Tummy Tuck/ Mini Tummy Tuck During Complete (Open) Hysterectomy?

This is commonly performed, however it is not my preference.  There are additional risk and complication with combining the two.  I like to reduce the risk of a tummy tuck as much as possible because it is one of the more risky cosmetic surgery procedures.  A significant amount of the deaths in plastic surgery is related to the tummy tuck procedure combined with other procedures and some of these patience are higher risk.  I like to keep the risk and complication to a minimum.  If you have a family they need  you for a life time.  I am different than most doctors  answering this question but I would not want my wife to do both.

Can I have a tummy tuck with my hysterectomy? This is a fairly common request. If you are a healthy women, and have excess skin laxity and/or muscle laxity - it is very reasonable to perform these together as long as the total length of surgery is reasonable and the amount of blood loss is acceptable. You can think of it as a good thing that comes out of necessary surgery. Unfortunately, insurance considers the tummy tuck to be a cosmetic procedure and will not cover that portion of the surgery. Good luck.

The safety and efficacy of combining hysterectomy and tummy tuck has been established by studies of patients who had the operations together vs others where they were staggered.  In properly selected patients, having the uterus removed and the abdominal wall reconstructed in one operating session is completely satisfactory.

This does entail addtional risk but can be arranged by contacting your gynecologist for a referral to plastic surgeons they have worked with in the past. Arrange a consultation and discuss the feasibility of a combined procedure.

This is actually a very common request.  There is definitely a slightly greater risk of combining the two surgeries but many people find that it is helpful to do both surgeries at the same time. 

I agree with the comment about never having abdominal surgery.  This doesn't make any sense!

I would talk to your OB-GYN and have them recommend a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon that they are comfortable with and discuss the option of a combined surgery.

I hope that helps!

As long as you are healthy and there are no medical contraindications, it is very reasonable to combine an abdominoplasy with your hysterectomy. There is very little additional recovery and little additional risk by combining these two procedures. I would ask your gynecologist if there is a Plastic Surgeon that they work with. Good luck.

I have performed a number of these combination cases and have found that patients with vaginal hysterectomies for small fibroids, bleeding, or other issues do quite well. 

Larger fibroids, severe endometriosis, heavier bleeding with preop anemia, and multiple prior abdominal surgeries make the hysterectomy more involved and may involve taking down more adhesions (internal scarring).  This group of patients in my experience has been more of a problem and have longer hospitalizations and more complications.

Combining a tummy tuck with a hysterectomy is commonly done, and it saves the patient from having two separate surgeries.  I have worked with many OB/Gyn doctors where I help them from the beginning to the end of their part and then finish with a tummy tuck.  For the patients, this means only one recovery period and anesthesia exposure as well as saving money.  With my practice in Baltimore, I enjoy working with Dr. Dee-Dee Shiller at Northwest Hospital.  She is an excellent OB/Gyn and her patients rave about her.  

Studies have shown that combining tummy tuck and gynecologic procedures have a higher rate of wound infection and DVT. I don't recommend combining the two types of procedures. Other surgeons may have different experiences with the combo- my opinion is based on the data that has been published.

In my opinion, the two operations can be done safely together, as long as the following conditions are met: There needs to be comfort level between the plastic surgeon and GYN. The hysterectomy cannot be for cancer related diagnosis since you may need chemotherapy and radiation therapy and that would affect wound healing, The total combined operations should last more than 4 hours because it puts you at increased risk for deep vein thrombosis and infections. And the plastic surgeon should not be too aggressive with either the skin resection or liposuction, because this may increase the risk of post operative skin healing. In addition, this operation has a slightly increased risk of infection due to the fact that the hysterectomy is not a truly "clean" surgery. That being said, I have performed well over a hundred of these operations safely because of careful patient selection.  On the other hand, If you are just looking for a scar revision from prior C-section with a little skin resection, the risk is minimal.