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Plastic Surgery/t.t./hernia repair , recurring hernia
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Question
Last May I had a successful tummy tuck and hernia repair. The general surgeon did the hernia repair first , then the plastic surgeon did the t.t.. Five months later and the hernia recurred. I know by the symptoms and the bulge is back in the exact same spot! It was an incisional hernia from a long ago gall bladder surgery(lap). I am concerned about another surgery , meaning I don't want to do that again. If I have to , will the results of the t.t. be affected?
from Dr. Alan Engler
www.bodysculpture.com
Hi Karen,
It is, of course, hard for me to answer that question without being able to see exactly what you look like, but if you're saying that the bulge has recurred in your right upper quadrant then it may be hard to get to without either making a direct incision over it or getting access via the tummy tuck incision.
However, that assumes that wide exposure is needed. And I don't know exactly how it was repaired in the first place. If mesh was not used and it could now be done so endoscopically (ie, without opening things up widely) then there may be very little impact on the tummy tuck.
You need to contact the general surgeon who did the hernia repair and ask him/her exactly what was done at that time, and then what needs to be done now. A lot of these can be repaired using tiny incisions, such as in the belly button and a few other spots. And since you've already undergo the large surgical procedure (the tummy tuck) it will understandable that you don't want to have to undo everything that's been done.
So - speak with your general surgeon, and then your plastic surgeon. Hopefully, this can be taken care of without having to lose the benefit of what you've done.
I hope that this helps, and good luck,
Dr. Alan Engler
www.bodysculpture.com
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Answers by Expert:
Alan M. Engler, MD, FACS
Expertise
Dr. Engler has answered over 3100 questions as a volunteer expert for AllExperts. His expertise includes breast surgery (breast enlargement with implants, breast reduction, breast lifts), liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, facelifts, skin cancers, cysts, etc. Dr. Engler has been listed as one New York`s Top Doctors, and as "One of the World's Most Famous Aesthetic Surgeons" (Aesthetic Surgery, TASCHEN Books, Angelika Taschen, Editor). He is the author of 4 books, including "BodySculpture" (a best-selling plastic surgery book on breast surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks), "EyeScapes" (Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids), "Restylane," and "The Slim Book of Liposuction." Dr. Engler has two US Patents for surgical instruments that he's designed, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The Ricki Lake Show (four times), and the Dr. Keith Ablow Show. Videos of his appearances are available on YouTube (search for "DR. ENGLER"), and his discussion of breast implants, also on YouTube is "How to Choose a Breast Implant." His website is www.bodysculpture.com. Thanks for "Likiing" Dr. Engler on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-NY/Alan-M-Engler-MD-New-York-Plastic-Surgery-and-Aesthetics/107206405967267?ref=ts&__a=8
Experience
Dr. Alan Engler is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and the author of BodySculpture - Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women (ISBN 0966382749) one of the top-selling plastic surgery books on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.
Education/Credentials
Dr. Engler graduated from Yale University (BA, Russian Studies) and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (MD). He did his residency training in General Surgery and, after that, Plastic Surgery, at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. He is on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and is a Special Lecturer in the Department of Dermatology at Columbia University in New York. He has admitting privileges at Beth Israel Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center, both in New York.
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