Medial Thigh Lift by Seattle Plastic Surgeon

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Medial Thigh Lift according to Seattle Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Quick facts:

• Costs: $7500 – $9000 depending on the length of surgery.
• Post-operative pain: quite a bit. 
• Time in compression garment:  3 weeks.
• Time off work or school: 2 – 3 weeks.
• Time off driving the kids to lacrosse:  1 -  2  weeks or once you are off narcotic pain meds.
• Time off the gym:  4 weeks.
• Time off the slopes:  6  weeks.
• Time off the kite board: 8 weeks.
• Time off house work:  forever!   Just kidding, usually 4-6 weeks.
• How longdoes it last:  forever unless you have significant weight change.
• Patient satisfaction:   high

The fine print:

The medial thigh is a problem area for many women and occasionally for some men. This area tends to collect fat and the skin tone is often poor which can make liposuction alone risky. Aging and weight loss can result in sagging of the skin. There is no way to exercise the skin and even 3 laps around Seattle’s Greenlake a day (about 9 miles) will not tighten up this area.

Medial Thigh Lift is a procedure in which excess skin and fat is removed and the medial thigh is tightened. Sometimes only a horizontal wedge is removed and the scar can be hidden at the junction of the thigh and the pubic area. Oftentimes, however, to get the best contour, it is necessary to remove skin and fat vertically, sometimes down to the medial knee area and this leaves a vertical scar. The scarring usually settles down and fades for up to a year, but sometimes the scar remains quite obvious. This can put a patient (and their plastic surgeon!) in the position of choosing to avoid wearing shorts because of unshapely thighs or avoid wearing shorts because of an unsightly scar. These tradeoff are thoroughly discussed at the surgery consultation. Patients who have other favorable surgical scars are likely to scar the least and those with a history of unfavorable scarring are likely to scar the most.

I perform most of these procedures either in my AAAASF certified Seattle operating room or at Seattle Surgery Center which is located next door to my office building. A general anesthetic is used. Most patients go home the day of surgery. The discomfort following medial thigh lift is significant but controlled with narcotic pain medications. Most patients are off narcotics after a week or so. I recommend 2 weeks off a desk type job and 3 weeks off a more physical job. A special compression girdle is worn for 3 weeks day and night except for showering. After 4 – 6 weeks, patients can gradually return to exercise.

The benefit of a medial thigh lift is long lasting unless the patient has significant weight fluctuations postoperatively.