Tummy Tuck vs. Body Lift

I am a 27 year old mother of 3. I'm 5'5" and 133 lbs. Have been planning my mommy makeover for a while now and have even had a couple of consults. I am having a breast lift and implants. I was also planning a tummy tuck and it was suggested to consider a medial thigh lift as this area drives me crazy. I don't have much fat on my body, just lots of stretch marks and some saggy skin. I am not at all excited about the scars in my groin, because I've heard that they always migrate down and show, so bathing suites would be an issue. I was looking at the pics of body lifts and wondering if this would be a better option? How well does the inner thigh area get lifted? Wouldn't mind a little boost in the booty anyway... I don't mind the scar from the body lift that goes all the way around, but I don't want to do this if the thigh results aren't substantial... Any suggestions?

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20 Doctor Answers | Asked by CCC's Mommy in Raleigh, NC

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What is lifted by a body lift?

Body lifts work well with tummy tucks. The body lift and tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) will together lift and tighten the abdomen, back, hips, buttock, posterior thigh, lateral thigh, and anterior thigh. The medial thigh is least effected with the body lift and often requires its own operation. For limited skin excess, the scar can be tucked high in the groin. After massive weight loss patients will also need an incision (which leaves a scar) lengthwise... more

Tummy Tuck v. Lower Body Lift

Both a tummy tuck and a lower body lift give improvement in the thighs by pulling on adjacent areas. I often will have patents wait until after the body lift or abdominoplasty before making a decision on thighs because considerable improvement is possible. A body lift allows more thigh improvement than the tummy tuck because a wider belt of skin can be removed on the sides giving better lateral pull. The decision on which is best for you should be carefully considered... more

Body Lifting

Thank you for your question. This is difficult to answer without examining you to see how much of an improvement the inner thigh lift will provide. I would highly suggest that you meet with well experienced board certified plastic surgeons who work with weight loss patients (different skin elasticity issues, etc.). Also, I do not recommend doing all of these procedures at the same time. You may want to consider doing the lower body lift and after things have healed, you can... more

Body lift and inner thighs

Lots of good advice has been given to you. In general I tell patients that are doing a lower body lift that in fact there is a 20-30% improvement in your inner thighs. The inner thighs are some what lifted. Of course individuals who have significant excess, need a medial thigh lift at some point. Significant past experience has thought all of us who do a lot of massive weight loss body contouring not to do a medial thigh lift at the same time that a lower body lift is being done.... more

Lower body lift wont help your inner thighs

A circumferential abdominoplasty (i.e. lower bodylift or belt lipectomy) is an excellent operation that is designed to address the laxity of the torso. The tightening effect will translate to the outer thigh somewhat, but there will be no effect on the inner thighs. You will need an inner thighlift.

Body lift vs tummy tuck and inner thigh lift

A circumferential - all the way around the waist - body lift will result in an improvement in the lateral thighs and lift the buttock, however it will not improve or lift the inner thigh very much. Performing an inner thigh lift at the same time with either a tummy tuck / abdominoplasty or circumferential body lift can result in a significant amount of post operative swelling in the pubic area. You may want to consider doing the tummy tuck or body... more

Inner thigh lift

It is always possible that the inner thigh lift scars may migrate a bit . Depending upon how bad the thighs look initially will determine the incision needed to be used and the quality of the result.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Inner Thigh Lift vs. Outer Thigh Lift: Two Areas needing two procedures

Inner and outer thighs are common areas of sagging after weight loss and after weight loss after pregnancy. It sounds like you are in great shape and likely have just excess skin, so liposuction in either of these areas will not be effective. I approach these areas differently, but agree that both will need excisional techniques to provide the shape you want. Unfortunately, with excisional procedures come scars, and accuracy of scar placement is key. A lower body lift combines a tummy tuck... more

Medial thighs and abdominoplasty

I think a well done abdominoplasty (where the skin and fat are undermined in the suprapubic region and pulled up tight and Scarpas fascia is carefully closed) can improve the medical thigh quite a bit, expecially if there is not a lot of extra fat. Try this on yourself. Stand in front of the mirror and grab a handful of your lower abdominal fat and yank it up. See the improvement in your medial thigh? Your post-surgical improvment won't be as much as you may be... more

Body lift, mommy makeover,breast lift, tummy tuck,thighplasty,cost of tummy tuck

A body lift does help with the tummy as well as lifting of the buttock. It usually does noit significantly lift or remove excess skin from the medial thigh. I do modify these procedures to try and maximize the removal of the excess skin from wherever the patient needs removal. In many cases,I do combine this with breast surgery and what is referred to as a mommy makeover. These procedures can even be done as an outpatient.