Pain due to outer thigh/hip excess skin post significant weight loss: What are the options?

Question

I have lost and maintained a total of 70kgs (130->60kg in 1.5 years). Lately I have noticed significant pain due to the bouncing of the excess skin on my outer thighs/hips during things like running, jumping, etc. What are the treatment options? I have seen surgeries for inner thigh skin, but I haven't found much for the outer thighs/hips. Because of the pain, I would like to have this corrected but I am unsure of where to begin looking. If it is relevant, I am 22 years old. Thank you!

Tek Przylecki, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello,Thank you for your question. The hip and lateral thigh area skin access can be usually addressed as part of a belt (circumferential) lipectomy. In conjunction with a medial thigh lift, the skin excess on the lateral outer and upper thighs can be decreased by decreasing the overall circumference of your thighs. I'll recommend an evaluation by a board-certified Plastic Surgeon to help guide you on your journey.

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question and congratulations on your incredible weight loss journey! Based on your description, it sounds like you are experiencing discomfort from excess skin on your outer thighs and hips—a common concern after significant weight loss. There are surgical options available to address this issue and provide relief from the pain and improve your overall contour.

The primary surgical option for correcting outer thigh and hip excess skin is a lateral thigh lift or hip lift, often performed as part of a lower body lift (belt lipectomy). This procedure involves making an incision along the hip area to remove excess skin and fat, tightening and smoothing the outer thighs and hips. The incisions are typically placed where they can be concealed by undergarments or swimwear. This surgery is particularly effective in reducing skin laxity and eliminating the discomfort caused by bouncing during activities like running or jumping.

If your outer thigh concerns are less severe or if you prefer a less invasive approach, liposuction combined with skin tightening technologies, such as BodyTite or Renuvion, may be helpful. However, these methods are typically less effective for significant excess skin and may not address the pain caused by movement.

Since you are young and have maintained a stable weight, you are likely an excellent candidate for surgery. I recommend consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon experienced in post-weight-loss body contouring to determine the best approach for your specific concerns.

Good luck, and I hope this helps you take the next steps toward resolving this issue!

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

It is impossible to give you meaningful suggestion without good photos. Removal of the extra skin by means of thigh lift seem to be an option. Hope this helps.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

Photos would have been very helpful. The excess skin on the outer thighs can also be removed surgically. If the excess is limited, there are minimally invasive skin tightening treatments with radiofrequency that work nicely too. Go in for consultation.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

Congratulations on your impressive weight loss!  I encourage you to begin by visiting with a board certified plastic surgeon near you for a consultation.  Depending on the location and quality of the excess skin you may be a candidate for a thigh lift.  It may be that it is better to consider a lower body lift.  Your surgeon can give you the best recommendation after an evaluation.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Your best option is to have in person consultations with plastic surgeons who have extensive experience of helping patients who have successfully lost significant amount of weight, a.k.a. successful weight loss after massive obesity.
Some tightening of the thigh can be accomplished with an inner thigh lift.
 Lower extremity skin tightening procedures have inherent drawbacks and less than perfect.
Attempt at pulling the skin tight increases the chance of having wound healing problems, including dehiscence of potentially very large incisions.
For this reason you need somebody who has extensive experience with skin reduction surgery.
 we can’t really begin to make an assessment without seeing pictures.
I suggest you rely on in person consultations exclusively.
Finding the right provider for your needs is going to be more difficult than most people realize.
Finding the right provider generally takes a combination of having multiple consultations and the ability to vet providers successfully.
The hallmark of provider selection should be Insisting, unseen, lots of before, and after pictures of previous patients who had similar body characteristics.
If surgeons can’t show you an impressive collection before and after pictures of previous patients who look just like you do then you’re probably not talking to the right provider.
You may want to consider talking to bariatric or weight loss centers in your area to see if they have a plastic surgeons. They regularly refer weight loss patients to after successful weight loss.
 You also scroll through the plastic surgeons in your communities websites and see if they have a lot of pictures of skin reduction after weight loss.
It may not be realistic to a normal body after having been morbidly obese.
Activities may simply always be a challenge. Improvement is possible and the degree of depends on the patient perception, the candidacy for surgery and more than anything else, skill and experience of the provider.
 Considering the provider selection is the most important variable you start by simply making a list of potential providers in your community and then start scheduling in person consultations with each of them.This response was dictated using word recognition.
My apologies for potential grammatical errors.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD

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