About Open Hernia Surgery

Open hernia surgery is the standard of care in hernia repair. In open surgery, the skin and fat over a hernia are opened, the hernia is located, and a small mesh is placed under the hole in the muscle. The skin is then closed over the hernia repair site. Open surgery can be used for all hernias including inguinal, umbilical, incisional, ventral, sports, and femoral.

Open Hernia Surgery – Inguinal

Inguinal hernias are caused by a hole in the muscle of the groin. This hole can either be lateral to the blood vessels (indirect inguinal hernia), or towards the middle from the blood vessels (direct inguinal hernia). Regardless, in open surgery, the muscle layers over the weakened muscle are opened. The hole (or holes) in the muscle are found. A dual sided mesh is used to reinforce the hernia defect and the muscle around the hole.

The dual mesh allows one layer (with the blue circles) to be placed under the muscle, while the other top layer is placed over the damaged muscle. With this type of repair, the weakened muscles are treated from both the inside AND the outside of the hole. This cannot be done in laparoscopic surgery since only an inner layer mesh can be used.

Open Hernia Surgery Video – Inguinal

In the video below, Dr. Harris narrates an open inguinal hernia repair done at California Hernia Specialists’ hernia center.

Open Inguinal Hernia Repair

Dr. Harris narrates an actual open inguinal hernia repair done at our hernia center.

Open Hernia Surgery – Umbilical

Umbilical hernia repairs are almost always best done open. During open surgery, a small incision is made in the crease under the belly button. The belly button is lifted off of the underlying muscle and fat. The hole in the muscle is exposed and a mesh is placed through the hole.

The mesh is then sutures (sewn) to the surrounding healthy muscle in several locations. Once the mesh is securely fastened to the muscle, the belly button is replaced down to the muscle or fat and the skin is sewn closed.

Open Hernia Surgery Video – Umbilical

In the video below, Dr. Harris narrates an open umbilical hernia repair done at California Hernia Specialists’ hernia center.

Open Umbilical Hernia Repair

Dr. Harris narrates an actual open umbilical hernia repair done at our hernia center.

Tension Free Hernia Repair

The term ‘tension free’ hernia repair is commonly used to describe hernia surgery. Hernias are caused by a weakening of the abdominal muscles. Some surgeons choose to sew the muscles back together, thus causing ‘tension’ on the muscles around the hernia. However, the muscles around a hernia are already weak, and over time those muscles tend to pull apart and the hernia can recur, or come back.

Therefore, most hernia specialists today utilize a mesh to help strengthen the muscles. When using a mesh, the muscles themselves are not sewn together (see below). Instead, a mesh is placed over or under the hole in the muscle to prevent anything from pushing through the abdominal wall.

Some patients have heard or read negative information about mesh surgery. However, the unbiased government agency The National Institutes of Health performed a study of whether mesh should or should not be used for hernia surgery. Read the article by clicking on the logo to the right:

Patients can read more on our ‘Truths About Hernia Mesh‘ page.

About Hernia Mesh

Dr. Harris discusses the benefits of using hernia mesh and why 99% of hernia specialists use mesh during surgery.

Our Approach

Dr. Harris specializes in surgical repair for all hernia types. For patients who require a laparoscopic surgery, Dr. Harris commonly performs these procedures. When performing a tension free mesh hernia repair, Dr. Harris uses the latest and most advanced lightweight mesh available which significantly reduces pain and discomfort after the surgery. Many surgeons still use mesh which was invented 10 years ago which can increase the chances of post operative mesh pain. Today’s advanced mesh reduces those risks to almost zero.

Although open surgical hernia repair is still an important option for many patients, every patient should consider being seen by a surgeon who can perform advanced laparoscopic hernia surgery and who uses the newest lightweight mesh. Only a small handful of the hundreds of general surgeons in Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego have the experience to perform hernia surgeries using laparoscopic techniques and use cutting edge lightweight mesh.

Important Points To Consider When Choosing Your Hernia Surgeon:

Be sure to find a surgeon who focus’ on hernias, makes them a priority in their practice, tracks their patient outcomes and publishes that data for future patients to review. This will help you choose the right surgeon for your care.
Ensure your surgeon has a high volume of hernia surgeries. No one in any field can be proficient if they are only doing something a couple of times a month.
Being treated at a specialized hernia center with an in-house accredited Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) provides the highest quality care before, during, and after your hernia surgery and allows for more successful outcomes.

Patients should be seen by a surgeon who can offer all forms of hernia surgery, including open lightweight mesh techniques, as well as advanced laparoscopic techniques. This ensures your surgeon can offer the best technique tailored for your case.
Some laparoscopic patients experience less pain post-operatively and may be able to return to normal activities sooner. Laparoscopic hernia surgery can result in better patient experiences for some patients.
The newest, advanced lightweight mesh reduces not only the recurrence rate for your hernia, but also the chance of postoperative mesh pain to almost zero.

Why Dr. Harris For Your Hernia Care?

One of the only surgeons in the country to publish his Nationally Recognized Patient Outcome Data – for future patients to review
An active participant in ongoing hernia research projects across the country
Awarded the prestigious Orange County Medical Association Physician of Excellence Award for the past 10 years

The highest rated hernia surgeon in the country on HealthGrades, Google, and Yelp
Serves as a trainer for other surgeons across the country who are interested in improving their laparoscopic surgery skills
Invited guest speaker for the Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative Improvement Summit as an expert in hernia repair

Dr. Harris is the Medical Director of California Hernia Specialists and coordinates all clinical functions of the office and surgical center for hernia patients. He is dedicated to the diagnosis of, treatment for, and recovery from, all hernia types. Dr. Harris’ focus on hernia patients places a priority on getting them back to their full work and athletic life and is reflected in his published patient outcome data.