Thigh Lift and Liposuction: Can You Have Both?

More patients are reporting for various body shaping procedures because they have lost massive amounts of weight.

A few drop the pounds on their own, but more often it’s because the patient has had lap banding, gastric bypass or some other bariatric surgery and has lost 100, 150 or more pounds.

Loose, hanging skin usually results because all those extra pounds have stretched the skin so much, it lost its ability to shrink back to its original size.

On the thighs, the loose, hanging skin can fall down around the person’s knees. That means you are not too likely to wear shorts, short skirts and, especially, a bathing suit.

It’s also bothersome because:

• The loose skin flaps around during exercise
• The extra skin on both thighs rub together, creating health problems
• Clothing that fits right is extremely hard to find

The plastic surgeon who knows how to rid the body of excess, hanging skin almost always tells the patient that long scars will result.

In the case of a thigh lift, or thighplasty, the incision is placed on the inside of the upper leg down to the knee. Then, much of the loose, bothersome skin is surgically removed. The resulting scar tends to lighten over time.

Many patients with “saddlebags” want to know if they can also have liposuction at the same time.

Of course, cases always vary and your own plastic surgeon is the final judge, but in most situations, the surgeon can also liposuction bothersome fat pockets to give the patient a better contour and sleeker look to the legs.

Most thigh lift patients say losing the hanging, flapping skin is a welcome trade-off for the surgical scars! Moreover, many surgeons have additional procedures and methods to treat scars.

What shape are your legs in? Leave a comment!