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Atlanta thigh lift

Thigh Lifts: The Finishing Touch for Your Legs after Extreme Weight Loss

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For patients who have suffered from severe obesity, the journey toward a thinner and healthier body can be a highly emotional one which requires determination, struggle, and discipline. In many cases, patients reach or approach their goal weight and are still frustrated by what they see in the mirror, because to them, it looks like all the fat they’ve lost has just been replaced by sagging skin. As a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I’m proud to provide the final step for so many of these patients. Today, in an effort to help patients have a better understanding of their options, I would like to highlight one particular post-bariatric (or post weight loss) surgery: thigh lifts.

Thigh Lifts The Finishing Touch for Your Legs after Extreme Weight LossThe purpose of a thigh lift is to address sagging skin and, in some cases, excess fat throughout the upper legs. While aging does cause the skin throughout your face and body to become less firm over the years, most patients who have enough sagging skin on their legs to make them consider plastic surgery are people who have successfully lost a large amount of weight—often 100 pounds or more. In essence, the goal of this surgery is to re-contour the thighs by removing excess skin and giving the remaining skin a firmer, slimmer, and more youthful shape.

Depending on the amount of excess skin you have and where it is located, there are two likely options for your surgery: a medial thigh lift or an outer thigh lift. A medial thigh lift is ideal for those who need to focus on their inner thigh, and the incision is limited to the natural creases where your leg connects to your pubic area. An outer thigh lift, however, is a bit more extensive, and it involves an incision that extends from the crease of the pubic area around the top of the thigh (compare it to the outer edge of a bikini bottom). Even in this case, scars can generally be concealed within undergarments or a bathing suit, and patients generally report that they strongly prefer their new scars to the sagging skin they had before surgery. In addition to restoring firmness to the skin, for patients who also have excess fat they want to reduce in the thighs, liposuction is often used during the same surgery, so you can enjoy a more comprehensive improvement.

After your thigh lift, the recovery period will depend on how extensive your individual surgery was. Most patients return to work or their other daily activities around two or three weeks after surgery. Once you’ve healed and your swelling has resolved to reveal your finished results, you can expect to maintain the same flattering contours for many years to come. Keep in mind, however, that any future weight fluctuations can cause new sagging skin to occur, so keeping your weight consistent is important for enjoying your post-weight loss surgery results for as long as possible.

For patients who have already been through months or years of intense weight loss, and sometimes bariatric surgery, the idea of surgical body contouring can seem daunting. But as countless patients throughout the country can attest, it’s a process that can truly make the rest of the journey even more rewarding. To get started on the road toward your thigh lift or other post-weight loss plastic surgery, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. Franklyn Elliott. Or, for plastic surgery tips and more helpful information, check out my plastic surgery Facebook page as well as my profiles on Twitter and Google+.

Why Do I Have Excess Skin After Weight Loss?

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Every patient has their own reasons for seeking plastic surgery, but one group of patients that I’m especially glad to serve are those who have successfully lost large amounts of weight. Whether it’s done through bariatric surgery or through a lifestyle change including diet and exercise, healthy weight loss is an accomplishment to be proud of. Unfortunately, instead of celebrating when they reach their goal weight, many patients find themselves disappointed by the excess skin that has been left loose and saggy instead of keeping up with the slimming process. On the other hand, other weight loss patients never have a problem with loose skin. Why does this affect some patients but not others?

post-weight-loss-surgery-atlantaThe answer lies in the makeup of the skin, and what makes it firm in the first place. A large proportion of our skin is made up of collagen—a protein that our bodies produce significant amounts of when we’re young. This protein gives the skin youthfulness, firmness, and elasticity. However, collagen is only effective to a point. If the skin is stretched too much for the collagen to be able to seamlessly bounce back into shape when it no longer needs to stretch as far, the results are stretch marks and loose skin. Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that contribute to whether your skin will be able to keep up with weight loss or whether it will fall behind:

  • Amount of weight lost—Understandably, the more drastic the change in size, the more difficult it will be for the skin to stay firm. For instance, patients who lose 20 pounds generally won’t experience much of a change in their skin’s firmness, while patients who lose 100 pounds are much more likely to have loose skin.
  • Age—Collagen production naturally slows as we age, which is why facial aging often occurs in the form of sagging skin. The younger you are when you lose the weight, the more collagen your skin will have, which makes it more likely that your skin will look firm and youthful after you’ve reached your goal weight.
  • How many times you gain and lose weight—We’ve all seen the effect on a rubber band when it’s been used many times—every time it’s less and less able to snap back to its original size. Your skin experiences a similar problem when weight is gained and lost repeatedly, so each time you’re more likely to have loose skin.
  • How quickly you lost weight—The patients that tend to be at higher risk for excess skin after weight loss are those who have lost their weight through bariatric surgery. In general, the more slowly you lose weight, the easier it is for your skin to gradually shrink as your body does, but when weight loss occurs more quickly, it’s more difficult for your skin to keep up.
  • Genetics—With skin’s recuperation after weight loss, as with many situations, there is a bit of luck involved. Just as some women can go through pregnancy without a single stretch mark, some patients are genetically more or less likely to have skin that struggles to retain firmness through weight loss.

It’s impossible to predict whether you’ll find yourself facing excess skin after dramatic weight loss. Rest assured, however, that weight loss is a victory that should always be celebrated, and cosmetic surgery like a tummy tuck, thigh lift, or arm lift can help weight loss patients finally reap the benefits of their hard work. To get started on your journey toward an appearance that makes you feel confident, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. Franklyn Elliott, or join me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.