Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Mark Kohout explains the thighlift procedure combined with liposuction may be required to improve bulging and looseness of the inner thighs.
Many women are concerned at the appearance of their inner thighs. Although bulging and sagging of the thighs can occur at all ages, bulging is more common in young women and looseness more common in middle age. In many women, the two very often coexist.
Regaining firm, tight skin on the inner thighs with no bulges is not as easy as simply removing the fat by liposuction. Liposculpture is more appropriate for other body areas, such as the outside thighs or the waist as the skin in these areas is thicker and more elastic so it can more easily accommodate the decrease in volume produced.
The situation for the inside thigh is quite different. The skin here is thinner and looser, and contains less elastin, plus the underlying fat is also softer than it is on the outside thighs, for instance. Unless the patient is very young, liposculpture of the inner thigh on its own carries a relatively high risk of unsightly dimpling and skin folding. In fact, liposuction alone may produce very poor results and even make the situation worse than before.
The thighlift works in a way that’s similar to abdominoplasty. Just as performing liposuction alone on an abdomen that has stretch marks and skin looseness will give a poor result, so liposuction alone on the inner thigh is likely to produce a poor-looking result in all but very firm and elastic thighs.
The answer is to remove not only the fat but also some of the skin responsible for the loose look. The one trick here to prevent the incision, which is placed in the crease between the thigh and the perineum, descending into the upper thigh, is to anchor the thigh skin to the pelvic bones. This also minimises the risk of the scars widening to a point where they may become unsightly.
Thighlift is an operation that takes about 2.5 hours and requires a hospital stay of one or two days. The operation is usually performed under general anaesthetic. Recovery from the surgery takes four to six weeks before return to most physical activities, with maturation and lightening of the incision lines taking about six months.
In summary, the surest way to improve the bulkiness, looseness and excess in the upper inner thigh is by a combination of liposuction and excision of excess skin with suspension of the skin in a tight, streamlined position.
