Yoohoo..Dr. LoMonaco...a question for you

Hi Dr. Lo,
I am almost 20 months post op DS and have had two hernia repairs. The first was an incisional hernia that developed at about 3-4 months post-op and the second was a ventral hernia that developed after the first hernia repair. The same surgeon did both repairs. On the ventral repair, he pulled the ab muscles together slightly and used a large piece of mesh to cover the hole. The first repair was intact, so he left it alone. He also revised my original open DS scar (it healed with lots of keloids) by removing about an inch of skin down the middle. I knew that I was not going to have results like I would with a tummy tuck, so I'm not upset at the fact that the muscles are not as tight as I'd like nor that there is still quite a bit of loose skin.

My question is this: is a tummy tuck or lower body lift still possible after two hernia repairs? I'm guessing that I still have some redundant muscle in there as well (I've had 4 babies as well as being obese for 20+ years). I obviously don't want any hernias to come back, but if I'm ever able to get the skin removed, I'd like to know if that option is available to me.
Thanks!
p.s. if anyone has had experience with this, I'd love to hear your story.

Hi. Congrats on your accomplishments ! There is no reason you cannot have removal of the loose skin after the hernia repairs although the prior scar tissue may make getting it really tight and smooth more challenging, esp. if you have a tendency to make the thicker scars.

The muscle tightening may be harder because of the mesh.  I've done it but it's a challenge.  A preop CT scan sometimes helps because the mesh repairs are known to fail, and you don't want an unexpected hernia "popping up" and surprising your surgeon.

You will want a  plastic surgeon familiar with doing these more involved abdominal wall reconstructions, or have your PS enlist the help of a general surgeon if needed.

Best,
 

Thanks so much for your reply. I kinda figured that's what you were going to say. I appreciate the tip about the CT scan; wouldn't have thought of it otherwise. It's kind of a moot point right now because of finances, but it's nice to know that the option is not closed to me.
Thanks again!