Your guide to thigh lifts

After losing a large amount of weight, you might be considering surgery to deal with any excess skin. A plastic surgeon can work wonders on your tummy, but they can also improve the look of your thighs through a thigh lift. We spoke to award-winning consultant plastic surgeon Mr Fulvio Urso-Baiarda about what a thigh lift involves and what recovery looks like.

What is a thigh lift?

A thigh lift is a surgical procedure to tighten thigh skin. There are several varieties of thigh lift, but it most commonly involves removing skin from the inside of the thigh combined with liposuction.

Why would you have a thigh lift?

Patients often ask for a thigh lift to address loose skin of the inner thighs, often after a significant amount of weight loss.

How do you prepare for the procedure?

It is important that a patient achieves a stable weight prior to undergoing surgery, and that they have allowed a good length of time for their own natural skin retraction to have taken place after this.

Most importantly, patients should not smoke. Smokers should stop at least a month before surgery, as smoking increases the risk of wound breakdown, infection and poor scarring.

What happens during the procedure?

The procedure is carried out with the patient asleep under general anaesthetic. During the operation, the area of skin to be removed first undergoes liposuction. As well as removing excess fat from that area, it also helps the surgical dissection by defining the deep plane of tissue for removal.

Next, a full-thickness skin cut is made as planned before surgery and that tissue is removed. Finally, the skin is hitched up and fixed to deep structures to prevent the scar from migrating later on, and the skin is closed.

What happens in recovery after a thigh lift?

I usually recommend an overnight hospital stay, and if drains have been used these are removed the following morning before going home. The patient needs to wear their postoperative surgical garment for the next month and should stay mobile – but not overdo it during that time.

After a week they are reviewed for a dressing change, and again after a month. By that point, they can stop wearing their garment and gradually increase their level of activity. I recommend scar taping for a total of three months.

If you would like to discuss a thigh lift with Mr Fulvio Urso-Baiarda, book a consultation today.