Thigh Lift
Firm, beautiful legs are probably every woman's dream - and also most men's. In reality, however, the appearance of the legs often turns out differently. Various factors contribute to this: With advancing age, the elasticity of the skin and connective tissue decreases. The skin becomes wrinkled and begins to sag. Strong weight loss resulting from a diet or a sustainable change in lifestyle has the same effect. Often, the thighs are particularly affected by these tissue changes. Sports or massages only help to a very limited extent against sagging skin in the upper leg area. A plastic-surgical thigh lift, on the other hand, provides sustainable relief.
The procedure removes excess skin from the thighs. Many of my patients who have their legs tightened report that the operation has brought about a very noticeable improvement in their body perception and self-esteem. The result of the procedure consists of firm thighs that look significantly younger and again match the other body proportions.
In my Berlin specialist practice for plastic-aesthetic surgery, I perform thigh lifts using different surgical techniques depending on the extent of the required correction. It is important to me that you regain a positive body and life feeling through the combination of my medical and aesthetic expertise.
- Duration of the procedure
- Three hours
- Anesthesia
- General anesthesia
- Clinic stay
- One to two days depending on the extent of the operation
- Socially presentable
- After two weeks
- Able to work
- After two weeks, for physically demanding activities after three to four weeks
- Sports
- After six weeks
- Wound healing
- Four weeks
- Costs
- Depending on the extent of the procedure and the surgical method, from 6,000 Euros
- Aftercare
- Wearing compression garments for four weeks
Before the start of the procedure, the exact incision lines are drawn on your thighs and in the groin with a skin marker. You will only be anesthetized after this step. A thigh lift is always performed under general anesthesia in my practice. The reason for this is the duration of the operation - the anesthesia makes the procedure significantly less stressful for you. The procedure itself consists of plastic-surgical precision work. With a very fine scalpel, the skin incisions are first made and the excess tissue is removed. Subsequently, the remaining skin is tightened and the leg is brought into the desired shape. To drain wound fluid, I insert drains that remain in the skin for a few days. At the end of the operation, the incisions are sutured with medical thread. The exact duration of the operation depends on the respective treatment effort. However, a thigh lift almost always requires at least three hours.
In general, a thigh lift is associated with only minor risks. As an experienced specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery, I ensure that complications during and after the operation are extremely unlikely. However, as with any other operation, risks - such as bleeding, wound healing disorders, allergic reactions or infections - cannot be 100% excluded even with a thigh lift. You can support a successful and complication-free operation and healing process by following some recommendations: Pain and sleep medication as well as blood thinners must not be taken for at least one week before the operation date. During this time, you should also avoid nicotine and alcohol as much as possible or reduce their consumption as much as possible. Slight post-operative bleeding, swelling, bruising and mild pain are unavoidable immediately after the procedure. However, these side effects of the operation can be well managed by cooling and pain medication.
After the operation, the thighs are fitted with a compression bandage. In the following four weeks, you must also wear compression garments around the clock to protect the sutures and stabilize the surgical result. The compression pants support the operated areas so that an optimal thigh contour and beautiful legs can be achieved. The drains can be removed on the following day - until then, the wounds should not come into contact with water. The sutures are removed after two weeks, after which you can start with scar care. Of course, I will advise you on suitable techniques and scar care products. As part of the aftercare, I also check whether your lymphatic system needs support after the procedure and, if necessary, prescribe lymphatic drainage. Physical rest is important in the first two weeks after the thigh lift. Light exercise is allowed and can effectively support the healing process, but you should definitely avoid stronger physical exertion for four to six weeks. Strong sun exposure or UV light in the solarium can lead to permanent pigmentation of the scars - here you should be careful for a few months.
With a thigh lift to a positive body feeling and self-confidence
For many affected individuals, loose, sagging and wrinkled skin on the thighs is a strong psychological and social burden. Short clothing or a day at the beach become an impossibility from their personal perspective. A thigh lift restores the original condition of the legs. If very thick and fleshy thighs impair the overall proportion of the body, the procedure can also be combined with liposuction for an optimal result.
Tighten legs - what result can be achieved?
The main result of a thigh lift is well-shaped, beautiful legs. The skin of the thighs is sustainably tightened. Excess tissue is permanently removed, while the contours of the thighs are sculpted.
The result of a thigh lift is permanent. Ideally, it remains for life. A follow-up operation may be necessary if strong weight fluctuations lead to renewed skin sagging. You can support a lasting treatment effect through a healthy lifestyle and exercise, which among other things ensure that your weight does not change significantly.
The first results of a thigh lift are visible immediately after the procedure. The final treatment result is achieved when the healing process is completely finished.
At which points are incisions necessary for a thigh lift?
A professional and experienced specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery will always pay attention to the gentlest possible incision technique. Nevertheless, longer skin incisions cannot always be avoided in a thigh lift. They are made in concealed areas so that the scars do not later cause any visual impairments.
A thigh lift is performed either with a short or a long skin incision. A short skin incision is suitable for smaller procedures with limited amounts of excess skin. The procedure primarily aims to reposition sagging tissue and reduce skin folds. In this case, the incision is made in the flexural creases of the groin. After the healing phase, the scars are usually barely visible. In a thigh lift with a long skin incision, additional excess skin is removed. By tightening the skin and muscles, the leg circumference is also reduced. For this surgical variant, a further vertical incision on the inner side of the thighs is necessary.
Both techniques for a thigh lift can optionally be combined with liposuction. In this combination, liposuction is not used to remove larger amounts of fat tissue, but to optimize the overall result of the procedure by removing smaller fat deposits.
Thigh lifts in my Berlin practice - individual, personal, professional
A thigh lift in my Berlin specialist practice for plastic and aesthetic surgery always begins with a personal consultation, where all questions relevant to the procedure and your desired results are addressed. During this consultation, I get to know your expectations and personal circumstances, explain the course of the operation, and discuss the limitations and possible risks of the procedure. I also take a detailed medical history and perform a physical examination. Afterwards, I create an individual treatment plan for you.
On the day of the operation, we will have another preliminary discussion. Of course, I am available for further consultations at any time before the procedure and will accompany you with my medical expertise throughout the entire healing phase.
Frequently asked questions
All patients who feel their body image and external appearance are negatively affected by sagging skin and tissue changes on their thighs can have their legs tightened.
Basically, yes. The possibility of a thigh lift does not depend on age. In practice, older patients primarily opt for the procedure, as skin changes on the thighs can become severe, especially in old age. Younger people choose the operation primarily after significant weight changes to achieve beautiful legs again.
If you plan to change your lifestyle to achieve sustainable weight reduction, you should postpone the thigh lift until you have reached your desired weight and know that you can maintain it long-term.
Besides the natural aging process, significant weight changes are the main cause of sagging thighs. A major weight loss after the procedure may negatively affect the result.
After a thigh lift, you have a good chance that the result will last a lifetime. It is optimal if you support the long-term effect of the operation through regular exercise and a healthy diet.
If, in rare cases, the skin on the thighs becomes overstretched again, the operation can be repeated without problems. The procedure is then performed through the existing scars, so no new incisions with corresponding scar formation are necessary.
A thigh lift can be well combined with liposuction in the operated areas. The main goal is to optimally sculpt the leg contour by removing smaller fat deposits.
The wound pain after a thigh lift subsides after just a few days. It can be well managed with mild painkillers. You may still feel a slight sensation of tension in the following four to six weeks.
In my practice, I generally perform thigh lifts under general anesthesia due to the scope and duration of the operation. However, if general anesthesia is absolutely out of the question for you, we will find a solution together.
The operation can put a significant strain on the lymphatic vessels in the treated areas. Lymphatic drainage is not part of the standard aftercare after this procedure. However, if I determine during the control appointments that your lymphatic system needs support because fluid accumulations have formed, I will recommend this measure to you.
Contraindications to a thigh lift include certain pre-existing conditions or blood-thinning medications that you cannot discontinue for medical reasons, even for a limited period. As part of my medical consultation and anamnesis, I will, of course, clarify this issue. Often, however, it is sufficient to postpone the procedure to a later date.
Do you have questions about thigh lift?
Should you still have any unanswered questions, we would be happy to discuss them personally and without obligation in our Berlin practice.