Thigh lift w/ incisions through bottom of buttocks safe?

Many weight loss patients, present with thigh laxity in a vertical direction.  About 1/3 of the patients will also have horizontal laxity of their thighs.  If you have horizontal laxity, a vertical thighplasty will reduce the width of the thigh.  Otherwise, every weight loss patient will benefit from thigh lifts.  Thigh lifts can be broken to front, outer thigh, inner thigh, and thigh back.  A lower body lift in the hand of an expert plastic surgeon will give you outer thigh and anterior thigh (front) correction.  For the inner thigh and the back (posterior thigh), in 2007, Dr Hurwitz and I developed the Spiral thigh lift.  This procedure has appeared in Johns Hopkins DVD etching series, presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons by myself in 2011, instructed in the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons in 2014 by myself and written for Encyclopedia of Body Sculpting after weight loss textbook. Every year I do about 40 Spiral thigh lift and it works very well.  However it is best for you to view our patient gallery for yourself.  Every patient in the body lift gallery has had a Spiral thigh lift.  

The thigh lift incisions can be placed in the groin crease, vertically down the inseam of the medial thigh and in the buttock crease. Of all the incisions mentioned the one with the highest degree of complication and patient dissatisfaction is the one on the posterior thigh at the junction of the buttock and the posterior thigh.This attachment can be disrupted, blunting the transition and elongating the appearance of the buttock. The incidence of hypertrophic and keloid scarring in this location is also quite high.I do not use the posterior gluteal crease incision for these reasons. The desired aesthetic can be achieved with the groin crease and inseam incision in my experience. I will extend the groin incision to the inner aspect of the posterior thigh but do not cross on to the posterior thigh. Look at post operative photos and ask to speak with patients who have had this procedure by the surgeon you are considering surgery with. Good luck and I hope this was helpful.

Yes these procedures are safe. The thigh lifts that involve extension on to the buttocks involve removal of excess skin and fat. The Difficulty becomes when you ambulate or walk after surgery. This can put pressure on the incision and potentially increase the chances of wound break down. Cautious ambulation after a thigh lift is encouraged.

Incision placement in the groin, to lift the thigh is a good location if you have mild laxity, and the surgeon is skilled in this technique. With this technique, there in maximal improvement in the upper thigh with little improvement at the level of the knee. If this technique is not done properly, there can be widening of the labia which is uncomfortable and difficult to correct.Without photos it is difficult to advise which procedure is best for you. With massive weight loss, a body lift is often the best way to improve loose thighs. If the thighs sitll have laxity after a body lift, a medial thigh lift is required.A  Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who is experienced in body contouring can best advise you.Yours,Jon M. Grazer, MD, MPH, FACSNewport Beach, CA