Thigh Lift (Thighplasty)

Conveniently located to serve Washington DC, Arlington, Bethesda

What is a thighplasty?

A thighplasty is an operation to remove excess skin of the inner thighs. This is frequently performed in patients due to age or significant weight loss.  This can sometimes create a “thigh gap” and decrease rubbing in addition to aesthetic improvement.

Who is a good candidate?

A good candidate for thighplasty is someone who has been at a stable weight for 6 months to a year, is healthy and has adequate protein in their diet.

How is the procedure performed?

1. Horizontal Thighplasty (mini) – this procedure is performed by making an incision in the upper thigh groin crease.  This incision can be hidden by shorts and sometimes by bathing suits.  This removes the upper thigh excess skin.  It is best performed in patients with mostly upper thigh extra skin. Liposuction is often included in this procedure. 

1. Vertical thighplasty (full) – this procedure uses a full length incision from the groin area to the knee in either a T or upside down L shape to address extra skin in the upper, middle and lower third of the thigh including the knee area. This is often combined with liposuction.

Recovery

Thighplasty recovery generally takes 3-4 weeks.  Since the surgery does put some additional stress on the incision with sitting/toileting, it does tend to have more frequent slow healing than other operations in surgery.  Leg/foot swelling can sometimes present for a few months, but generally resolves by itself.  A compression garment is worn to help with swelling/healing.

Risks

1. Slow wound healing – can happen due the weight of the thigh pulling on the incision, generally heals by itself with local wound care, but in some cases may require closure
2. Scar migration – the scars are sutured to the deep tissue to hold them as close to the natural body creases as possible, but in some cases, there can be “drift” of the scar downward which can make the scars more visible in clothing
3. Poor scarring – there is a chance of keloiding or wide scars
4. Leg swelling – although it generally resolves soon after surgery, there is a chance of longer term swelling including lymphedema
5. Numbness – there is a chance of some thigh numbness
6. Poor cosmesis, recurrence – there is a chance of contour abnormalities or possibly some partial re-stretching of the skin over time

Before & After