Umbilical Hernia Repair
Most “outie” belly buttons are actually small umbilical hernias. These are usually present from birth and often go unnoticed for many years. Over time, normal wear and tear and weakening of the abdominal tissues can cause the hernia to slowly enlarge and become more noticeable.
Umbilical hernias do not behave predictably. Some remain the same size for years, while others can grow quickly over a short period of time.
We generally recommend repair if:
Repairing a hernia early may also avoid the need for mesh.
Umbilical hernias do not behave predictably. Some remain the same size for years, while others can grow quickly over a short period of time.
We generally recommend repair if:
Repairing a hernia early may also avoid the need for mesh.
As a general rule, umbilical hernias 2–3 cm or smaller can often be repaired without mesh.
Post-operative pain is typically very well controlled. We use Exparel, a long-acting local anesthetic that provides pain relief for 48–72 hours. When combined with Tylenol and/or NSAIDs, most patients experience minimal discomfort.
We believe robotic repair is not necessary for most umbilical hernias. Robotic surgery:
While some surgeons advocate mesh for all umbilical hernias, our experience differs. After performing over 1,000 umbilical hernia repairs, we are not aware of any patients experiencing a recurrence following open repair without mesh.
