Thigh Lift Surgery

Thigh lift surgery reshapes your thighs by reducing excess skin, and in some cases fat, resulting in smoother skin and better-proportioned contours of the thighs and lower body.

In thigh lift surgery, the tissue of your inner and outer thigh regions are pulled upwards and inwards. The potential results can be simulated by pulling up the skin of your inner and outer thigh with your hands (rather like pulling on a pair of stockings). You can see the wrinkles and excess tissue disappear. We often use a combination of liposuction and excision of skin to get optimal results.

If exercise and weight loss efforts have not achieved your goals for a body that is firmer, more youthful-looking and more proportionate to your overall body image, or if this has resulted in loose, saggy skin, then a surgical thigh lift may be right for you.

This surgery reshapes the thighs by reducing excess skin, and in some cases fat, resulting in smoother skin and better-proportioned contours of the thighs and lower body.

You are a good candidate for thigh lift if:

What a thigh lift won’t do: Thigh lifts are not intended only for the removal of excess fat. Liposuction alone can remove excess fat deposits where skin has good elasticity and is able to naturally conform to new body contours. In cases where skin elasticity is poor, a combination of liposuction and thigh lift techniques may be recommended.

During the consultation, you will be asked about the results you would like to achieve from your thigh lift surgery. This will help us to understand your expectations and determine whether they realistically can be achieved.

There are a number of different techniques used to perform a thigh lift, depending on the shape of the thigh and lower body, amount and quality of skin and fat and your expectations of the results. In almost all cases of thigh lift, a method is used to minimize the amount of scarring.

Incision patterns vary based on the area or areas to be treated, degree of correction and patient and surgeon preference. Most commonly, a thigh lift incision is placed in the groin anteriorly, extending down and backwards towards the fold of your buttocks and top of the thigh. The tissue of the inner thighs will be pulled upwards and reshaped, and the skin will be reduced and redraped resulting in a more proportionate and smoother shape.

This groin incision for a medial thigh lift might have to be extended in the midline of the thigh down towards your knee if there is a lot of loose skin and tissue. We will discuss the exact position of the incisions together in order to get the best results. However, one must always note that scars will be visible, although they will be hidden in the groin and down the inner thighs.

Improving the contours of the outer thighs, often as part of a body lift after weight loss, may require an incision extending from the groin around the hip. Through these incisions the tissues of the outer thigh and hip will be lifted and tightened, for a smoother, better-toned lower body contour.

Advanced techniques usually allow incisions to be placed in strategic locations where they can be hidden by most types of clothing and swimsuits. However, incisions may be extensive. We will use buried, deep support sutures that will resolve over a few months time, in order to help support the underlying tissues heal in their new position and to take the tension off the skin to allow for better scaring.

We will keep a close eye on you after your surgery and would normally see you for your follow-up appointments at regular dressing clinics every 2-3 days and then 6 weeks and 3 months following surgery, at which point your post-operative photographs will be taken.

The contour of your upper thighs will be smoother and tighter and excess, hanging skin will have been removed. These results will be apparent almost immediately, although initially obscured by swelling and bruising. You will be required to wear a compression garment for several weeks following your procedure to minimize swelling and support the tissues as they heal. Following a thigh lift, skin quality can improve both in appearance and feel, although one needs to be realistic as to what can be achieved. It may take several months for the final result to fully develop.

The incisions from your thigh lift surgery will heal and fade over time. It is important to realize, however, that the incision lines will be permanently visible, more so in some individuals than others. Ideally, the scars will heal well over time and will then be well concealed. Any scar goes through a maturation process, which takes a year to complete. In African skin, the risk of hypertrophic or keloid scarring must be kept in mind. As your body ages, it is natural to lose some firmness. However, most of your initial improvement will be permanent.

Whilst these operations are generally safe in the hands of a qualified and experienced plastic surgeon and regarded to be highly successful, there are, as with any operation, risks involved and the possibility of complications that patients need to consider, like wound dehiscence, haematomas or small infections.

Smokers are STRONGLY advised to discontinue smoking several weeks prior to surgery and after surgery as smoking increases the risks of complications and delays wound healing by altering blood circulation in the skin. You can reduce your risks of complications by closely following our instructions before and after the surgery.

Postoperative pain will vary from person to person, but this is generally not considered as a painful procedure. Most patients are delighted with the physical and cosmetic improvements that thigh lift brings. There might be minor asymmetries between your thighs and the scars. Occasionally patients will bleed immediately after the operation and need to go back to the operating room for this to be dealt with. Wound healing problems can occur, particularly in the groin area, where the horizontal and vertical scars meet. All thigh lifts result in some scarring although the nature of the scars will depend on the technique that has been used. Most patients will form good quality scars over time, but occasionally and unpredictably some patients will get lumpy scars that do not improve unless treated.

Another possible complication is prolonged drainage and collection of wound fluid (Seroma). In these cases, the drains have to be taken out at some stage, and if the fluid continues to collect, one might simply have to drain it though the skin during follow-up visits.

Most wound problems are minor and can be managed with simple dressings. However, more major wound problems can arise such as infections, skin loss, wound separation and delayed healing. Wound problems, if they occur, can delay your recovery and result in worse scarring. You may notice that you feel less sensation in the groin and inner thigh areas. This usually is temporary. It may, however, take weeks, months or even more than a year before sensation returns to normal.

Smokers are strongly advised to discontinue smoking several weeks prior to surgery and after the operation, as smoking increases the risks of complications and delays wound healing by altering blood circulation in the skin. You can reduce your risks of complications by closely following our instructions before and after the surgery.

Thigh lift surgery cost in Kenya depends on your circumstances and the technique we will perform.

For more information on thigh lift costs, we invite you to book a consultation session with Dr. Stasch. During this confidential appointment, we can discover more about what you would like to achieve and find out if thigh lift surgery is right for you.