Thigh lift (or cruroplasty): following aging, pregnancy or significant weight loss, the skin of the thighs may lose its elasticity or become slack. This generates excess skin and localized fat on the inner thighs, which can have an unsightly appearance. In addition, this excess skin can become troublesome when walking due to friction.
To remedy this problem, one can resort to a thigh lift. This procedure removes excess skin and fat, and tightens the skin on the inner thighs. The plastic surgeon must first of all take into account the morphology of the thighs, the importance of the excess fat, the quality of the skin and the muscle tone.
The thigh lift operation is performed under conventional general anesthesia. It lasts between 2 and 4 hours and requires hospitalization for 24 hours.
It takes place in two operational steps:
- Fat aspiration: This begins with liposuction of fat from the thighs using fine cannulas. This will make it possible to remove the residual fat and prepare the operating plan for the facelift.
- Removal of excess skin: The surgeon proceeds by carefully removing this excess, in order to avoid excessive tension on this area subject to significant stress, especially when walking.
There are two incision techniques depending on the amount of sagging skin:
- Vertical incision technique: Used when the excess skin and fat is mainly localized widthwise. The surgeon makes a vertical incision along the inner side of the thigh. This incision will leave a more or less long scar depending on the amount of skin removed.
- Technique with mixed incision: This is the most practiced thigh lift technique when the excesses are in width and length. The resulting scar is either L-shaped or T-shaped.
The post-operative result is immediate, with a disappearance of the hanging skin of the thighs, and a reduction of its circumference in the event of associated liposuction. On the other hand, the final result is only observed after three months of the intervention. Several control consultations are carried out, approximately 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after the intervention.