No. In fact, non- mesh hernia repair surgeries were commonplace for over 100 year. However, many surgeons in those days could not properly perform the non-mesh surgery and as a result recurrence was high, over 20 percent. “Since the 1980s, there has been an increase in mesh-based hernia repairs—by 2000, non-mesh repairs represented less than 10% of groin hernia repair techniques.” FDA

However, “In the right patients, some groin hernias can be repaired without mesh and still have acceptable success rates.” Stonybrook medicine “In the right patients, some groin hernias can be repaired without mesh and still have acceptable success rates. Additionally, some small hernias at the belly button can be repaired with suture alone. Most repairs, though, do utilize prosthetic mesh to achieve a successful repair.” Id.

According to the FDA, hernia surgeries could be either Laparoscopic or Open repair. There are non-mesh alternatives for both laparscopic and open repair.

Surgical

Laparoscopic – The surgeon makes several small incisions in the abdomen that allow surgical tools into the openings to repair the hernia. Laparoscopic surgery can be performed with or without surgical mesh.

– The surgeon makes several small incisions in the abdomen that allow surgical tools into the openings to repair the hernia. Laparoscopic surgery can be performed with or without surgical mesh. Open Repair– The surgeon makes an incision near the hernia and the weak muscle area is repaired. Open repair can be done with or without surgical mesh. Open repair that uses sutures without mesh is referred to as primary closure. Primary closure is used to repair inguinal hernias in infants, small hernias, strangulated or infected hernias. (Source FDA)

There is also natural tissue hernia repair

The Shouldice Hernia Hospital in Ontario Canada, for example, does not implant hernia mesh in any hernia surgery it performs Instead, Shouldice Hernia Hospital uses natural tissue procedure without utilizing hernia mesh. Shouldice’s procedure relies upon a patient’s own natural tissue to repair the hernia as opposed to using a mesh to cover the affected area. The hospital’s operating theory is only to use mesh as a last possible resort in the rare instance where the patient’s surrounding tissue is not strong enough to support fixing the hernia. In only a handful of cases, the patient’s tissue is heavily damaged or weakened or the hernia is simply too large to fix without mesh. The hospital will also consider the use of the mesh to repair hernia that have recurred several times. However, Shouldice operates from the premise that mesh is not the first option for the best possible surgical outcome given the problems that have arisen from the use of hernia mesh. In fact, Shouldice’s founding occurred over 10 years before hernia mesh began to be used, and they never adopted the practice. Shouldice will not use mesh in a direct inguinal hernia or an indirect inguinal hernia repair. The hospital will almost always administer patients a full IV during surgery for patients to be as comfortable as possible during the procedure.

Dr. Michael Reinhorn of Boston Hernia for example, began “offering no mesh shouldice repair in 2015.” Boston hernia’s website indicated,” While we expect the long-term outcomes of the Shouldice repair to reveal a higher rate of hernia recurrence, this repair is a reasonable alternative for some patients.” Id.