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What To Expect From a Thigh Lift Procedure

By Michele Shermak | Published on July 23, 2010 | 0 Comments

A thigh lift is a surgical procedure meant to improve the looks of a person’s upper legs. More than just a simple in- office treatment, a thigh lift is a serious surgical operation that can take up to three or four weeks to recover from, according to Dr. Michele Shermak, MD. A well-known plastic surgeon who practices in Baltimore, Maryland, Shermak explains that most thigh lift procedures can be broken down into one of three main categories.

The first category of thigh lift procedures is when someone requests a thigh lift to fix a little bit of inner thigh laxity that she is unhappy with. “Usually it is someone with a little bit of loose skin who can’t seem to make it better with exercise,” Shermak explains.

The second category of thigh lift procedures involves men and women who have recently undergone massive weight loss, surgical or otherwise. One of the tough things for people who have ever lost a significant amount of weight—typically around 80 lbs. or more—is that they often will have a significant degree of skin laxity, according to Shermak. To fix this skin laxity issue on the leg area specifically, a thigh lift procedure is usually in order.

The third and final category of  thigh lifts are procedures for those who have already undergone liposuction and are unhappy with the results. When some people have liposuction along the leg, they end up with an “overdone” look that results in lax skin on the inner thigh. This can be especially devastating to people who never had any skin laxity issues prior to the liposuction. Fortunately, the thigh lift is a great way to restore that skin to its previous state.

Because a thigh lift is a serious operation, it is important that people realize that it is not an in-and-out office procedure. Shermak says that oftentimes patients who have undergone a thigh lift will need to stay at the hospital overnight during the beginning stages of the recovery, and that they can expect to be off of their feet for a period of time after the surgery.

Depending on the patient’s reason for having the procedure—and depending on which of the three main categories the patient falls into—he or she can expect to see a different type of scar. Shermak explains that a plastic surgeon will be able to place a hidden scar near the crease of the groin for people who have minor thigh lifts. For someone who did not have significant laxity issues going into the procedure, it should be fairly easy for the surgeon to make sure that the scar is obscured and placed within the groin region.

For people who need more significant work in the thigh area, the incision will need to be extended down the inner thigh. “It’s like a vertical scar, from the pubic region down to the knee,” Shermak says. She emphasizes that most people will not need to have such extensive surgery, since the inner thigh incision is reserved only for those with a great degree of skin laxity.

One of the common questions about thigh lifting that many people have is what makes it different from liposuction. Shermak tells us that liposuction is a thinning procedure that gets out the fat, whereas a thigh lift is just used to reduce skin laxity. If someone has fullness on his or her inner thigh, for example, then liposuction would be a great option for that person.

The problem that can come up with liposuction, and the reason that some liposuction patients end up needing thigh lifting done afterward, is that the inner thigh fat is very soft. “It almost jumps into the cannula when you do liposuction,” Shermak says. Because of this, there is a possibility that the liposuction can be overdone and that the skin will become additionally lax. “So we have to be really cautious about suctioning the inner thigh,” she says. Ideally, a thigh lift should be for someone who feels deflated, in a way. In others words, the person has lax skin, possibly because too much fat was taken out during liposuction or because the person lost a dramatic amount of weight on his or her own.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.

*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.

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