Sydney Hernia Specialists · 195 Macquarie Street
Living with a hernia
shouldn't mean
living in pain.
The worry, the uncertainty, the frustration of putting life on hold — we understand. And there is a better way.
Sydney Hernia Specialists · 195 Macquarie Street
The worry, the uncertainty, the frustration of putting life on hold — we understand. And there is a better way.
The worry about surgery. The fear of a long recovery. The frustration of not being able to lift your kids, get back to the gym, or do a full day's work. If you've been putting off treatment because it all feels too daunting — you're not alone, and there is a better way.
Dr Hanh Tran — FRACS · FRCS (Eng) · PhD (USyd) · MB BChir (Cambridge)
Dr Hanh Tran is one of the world's foremost hernia surgeons. He has personally performed over 6,000 keyhole hernia repairs, co-authored the global guidelines that govern how 20 million hernia patients are treated each year, and pioneered techniques that are now used worldwide. When you see Dr Tran, you are seeing someone who has devoted their career entirely to getting this right for patients like you.
We've made the path from first contact to full recovery as simple and clear as possible.
Submit the short form below or call our rooms. We'll confirm your appointment within one business day. Bring any scans or referral letters you have — or come as you are.
Dr Tran will assess your hernia, explain your options in plain language, and recommend the least invasive approach. No pressure. No jargon. Just a clear path forward.
Most procedures are day cases. The vast majority of patients are back to work and physical activity within a week — with a scar so small it's nearly invisible.
Every procedure is performed with the least invasive technique available. Select your situation to learn more.
Groin hernias are the most common type, with around 30,000 repaired in Australia each year. Dr Tran uses a single-incision totally extraperitoneal (TEP) approach — all instruments pass through one small opening near the pubic region, compared to the three incisions used in conventional keyhole repair.
A world-first prospective randomised study confirmed significantly less post-operative pain, reduced need for pain medication, earlier return to work, and better cosmetic results versus the standard technique. Recurrence rate across Dr Tran's series is under 1%.
Around 30% of patients who have had abdominal surgery develop an incisional hernia. Conventional open repair carries a recurrence rate exceeding 50%. Dr Tran's laparoscopic approach achieves a recurrence rate under 5% — through a single small incision.
A unique tissue glue technique prevents seroma (fluid build-up), one of the most common complications of conventional repair. The hernia defect is closed entirely, and most patients go home the same day.
Umbilical hernias are the third most common type, with over 6,500 repaired annually in Australia. Conventional open mesh repair carries a 30% recurrence rate and risks mesh infection and seroma.
Dr Tran developed his own technique nearly 20 years ago — placing the mesh in the extraperitoneal space (outside the abdomen) to eliminate adhesion risk entirely. The incision is hidden inside the belly button fold. Recovery is typically one week, and the cosmetic result is as close to invisible as modern surgery achieves.
Separation of the abdominal muscles (rectus diastasis) is common after pregnancy or with advancing age, and is often accompanied by epigastric or umbilical hernias. Dr Tran repairs the muscle separation and any co-existing hernias in a single keyhole procedure.
For patients concerned about scarring, a suprapubic incision option places the scar entirely below the bikini line — completely out of sight. Most patients are back to normal activity within a week.
A hernia around a stoma develops when the muscle opening created during stoma formation gradually enlarges. Conventional repair has a high recurrence rate, and most techniques require open laparotomy — a major operation with significant recovery time.
Dr Tran performed the world's first single-incision laparoscopic Sugarbaker parastomal hernia repair in 2010. This avoids open laparotomy entirely. The technique is now used internationally, and the results at this clinic speak for themselves.
Persistent groin pain following conventional open hernia repair is a recognised complication that nerve blocks and medication rarely resolve. The cause is typically nerve entrapment or irritation from the original mesh repair.
Dr Tran uses a combined approach — laparoscopic surgery to address the hernia and remove the offending mesh, plus a targeted open procedure to treat the nerves responsible for the pain. This can virtually abolish the chronic pain that conventional repair left behind.
Prevention is better than cure: keyhole repair from the outset greatly reduces the risk of developing this condition.
Image shows excised nerve specimen (neuroma) confirming the source of pain.
For patients with multiple hernias or abdominal muscle separation, Dr Tran's suprapubic approach places the single incision entirely below the bikini line — completely hidden once healed. For umbilical repairs, the incision is hidden inside the belly button fold itself.
Most patients are surprised by how little evidence remains of their surgery. This isn't a cosmetic compromise — it's the natural result of a technique that requires only one small opening regardless of the complexity of what's repaired inside.
Virtually any hernia — regardless of size, number, or location — repaired through a single incision measuring less than one centimetre.
Photo: umbilical repair result. Bikini-line scar photo to be added.
This is what recovery looks like for the vast majority of our patients — not the exception, the norm.
Hernias don't resolve on their own. Left untreated, most will grow larger, become more painful, and require more complex surgery. The sooner you act, the simpler the fix.
Most patients leave their first consultation knowing exactly when they'll have their life back.