Lower Body Lift + Medial Thigh Recovery?

Hi folks,
I am new to this forum and feel so grateful to have found you all! Although I didn't have weight loss surgery, I did lose 120 pounds through diet and exercise and have been left with the same mess that post bariatric patients experience. Oh yes- droopy skin galore! It's been a LONG journey but I am finally ready to take the final step. I have found a surgeon that I feel good about and will be having the following procedures on July 13th (yes, Friday the 13th): lower body lift, buttock augmentation (tissue transfer to counter the "flat bum") and a medial thigh lift. Given the amount of skin on my legs, the doctor told me that the incision will extend down toward my knee. I am disappointed about that, but definitely can't leave my legs as they are.

I am wondering if anyone else had a lower body lift and thigh lift at the same time and if you could give me some perspective on recovery. I've read lots of things about using a lift recliner, but when I mentioned it to the surgeon, he brushed it off and said I wouldn't need anything like that. Given that he hasn't actually experienced the procedure himself (I assume!) I thought I'd get some advice from people who have been there.

Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom. As I said, I feel very lucky to have stumbled across this resource and have learned so much from reading past posts. What an inspiriting group of people and how comforting to know that I am not alone in this.

I don't have any advice (as I'm having my first surgery on May 8th) but wanted to say "Welcome" and Congrats on your weight loss! I hope you find this forum as helpful as I have!

Thank you so much! I have already gotten so much information just from reading other people's posts. Best of luck with your upcoming surgery. What procedures are you having done?

 Welcome and big congrats on your awesome weight loss!!

You can see in my signature that I had multiple procedures done at once.  The LBL barely hurt.  I didn't have tissue transfer but had fat injected into my tush.  It was uncomfortable to lay on the floor for the first four months.  I am just able to lay on the floor again for Pilates.  I was able to sleep on my side on day 10.  

The full  thigh lift was the most difficult of my procedures to recover from.  There are incisions in the groin that were very slow to heal for me.  It's a tender time and it took care to keep any of my incisions from opening.  I did need steri strips in a coupe of groin areas when the stitches came out at three weeks.

I was in a clinic bed for five nights which was great after tummy muscle tightening.  After that I slept in a regular bed with no trouble.  

You are going to be so happy to have this done.  Looking in the mirror will become a favorite hobby.

Good luck!

I believe u get the LBL first cause that can correct some of the inner thigh issues. I have had everything done except my breasts and the arms being the easiest and the thighs being the worst cause i was cut from knee to the groin and the groin incisions tend to get real tight when u r sitting and they split . incision was very awkward but I do not regret getting it done its just that everything else was a piece of cake & thighs wasnt, when I had my TT done I also had a hysterectomy at the same time and it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be I was up driving after 9 days.
Dr.s can perform the surgery but never having it done themselves they cant tell you about the pain and every person is different. A raised toilet seat is a must I think u can get them for like 20.00, the lift recliner is nice if u can rent one but I think they are like 500 or better to buy & u wont need it that long, walking was easy it was sitting  so I sat in a recliner most of the time and in the beginning I eeded a hand to help me get up, I dont mind the scars after 2 1/2 years they have fded that u hardly notice them, my scars are my battle medals, I would rather have scars then flabby saggy skin any day, check out my pix on my profile
Good Luck to you
Susan

Susan,

Thank you so much for sharing, especially your surgical photos. I know this is a very personal matter. I'm in the begining process of looking into getting all my excess abdominal skin removed and thighs. I am very nervous and cautious. The scaring is a big concern in this decision.  Especially with the arms and thighs, I don't wan't to get into a situation where I'm regretting this decision every time I look at them or am ask by someone.

I do understand that over time it does get much better. I have seen a nasty row of staples in my mothers knees after knee replacement surgery and though OH MY GOD !!! But, 1 yr later and the scar is hardly noticeable. AMAZING.

PS. the results look wonderful.

Question: How long did it take for the swelling to go down?  Did your surgeon say that they wouldn't do the Tummy tuck with the thighs ?

Thank you so much for sharing your photos. It is so couragous to put yourself out there- although your results are amazing, so I'm sure you're happy to show them off! I've definitely found that info on medial thigh lifts is hard to find, so it's very helpful to see where your incisions were placed and how the scars look. I was under the impression that mine will end a little above the knee, but I'll have to confirm that with my surgeon. Regarding the raised toilet seat- good call! It's sure to be a worth investment. :)

Thanks again for sharing your story and pictures. It is such a help to me.

 I had the LBL with anchor cut TT and an extended thigh lift with lipo. I had a butt flap augmentation. The LBL with anchor cut TT was a breeze! He took the lower part of my back that he removed with the LBL and added it to my butt to make it round. I love my results. I have to say of all the surgeries I had, the thighs and face were the worst. The LBL was painfree for me. I stayed home for 11 weeks. I am an RN and I am on my feet for 12 hour nights. I didn't want anything to ruin my results or cause complications. You have to realize the strain on your incision lines for your lowers back and thigh is great so you have to protect those incision lines. I had drains for my thighs that came out at the end inner knee area. I had a seroma there for weeks that finally reabsorped without difficulty. No other complications. I slept at the clinic for 6 nights in a hospital bed and then to a regular bed with lots of pillows. I wore my compression garment for 12 weeks 24/7 and another 12 weeks during the day to help with swelling. The LBL does nothing to help the inner thighs. But it did a lot to help the outer thighs. 

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice! I am SO excitied to move forward and every bit of information I can get is a big help. I am trying to get into the best mental and physical shape that I can so that I have a good outcome.

  Congrats to you with your weight loss!  I had an extended tummy tuck, flankplasty and breast lift/augmentation last Thursday.  The first few days were pretty rough, but I didn't need a lift chair.  I did place a large pillow on top of the chair cushion that I sat on.  If you have a recliner, it would be easier to sleep and stand up from.  You will bounce back quicker than you think....I am headed to my son's baseball games here in a few minutes and have not taken any pain medicine for two days.  (Don't get me wrong, I still feel some pain and discomfort but I don't like taking pain medications).
Good luck to you!