeon, one who has completed an entire residency in general surgeon and a second residency in general plastic surgery.  Because of the way graduate medical education is funded, it is now very unusual for new to practice general plastic surgeons to be double boarded in this fashion.  You will need to find someone in their mid-forties or beyond for this level of training.

Since pregnancy stretches out the abdominal skin, there is usually some residual laxity that cannot be corrected with exercise or with lipo. Also, the muscle separation does not respond to exercise for anatomic reasons. A hernia is a separate issue, and it could be repaired as part of the tummy tuck. Make sure you are consulting a board certified plastic surgeon who does both tummy tucks and liposuction so they can recommend which is best.