After major weight loss or with normal ageing, the inner thighs can become loose and wrinkled, weighing down the whole figure. There is a mismatch between the container (the skin) and the content (muscles and fat); restoring normal proportions requires removing the excess skin. It is a true lift: the thigh skin is pulled upwards, reshaping and slimming the thigh, and the whole leg looks better.
The scars are placed so that they can be hidden by underwear, although their quality, which largely depends on the individual, may not be good for five or six months. In post-bariatric patients, who have lost a very large amount of weight, much longer incisions are needed, leaving vertical scars down to the knee. A thigh lift can be performed as a day case under local anaesthesia with sedation or under general anaesthesia; sometimes a few days in hospital are needed.
Complications are rare and mainly include seromas, haematomas and wound breakdown.