You may be a candidate for thighplasty ( thigh lift ) if you have experienced a loss of skin elasticity of the thigh, hip, or buttock areas. You may also desire this procedure if your skin in the thigh area is saggy, has an orange peel, flabby and/or dimpled appearance.

This plastic surgery procedure may also be indicated if your thigh appearance improves dramatically when you lift the lax skin. If you are self-conscious about your lower body appearance you may also want to look into this procedure. The cosmetic surgery procedure is intended to produce tighter, more attractive thigh and buttock skin with improved contours. It is also intended to decrease irregularities in skin surface.

The procedure is performed under general anesthesia on an outpatient basis unless otherwise advised by the surgeon. Wide variations in the design of the incisions to meet clothing or personal desires are possible. Lifting the inner thighs requires only short incisions extending from the anterior part of the thigh/groin crease around to the buttock crease.

Lateral or anterior thigh lifts can be performed as separate procedures if desired. The buttocks can be lifted with upper or lower scars. The doctor will show you what specific procedures are available to solve your particular problem.

The patient is placed in a compression garment (similar to a long?line elastic support girdle) at the end of surgery to reduce swelling and assist in the natural shrinking and tightening of the skin. With smaller thigh lifts, initial discomfort is usually easily controlled with prescription pain medication.

With larger thigh lifts, one or two nights care in a skilled nursing facility or hospital are usually required. This allows for pain injections, intravenous catheters, etc. Bruising and swelling usually subside within a month, strenuous activities are usually possible in 6 weeks and almost all symptoms are gone in 4-6 months.

Additional procedures that may enhance the result include Liposuction, Breast Enlargement and Tummy Tuck. A body lift is a combination of a tummy tuck in the front and a buttock lift in the back. With this procedure the surgeon makes a circumferential incision around the waist and lifts the entire lower body. A body lift is reserved for those with much redundant and loose abdominal and lower body skin, such as those who have had Gastric Bypass Bariatric surgery.

A belt Lipectomy is another version of a body lift where a belt-like section of the trunk skin flap is removed circumferentially.

This procedure is considered cosmetic and therefore is not covered by insurance. The patient is responsible for payment. The specific risks and the suitability of this procedure for a given individual can be determined only at the time of consultation. All surgical procedures have some degree of risk. Minor complications that do not affect the outcome occur occasionally. Major complications are unusual.