Thigh lifts are more popular than ever

Thigh lifts are a process that loved the expert to treat excessive skin. Now, the process is more popular than ever!

Suggested Experts

• Chet Mays, MD, is a plastic surgeon
• David R. Alfonso, MD, is a plastic surgeon certified by the Grand Rapids -based Board of Directors, Mi
• Amy Sprole, MD, is a plastic surgeon certified by the Board of Directors based in Wichita, KS
• Bianca Molina, MD, is a plastic surgeon

What is the thigh lift?

Just as facelift is designed to treat loose skin on the face, a thigh lift removes excess skin on the upper thigh. The thigh elevator “plays an integral role in our procedures for weight loss patients,” says Louisville, Ky Plastic Surgeon Chet Mays, MD. “When there is relaxation of the inner or outer thigh from rapid weight loss, the skin has no time to retire with the loss of volume.”

“Usually, we’re talking about tightening the skin on the interior,” adds Grand Rapids, Mi, plastic surgeon David R. Alfonso, MD. “Although there are extensions of this process that can deal with the outer thigh and the buttock, with a larger scar we place in the bikini line, depending on where there is relaxation.”

The goal of a thigh lift involves removing and tightening the skin to create an improved outline and is sometimes combined with liposuction to help achieve the best results.

“Liposuction can be a free procedure in a thigh lift,” says Wichita, KS Plastic Surgeon Amy Sprole, MD. “In this setting I sometimes use liposuction as a contour tool, to optimize the shape when the excess skin is removed. For example, it is common to have a small to moderate size of pocket on the inner knee. With liposuction in combination with the outer lift.

What causes to increase thigh lifts in popularity?

“We have seen an increase in body contour procedures as a whole, including the thigh lift, as a result of weight loss drugs such as ozempic,” he says Plastic Surgeon of New York Bianca Molina, MD. “The skin is significant as a result of weight gain and these changes are irreversible, such as losing elasticity [and] Strets. Therefore, when we lose a heavy weight, the skin does not recover and rather leave a defruded, relaxed appearance on the skin which is the disadvantage of massive weight loss or rapid weight loss. “

As weight loss drugs gain more and more popularity, experts see more patients who have lost large amounts of weight.

“All GLP-1 fighters, including OZEMPIC, have greatly improved success with weight loss efforts in recent years,” says Dr. Sprole. “I see many patients with ‘mass weight loss’ – those who have lost 100 pounds or more. These patients have very often loose, deflated skin in the internal and external areas of the thigh, and lifting surgery is usually the only option to effectively describe these areas.

Dr. Alfonso notes that even before GLP-1S it was a common weight loss strategy, the thigh lift was a popular choice for anyone who successfully lost weight by any means. “This is a particularly common process for those who have undergone bariatric surgery,” he says. And these days, weight loss drugs have led to prolonged growth in thigh lifts. “And the number of patients, at least in my practice, has certainly increased compared to a few years ago.”

Who does a good candidate?

It is crucial to respond and maintain your weight loss goals before undergoing a lift.

“Ideal candidates for internal and external thigh lifting processes have achieved weight loss goals and weight stability for several months, as weight fluctuations can dramatically alter the results,” notes Dr. Sprole.

“Patients who are active and maintain a balanced diet and exercise that have skin that goes nowhere are the best candidates for the thigh lift,” says Dr. Mays. “If patients have a high BMI and fullness, instead of leather looseness, they are not good candidates for a thigh lift.”

When patients deal with not only loose skin but gravity, a thigh lift may not produce the best results.

“You can think of the thigh elevator as an anti -gravity process and there will always be some relaxation on the web,” notes Dr. Alfonso. “The heavier the thigh is, the more intense this relaxation is, so about six months after surgery, their results are not as optimal as someone with less fat.”

In the end, you can think of a thigh lift as the final step to improve your weight loss results. “Many times, this is the last step on the weight loss journey of a patient and is able to fit into more clothes, move and exercise more easily after this surgery,” says Dr. Molina.

Discovery from thigh lift

“The recovery, as with any process of plastic surgery we do, is four to six weeks,” explains Dr. Mays. “On the night of surgery, go home with a Foley catheter to allow comfort one night so you don’t get up and go to the toilet many times and [this] It also keeps the new incisions clean. ”

“While working out of work is probably equivalent to a belly, the thigh lift probably has one of the largest recovery phases,” adds Dr. Alfonso. “Patients are limited to walking only, not exercise, for several weeks.”