Thigh Lift
Quincy Plastic Surgeon - Dr. Moss
With aging, skin gets loose and flabby as natural elasticity disappears. For women who have lost large amounts of weight, the elasticity of the skin has been further compromised, resulting in areas that sag considerably. Many massive weight loss patients find that their thighs are one of these areas that sag considerably. A thigh lift is designed to stretch the skin back into place, decrease irregularities of the skin, and excise surplus skin. When an extensive thigh lift is performed, it usually results in a vertical scar (inner back of leg) as well as the scar at the junction of the leg and torso. Because a vertical scar is required to address sagging from slightly below the thigh to the knee, it is important that patients weigh the improvement in skin sag against that of a permanent scar on the leg. Most of the patients that ultimately choose to have a thigh lift procedure are massive weight loss patients, due to the fact that in their situations a scar is a reasonable alternative to the large amount of skin sag that they have.
The typical older patient (not a massive weight loss patient) who has a little skin sag around her knees, who will often demonstrate to Dr. Moss by "yanking back on the skin of her upper legs" while simultaneously remarking "just do this doctor," is usually not a good candidate. This is because in order to alleviate the sag at the knees, a vertical incision on the inside of the leg, from the upper leg to knee, would have to be made. Most women in this situation do not find the long scar acceptable. Occasionally, Dr. Moss does have a patient who is not a massive weight loss patient but is a reasonable candidate for a thigh lift, because the vertical incision does not need to extend too low on the thigh.
This surgery takes about 2 1/2 hours and generally requires an overnight. Dr. Moss usually has thigh lift patients wear a compression garment for about two weeks. Dr. Moss will also prescribe pain medication post-operatively to make thigh lift patients comfortable. Patients should plan on needing 2 to 3 weeks off from work after a thigh lift procedure. Post-operatively, thigh lift patients need to be prepared that sitting down can be uncomfortable, more so than other cosmetic surgery procedures. This is because the position of sitting often places additional pressure on the incisions. However, patients usually figure some way to position themselves, in order to be comfortable. They can slowly resume their exercising, starting at 2 weeks, and reaching normal exercise levels at 6 weeks.
Return to main Procedures page or click on a link below to learn about other Body Contouring plastic surgery procedures:
- Tummy Tuck
- Cosmetic Surgery of the Abdomen
- Abdominoplasty Surgery & Your Weight
- Liposuction
- Arm Lift
Call us at 508.747.1322 or 781.337.2421
