Question:
swelling and fluid after thigh lift

i was wanting to hear from people who have had inner thigh lifts about how long did it take for the swelling and fluid to subside and your legs to return to normal ? also how long till you can exercise again ? im 3 wks post op now from inner thigh lift incision from the groin to middle of the leg    — angela J. (posted on April 15, 2005)

April 14, 2005
My inner thigh lift incisions are only in the groin of my legs. I was told not to exercise for 6 weeks. My thighs were tight for about that long as well. I would say it took about a month to get back to normal. I really can't say that I noticed a lot of swelling. Once the drains were pulled out at 10 days, I was back in my old tight jeans - no problems. Make sure you don't have any seromas developing if your noticing fluid and swelling. You also might want to elevate your legs for at least a couple of hours every night to help the swelling subside.
   — Patty H.

April 15, 2005
Hey girl, I don't have any answers to your question, but I do have a question for you I am planning to have an inner thigh lift and my scar will run from the top of my knee on the inside to around under the buttocks what should I expect??? I am scared and I am excited too!!!!
   — johnlette H.

April 16, 2005
Hi, I had a lower body lift and and my inner thighs done about 6-7 weeks ago. My incision goes from my knee, up my inner thigh, around the back of my leg and across under each butt cheek. I had a ton of swelling, you couldn't see my knees or my ankles. I was put on a water pill and elevated my legs as much as possible. Even now I still get swollen in my right ankle and foot, but for some reason my left is okay. I'm still wearing my compression garmet all day long and must continue for another 6 weeks my doctor said. I just started exercising again, but I take it easy. How happy are you with your results?? Mine are a ton better, but I'm not 100% thrilled with the results. My dr. said the worst is over and now it's just a matter of fine tuning them. Good Luck, Kelly*
   — Kelly* P.

April 16, 2005
I had my inner thigh lift today, outpatient. I don't know how long it will take the swelling to go away, man oh man it does hurt tho. I asked my dr when I could resume exercise(before surgery) now "exercise" is walking to the bathroom and I am done in being up for 5-10 minutes walking in my house. He said i could go back to the health club in a couple weeks. He must have had incredibl control to say THAT with a straight face. At this point I'm not even going to cosider it for a couple of months.
   — **willow**

April 18, 2005
Angela, I know exactly what you are going through. Mine took over a month. One leg leaked at the knee from the start. After a while I could squeeze the lump of fluid that accumulated there and water would squirt out. That was the lucky leg! The other one just built up fluid and it finally was infected. The doctor cut an incision in it close to the knee and then I had to milk that one. I had to keep the legs draining by poking it with a qtip. I went through a lot of sanitary pads! When it finally stopped (and it will), I went to the doctor and he hugged me out of relief. He said its something that happens to weight loss patients and he wanted to discuss it with other ps's at a conference. It took over a month...maybe even six weeks, but it will clear up. Keep those legs elevated and take protein drinks because the fluid that drains is supposedly rich in protein. You can read my profile for more information.
   — Lisa N M.