Quick Facts
- What It Is: Removes excess skin and fat pockets from the inner and/or outer thighs
- Reasons Why: Loose skin from aging or weight loss
- Procedure: Outpatient
- Anesthesia: General
- Duration of Procedure: 2 hours
- Initial Recovery Phase: 10-14 days
- Results: Apparent immediately but improves throughout recovery
Thigh lift surgery reshapes the thighs by removing loose skin and fat for smoother skin. The procedure provides a more proportionate thigh and lower body contour for people with skin laxity. Many thigh lift patients have had bariatric surgery or achieved significant weight loss through lifestyle changes and struggle with hanging skin or have sagging tissues and cellulite from natural aging. The popularity of GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and semaglutide has resulted in a big increase in the number of patients Dr. Maguire sees for surgery following massive weight loss.
Dr. Sean Maguire is a Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon in Louisville, Kentucky, offering thigh lift and other body contouring procedures so you can achieve your ideal silhouette. At Physician’s Center for Beauty, we have cultivated a luxurious, welcoming atmosphere where patients feel comfortable in the hands of our highly skilled medical professionals.
Why Have Thigh Lift?
Sagging skin on your thighs affects your clothing choices and may make wearing jeans or tight-fitting pants uncomfortable. Many patients are embarrassed to wear swimsuits or shorts during the warmer months or on vacation due to the appearance of their loose skin and skin chafing and irritation from the tissues rubbing. The loose thigh skin may bleed, become discolored, or develop cellulite. Whether you have lost weight or have less skin elasticity from aging, thigh lift restores a taut thigh contour.
After a Thigh Lift, sagging, excess, or loose skin will be removed, and the contour of your thighs will be improved, so that you will look and feel more comfortable in your clothing. The procedure reduces the appearance of stretch marks and may remove some of them if they are located within the excess skin tissue.
Men and women are more confident in their lower body appearance after thigh lift surgery and are no longer limited in clothing choices.
Is Thigh Lift Right for Me?
If you have loose, sagging, or excessive skin in the thigh area, particularly the inner thighs, you might be a candidate for a Thigh Lift. For people who have lost significant weight, whether it’s following bariatric surgery, the use of weight loss medication, or from improved diet and exercise, it’s important that your weight has stabilized, and you are not planning to lose significantly more weight, before undergoing a Thigh Lift. You must be physically healthy and without medical conditions that might affect healing, such as poorly controlled diabetes or nicotine use. As with all elective cosmetic surgery, it’s important to have realistic expectations. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle after surgery is also important to assure the best result, and to maintain it.
If you have excess skin along your inner or outer thighs, you may be a good candidate for thigh lift with Dr. Maguire. People who have had bariatric or weight loss surgery, or those who have lost a great deal of weight following the use of GLP-1 weight loss medication, may require more extensive skin removal in other body areas and may qualify for a body lift. Thigh lift can also be combined with liposuction or other procedures such as tummy tuck for a more comprehensive result.
What Does the Procedure Entail?
The Thigh Lift is a surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia. The incision pattern depends on whether you have loose skin on the outer or inner thigh (or both) and the amount of excess skin requiring removal. One approach for inner thigh lift utilizes an incision that begins in the groin and stretches down and around the back of the thigh. Another technique creates an incision in the groin that extends straight down the inner thigh to the knee. The minimal-incision approach for inner thigh lift keeps the incision within the groin. Dr. Maguire will choose an incision technique based on the amount of excess skin.
For an outer thigh lift, the incision begins in the groin crease and extends around the hip and into the back area. With advanced techniques, Dr. Maguire can conceal the incision lines where swimsuits, underwear, and clothing can hide them. However, thigh lift incisions can be extensive for patients with significantly loose skin.
Dr. Maguire removes excess skin and fat, tightening the skin and lifting the outer thigh by using multiple layers of dissolving sutures in the deeper layers, in order to support the new thigh shape. He re-drapes the skin over the thigh, trims away the excess and loose skin, and then closes the incisions with absorbable sutures. No external stitches or staples are used, minimizing the appearance of scars.
What Is the Recovery Like?
You will have dressings and bandages over the incisions and may require small drainage tubes under the thigh skin to remove excess blood and fluid as it collects. Post-operative drains are typically removed within five to seven days after your surgery. Dr. Maguire will give you instructions for recovery, including careful ambulation, pain management with medications, ice, and keeping the legs elevated above the level of your heart in bed, on a couch, or in a recliner.
You will need to wear a compression garment a minimum of three weeks, to decrease swelling and to assure that skin remains smooth and tight.
Thigh lift provides a smoother, tighter thigh appearance right away, but swelling and bruising take time to resolve. It may take several months to see your final results. You can enjoy your firmer, tighter lower body for many years if you maintain a stable weight and exercise routine.
Learn More About Thigh Lift
If you struggle with loose, sagging skin on your thighs, schedule a consultation with Dr. Maguire to discuss your body contouring options. Contact Physician’s Center for Beauty in Louisville, Kentucky, at (502) 897-7546 or fill out our online contact form.
