This is a 35 year-old Chicago area professional female, mother of two, who had extensive stretch marks, hanging skin, a muscle bulge (diastasis), and a belly button hernia from her previous pregnancies. We recommended a full drainless tummy tuck using quilting sutures with a rectus diastasis plication and an umbilical hernia repair. She had the procedure under general anesthesia at our JCAHO accredited facility in Downers Grove, IL. We used barbed quilting sutures to eliminate the need for postoperative drains and injected Exparel (long lasting local anesthetic) into the abdominal wall for postoperative pain control. Her muscle separation (rectus diastasis) was plicated, and the umbilical hernia was repaired converting her belly button from an “outie” to an “innie”. She used silicone sheets for postoperative scar management and had an excellent improvement in abdominal contour and belly button appearance.
