5'4, 52 year old female, 110lbs, skinny person thigh lift or other mix of procedures? (Photos)

Question

Hi! I'm a 5'4" 52 year old female who lost 35 pounds this year and now weighing 110 lbs . One of my thighs I had lipo on in 2018 now looks like the face of a sharpei :( My glutes too. (I didn't have lipo on my glutes). Do I need a thigh lift or mix of other procedures (like Bodytite + microneedling + sculptra)? I am not looking for perfect and just want "not as obvious so I don't have to wear shorts at the beach" Thank you! :)

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi, thank you for your question about your thighs and buttocks and for sharing your history and photos.

First, let’s analyze your thighs. Based on your photos, the rolls of excess skin are likely due to your weight loss, genetics, and possibly the effects of previous liposuction. Since you have noticeable inner thigh skin laxity, the most reliable solution for your thighs is a thigh lift.

There are six types of thigh lifts, but in your case, you may want to consider either a crescent inner thigh lift or a modified vertical medial thigh lift:

Crescent Inner Thigh Lift: This involves removing a crescent-shaped portion of skin and fat from the inner thighs. The primary advantage is that the scar is well-hidden in the groin crease. However, this procedure is limited in how much skin it can remove and carries a risk of complications like labial spreading or scar migration down the thigh.
Modified Vertical Medial Thigh Lift: This option is likely your best choice. The incision is placed along the inner thigh seam and extends 6–8 inches down the inner thigh. This approach removes more wrinkled, excess inner thigh skin and provides a smoother contour, addressing the "Shar-Pei" appearance you mentioned.
Next, let’s address your buttocks. You have significant rolls of excess skin on the lower portion of your buttocks and hips. Since these rolls are primarily located on the buttocks rather than the thighs, a thigh lift alone will not correct this issue. Instead, you would benefit from a posterior buttock lift.

Posterior Buttock Lift: During this procedure, an incision is made across the top of the buttocks. A butterfly- or peanut-shaped section of skin and fat is removed, lifting and reducing the buttocks. This procedure tightens the lower buttocks and improves contour.
Both the thigh lift and buttock lift are performed under general anesthesia and can be done in a single surgery. Plan for a 2–3 week recovery period, and you’ll need to avoid strenuous activity during that time.

Before deciding on these procedures, I recommend consulting with several board-certified plastic surgeons who specialize in thigh and buttock lifts. They can evaluate your anatomy and goals to ensure the best possible outcome. Please choose an experienced surgeon with a strong track record in these types of body contouring procedures.

Good luck, and thank you for your question regarding your options!

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear RenovationProject415,

it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination, you will get more information and recommendations.

Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Mustafa Aydinol, MD · Answer

In this kind of body shape deformities, surgery is the best and most reliable option but it comes with one caveat which is scar.So if you are okay with scars then you should go with buttock lifting or you can ask your surgeon to place the scar down where your buttock fold is and get rid of the excess skin. Either way you will have a scar, you need to choose which you prefer.For the inner thighs a fat grafting procedure could work but you do not seem to have enough fat. Maybe a gentle liposuction from just the front parts of the thighs can be enough to fill those dents. If you would like to improve the skin quality as well, then you should choose micro needling as well but that will not affect the dents.

Rajaie Hazboun, MD, MBA · Answer

Thank you for posting your question here!I will base my answer on the limited data and pictures provided, for a detailed and personalized plan I would recommend that you consult with a plastic surgeon.First of all congratulations on your weight loss!, you do seem to have a lot of skin laxity, a surgical intervention will likely give you the best result ( thigh lift , infragluteal buttock tuck ...etc) , you will be trading the laxity for a scar . That being said , if you are completely agains having the scars and wish to experiment with minimally invasive options first , you won't be burning any bridges so you can proceed with that knowing that you won't have complete resolution of your issue but might notice some improvement. If that is the case I would recommend either renuvion or bodytite.I hope this helps, best of luck!

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS · Answer

Unfortunately, not of those minor interventions like Bodytite, microneedling, or Sculptra will help; there is too much skin excess/laxity to be addressed. Only skin excising surgery will help: a right (or asymmetric bilateral) inner thigh lift and a posterior body lift (for the buttock/posterior thigh wrinkles).

5'4, 52 year old female, 110lbs, skinny person thigh lift or other mix of procedures? (Photos)

Answers (10)

Answer: Thigh Lift

Answer: Thigh Lift

Answer: Loose skin

Answer: Loose skin

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Everything you need to know about Thigh Lift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

5'4, 52 year old female, 110lbs, skinny person thigh lift or other mix of procedures? (Photos)

Answers (10)

Answer: Thigh Lift

Answer: Thigh Lift

Answer: Loose skin

Answer: Loose skin

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Thigh Lift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.