Excessive skin can occur when you go through excessive weight loss. Some common examples of why you’d go through this are because of pregnancy or dramatic change in diet. One area of the body where this can have an impact is in the thighs, begging the question of whether to have thigh surgery after weight loss. It’s possible for you to go through thigh surgery after weight loss, and there are many options available to you to get the results that you need.
What is a thigh lift?
A thigh lift is a surgical procedure designed to remove excess skin that has built up in the thigh area. The inner thigh, in particular, is an area where patients have common cases of sagging skin on the legs.
The procedure requires a scar being made on the inner area of the thigh. Depending on the amount of skin that’s required to be removed, the scar can travel along the full length of the leg. Whilst the appearance of the scars can be noticeable at first, they can begin to fade over time to provide a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Who would be an ideal candidate for thigh surgery after weight loss?
Providing you’ve shown signs of sagging skin and excessive weight loss around the thigh area, you can be considered as an ideal candidate for a thigh lift surgery. It should be noted that you should still be in relatively good health and be at an ideal weight before the surgery. This can help prevent complications occurring before, during, or after the surgery.
What is the recovery time?
Your recovery from the surgery, should you choose to have a thigh lift, can be relatively short. This can depend on you and your personal circumstance, however. You should expect to be able to go out in public again after a week, but during this time you should expect to keep your legs elevated for at least a week to promote blood flow.
You will be permitted to shower for the first few days but any form of vigorous physical activity should not be performed for at least the first month of your recovery.
What are the complications I should be aware of?
A thigh lift is considered a major surgery considering the length of the scars required and the amount of skin that may be required to remove. As the procedure involves scarring around the thigh, you shouldn’t expect to see a correction of loose skin in the calf area (calf augmentation can address this issue more accurately).
Swelling can also occur shortly after the surgery, but this is expected considering the surgery will still be relatively raw. This can mean recovery can be quite slow, particularly near the groin area where friction occurs. This can be easily rectified with dressing.
We’ve had many patients go through thigh lift surgery previously. If you wish to look at their results in more detail, please visit our thigh lift case studies page.