Question:
Thigh Lift?

I'm 4 week post-op breast lift and arm lift and just scheduled my medial/inner thigh lift for July 2. If you've had a thigh lift, I'd appreciate hearing about your experience post-op. What's the worst part? I feel like a pro with the lower body lift, breast lift and brachioplasty behind me already. Just curious about how one fares with a thigh lift. Thanks much!    — Vicki S. (posted on April 22, 2004)

April 22, 2004
I've had all my plastics done (abdominoplasty (with hernia repair), thigh/upper buttocks lift, arm lift, breast job and I had the most pain and the worse complications from the thigh lift. I had the thigh lift that extends to my knee and had the excess skin taken off my legs. I think you develop more complications when this was done, but it was something I needed as I had wrinkly skin to my knees and a pantyline incision would not have helped me. I developed seromas in one leg that became infected and both legs drained fluid for way over a month. I had to keep maxipads on them to catch the fluid. After a while the fluid just accumulated in the wound and I would have to keep the wound open with a qtip squeeze it out the fluid a few times a day. It would shoot out like a fountain! These both occured near the knee. I also had a bad time sleeping after this surgery as the scars extended across my stomach to my back and there was no comfortable way to lay down. The extra skin gone off my behind made things worse. I'm not trying to scare you because it was completely worth it.
   — Lisa N M.

April 22, 2004
If you are just talking a thigh lift with the incision in the groin area it should not be that bad. If you are talking a thighplasty, like the previous poster described, then I agree with everything she said. I have not had mine done yet but my PS said they are a bugger to get healed etc. Swelling is the worst part. It's not a surgery you will likely go back to work soon after. Many PS's won't even do a thighplasty as it's too many post-op complications to deal with. <p>All this said I will be having mine done at some point. Not sure if it will be this year yet or not. I'm not looking forward to the recovery and pain (skin is very tight and it's painful to sit for a while), but I know it will be worth it in the end. I think I need to psych myself up for this one, not to mention the cost - $9,000.
   — zoedogcbr

April 22, 2004
This is the most painful PS of all -- mainly because every time you sit down, you are stretching the wound. A really useful piece of advice is to learn to pee standing up over the toilet. The more you avoid sitting which impacts the wound, the quicker you will heal.
   — Penolyn V.

April 23, 2004
Thanks, Chris. I didn't know it was called a thighplasty. My surgeon just called it a thigh lift. Its easy for me to say this with it all behind me, but it really was not that bad. The draining was a nuisance, but not painful until I had a seroma that became infected. Also, I should tell the question poster that another thing that you have to be careful of is your incision becoming infected in the groin. After using the bathroom (bowel movement), I had to shower and rub antibacterial ointment on the incision line. One thing that always gets me through plastics is saying to myself, this soon will pass.
   — Lisa N M.

April 23, 2004
The medial thigh lift can be a nuisance to heal for all the reasons other have listed...that area of the body normally stretches a lot, so the incision pulls. It is also harder to keep clean and dry. Often open spots develop. Other than living standing up for 6 weeks, there's not much to do except follow your PS directions on caring for the incision. I usually do these separate from the body lift unless there's just a little skin to deal with, for all the reasons above !
   — DrL