2 1/2 weeks out from Thigh Lift

Hello All!

So I am 2 1/2 weeks out now. The scars are starting to heal up and my left leg is looking better than my right still.  But the right is coming along and getting better.  From a pain perspective, I've been off of pain meds totally for a week and 1/2 but I do still get sore by the end of the day, especially on days that I am moving around more.  What I am getting is "zingers"... these sharp stinging pains that can range from a 2 on the pain scale up to a 8 or 9.   They last only a moment and then I'm fine.  But wow, sometimes it stops me in my tracks.  They happen if I am moving or sitting perfectly still.  Odd but I can live with it for now. 

I also have an incision that has opened up.  It is on my right leg, the point where all 3 areas of the T incision meet.  My PS says that it is common and to just keep putting Neosporin on it and keep a bandage there to cover.  A bit of a pain, and I worry how it is going to heal.  Right now, I basically have a hole about the size of a dime in my leg.  

There are also some swelled areas of the incision that extends to under my pelvis.  These worry me a bit because they are like a flap of skin sticking up.  You can't really see it because it is tucked up between my legs but I worry that if these don't flatten down I am going to have some problems when I run.  Doing a 13 mile run causes lots of chafing as it is.  I can't imagine how sensitive scar tissue will react.  Ouch!  

I guess all in all I am doing ok.  These scars are still a bit scary to me (not just because they look hideous but also functionally) but I am trying to keep the faith that they are still very much changing as they heal.  I'm feeling mentally better about this as the pain diminishes but there are still a few "what did I do to myself" moments here and there.  My mobility is still not great.  If I move around too much, I will pay the price.  So I'm focusing on keeping my legs elevated when I can, not moving around excessively and getting good nutrition to heal with.  

This is a very different healing process than my LBL was.  I'm actually REALLY glad I did that one first.  My plans for the summer was to get my arms and breasts lifted.  I'm still planning on the breasts, but this thigh lift is making me think a little more about the arms.  

Has anyone done both arms and thighs?  How was the healing compared between the two? 

Hope all is well with everyone.  I have my next follow up with my doc on 4/14.  And then I am going back into the office for work.  Fingers crossed for me!

I did both arms and thighs, a year apart.  I did the thighs first, then the arms.  Out of all of the procedures that I have had, I thought the arms were the easiest.  I'm thinking because I had no decreased mobility.  I had to limit my range of motion for about a week but each day it got a little better.  My thighs were so bad I never looked back once I had them done - it was all worth it.  

I love your new avatar!

I'm 5 weeks out, and here to tell you that it does get better.  I have the same issue with the junction at the crease on one leg.  Just putting a bandaid over it and it's closing up.  The same thing happened with the LBL at the top of my butt, and it healed up fine.  I'm pretty confident that this one will heal up fine too, and so will yours.

I still have swelling, mostly in the evening, but I'm starting to see final shape.  The scars have gone through their ugly purple stage and are starting to look healed.  I can still feel a lot of internal stitches and the incision line is wavy, but not as dimpled as before.  And, damn it, I'm getting feeling back on the incision and it's sensitive as heck.  Not hurting, just super sensitive.

I had my thigh lift six weeks ago tomorrow and had some very similar experiences. My incisions opened up in the groin area on both sides. I just posted some photos on my profile of what they looked like along the healing process if you would like to take a look. I had a fairly large hole in the right side, and at six weeks it is almost closed up. The scar may be a little bigger, but the left side scar looks really good even with the healing issues.

I also had the zinging pains. My nurse told me its the nerves healing, and I believe it. At six weeks I still swell everyday day, but the pain is finally starting to get better. I mostly now just get sore around the knees by the end of the day, since that is where the fluid seems to collect now that I am back to work and sitting at my desk. So hang in there, you are at the point where we start to rapidly feel better :) 

I thought the thigh lift was harder than the LBL. I was going to get my arms done, but now I really don't know if I can do a fourth plastic surgery lol. I will need some revisions done to the thighs, so we shall see...

Thank you for that frame of reference, it really helped me feel (emotionally) better about mine. My PS had said (they look normal, the scars will flatten and look less bunched, the hole will close" and I trust her but......damn it looks bad and I couldn't even wrap my head around how that would happen. But judging from your pics, it sure does happen. So THANK YOU!   :-)

I too would like to thank you for sharing the photos.  I know if I saw mine do that I would think everything is falling apart and I am going to never heal and look like Frankenstein.  Having you all say yours did this and turned out OK will help prepare me.

Your incision goes below your knees right?  How far?  My one surgeon I will be using said he was going below the knee.  The other two said there is nothing you can do to help lower than mid thigh.

Thank you for updating your progress.  I find others stories so very helpful!  I'm two months out from the face lift and still have zingers on the left side and have all along.  The are more annoying now than painful.  But still a pain.  Do you have any photos?

First of all congrats on your thigh lift! !! I did my thighs and arms February 7 and what a healing process this has been.  It was a very large surgery to do all in all I'm very happy with my results. I did have a seroma on my right thigh and I too have had a "bullet" size hole there for the last month but thankfully it is healing beautiful.   My arms I had very little issues with just pain for both areas.  The pain is there for a bit tho but hey its all in the name of beauty right??? I wish you a speedy recovery and if you'd ever like to chat I'm here xo

I did arms and thighs together and for me the arms were much worse. My thighs were pretty easy. Nothing was as bad as the tummy tuck.