Thigh Lift Surgery
Thigh lifts are a cosmetic surgical procedure that will smooth your skin and contour the shape of your thighs through the removal of excess skin and fat from your inner or outer thighs.
RELATED ARTICLES
There are two types of thigh lift, the outer thigh lift, and the inner thigh lift (medial). Both can be done as an individual surgery, however, the outer thigh lift is also commonly performed in conjunction with other body contouring surgeries, for example, the tummy tuck or the body lift.
Before and After Thigh Lift cosmetic surgery: Tightening and toning of the skin
What Problems Does it Fix?
The main purpose of thigh lifts is to recreate the shape of your thighs through tightening and toning your skin and tissue by removing all of the excess skin hanging on your thighs. It can also address problems with elasticity on your thighs, both inner and outer areas.
A thigh lift is not intended, however, to serve as a major fat reducer in your thighs. If there is any small amounts of excess fat, it can be taken care of, but for a large amount of fat in the thighs, it is important that you first need to lose weight in your thighs.
If diet and exercise do not reduce the amount of fat on your thighs liposuction can be an option.
After recovering from the liposuction surgery patients are able to be reassessed for their suitability for a thigh lift.
Who is Right for Surgery?
Thigh lifts are recommended only for those who have reached a stable weight that they are comfortable holding. If you want to lose more weight in the future, it is advised that you wait on the thigh lift surgery. People should have realistic goals of what they would like their thighs to look like, considering their overall body shape and type.
How Do They Complete the Procedure?
An inner thigh lift is characterized by an incision line in the inner thigh near the pubic hair. The outer thigh lift is characterized by an incision near your hip bone, just below your panty line. In both procedures, excess skin is removed and the shape of the thigh sculpted though tightening the skin.
For most patients there is only a small area of scarring. For the inner thigh lift, the scars are located in the groin crease. These scars are easy to conceal, for the most part being covered by underwear. For an outer thigh lift, the scar is located on the outside of your leg, close to your hip. Many surgeons will request that you bring underwear or a bathing suit to ensure the scar is concealed.
Risks and Complications
As with any surgery, thigh lifts come with a set of risks and possible complications that may arise during surgery. The most common of this are:
- Sutures which show through the skin
- A decrease in skin sensation in the surgical area
- Wound separation
- Loss of skin
- Infection
- Asymmetry of the surgery
Recovery
Most patients take around six weeks to recover from a thigh lift. It’s recommended that after surgery, patents spend at least seven days on total bed rest, only moving to use the bathroom. Patients should not sit for at least two weeks, and should not drive for at least three weeks.
How Much Does it Cost?
When thinking about the cost of a thigh lift, one must take several factors into consideration, including anesthesia, post-surgical garments, surgeon’s pay, and surgical facility costs. With all of these factors, a typical inner thigh lift will cost between $8,000 and $9,000. An outer thigh lift, on the other hand, will cost $4,400 on average.