Thigh Lift

Thigh lifting is known as a cosmetic procedure to remove excess fat and skin from either the outer or inner sides of thighs. Some people often choose to use this type of surgery to improve their thighs after the fail of other methods such as sports and diets to reach what they want. In addition, people who have undergone obesity and weight loss surgeries may be more likely to have a thigh lift.

People may undergo thigh lift for several and different reasons, including:

• Difficulty in wearing jeans due to condense fat deposits accumulation of thighs.
• Prior undergo of weight loss surgery.
• Significant weight loss resulting in sagging skin in the thighs.
• Weakening and sagging skin in the thighs.
• Make the lower part of body more consistent, so that the thighs look more consistent with the legs.

A person who wishes to have a thigh lift should have a set of conditions to ensure his safety and avoid any complications that may affect his life, such as:

• Stay away from smoking cigarettes for at least two weeks.
• Avoid taking blood thinners such as aspirin and warfarin.
• Refrain from taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Before undergoing a thigh lift, the patient should undergo a range of tests, which may include the following depending on the patient's condition and what is decided by the plastic surgeon responsible for the condition:

• Blood test CBC.
• Know the patient's medical history.
• Physical examination.
• X-ray imaging.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG).

Thigh lift surgery may include some risks and complications, the patient should be aware of all of them after discussing with the specialist, some of these complications:

• Bleeding.
• Allergic reaction with the anesthesia.
• Infection.
• Asymmetry of areas where fat has been removed.
• Continuous pain.
• Weak healing of surgical incisions.
• Subcutaneous fluid accumulation.
• Wound herniation.
• Death or damage of fatty tissue under the skin.
• Swelling or discoloration of the skin.
• Unwanted scarring on the skin.
• Feeling numb or a general change in the normal sensation in the skin of the thighs.
• Skin sagging again.
• Deep vein thrombosis in the body causing heart and lung problems.
• The appearance of stitches on the surface of the skin causing skin irritation.
• The possibility of re-operation to modify surgical mistakes.

This surgery includes three main stages

• Preparing the patient for the surgery:

After testing and verifying the patient's ability to undergo such surgery, a range of medications are given to prepare him and some other drugs may be prevented as a preventive procedure to avoid complications; depending on the type of medication the patient is taking.

• During the surgery: 

The patient is given either general or local anesthesia accompanied by an intravenous sedative to rest the patient, and then the surgeon follows one of the following two methods to tighten the thighs:

1. Tightening of the thighs from the outside side: An incision is made from the top of the thigh towards the back of the hip, a higher amount of fat is removed through this method where the external shape of the thighs is determined, resulting in less flexibility for the skin after the surgery.
2. Tightening of the thighs from the inside side: This method can include two sub-methods, either by making an incision from the top of the thigh down to the bottom and then turn around the thigh to the back or by removing the excess skin through an incision from the top of the thigh down to the knee area.

The incisions are then closed with deep stitches first to stabilize and support the new shape of the thighs, and then closing the incision through the skin using clamps, surgical adhesive tapes or other what the plastic surgeon deems appropriate, often such surgery takes approximately one to three hours.

• After the surgery:

After the thigh lift is completed, the patient can be kept in the hospital for only one night in some cases to monitor his condition and assure the success of the surgery. In other cases that may be performed at the clinic of plastic and reconstructive surgeon or medical center; the patient can leave on the same day. The plastic surgeon applies a compression bandage on the incisions to reduce the swelling that occurs.

The two weeks following the thigh lift surgery are the most important period that the patient should take good care of his health in order to obtain satisfactory results and help to heal wounds in the groin area. It is advised not to move too fast to keep the wounds closed as much as possible. The patient may face some difficulties with a number of activities such as standing, walking, bending the leg or when getting out of bed, the patient should consider such movements and do them as slowly as possible.

After about two weeks of thigh lifting, the patient can return to some gentle activities, as the wound is well healed in most cases, it is recommended to slowly and gradually return any of the desired activities to avoid any possible swelling in the legs. In the case of swelling, reducing the level of activity or movement performed by the patient may be the solution.

Often it takes about two to four weeks for the patient to back work again, while it takes about six weeks to return to normal activities. Although this surgery involves some complications and risks, but the patient's good care of himself and adherence to the recommendations of the doctor accurately and not to strain the body any excessive activity, may significantly increase the thigh lift surgery success rate and reduce the possible complications.