I don't like the long scar left after a thigh lift. Is there an alternative? (Photo)

You have achieved a tremendous result loosing 100lb!  However, you would benefit of additional weight loss before undergoing lower body contouring surgery. In order to have your thighs tightened and  shaped you will have to accept vertical inner thigh scar and lower abdominal/ lower back scar to achieve a full benefit of thigh/lower body lift. Most of the patient that had same concerns about scars before lower body/thigh contouring surgery have accepted hidden scars as a price for a significant improvement in shape.Regarding butt lift, please discuss with your plastic surgeon option of using your own lower back/upper buttock tissue (that would be otherwise discarded during lower body lift) as a flap filler to shape and lift buttocks. Fat grafts (Brazilian but lift) may be used as well if needed. Good luck.

First of all my sincere congratulations for your massive weight loss."Body Lift Reconstruction" is required after this kind of weight loss. This is done  in stages mostly when the patient finishes loosing weight and getting to  a plateau weight in which the weight stabilizes. I suggest that in preparation for surgery you should get to your goal weight, the  20 mentioned.There is no surgery known to Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery to correct your thigh without long scars.I your case I do not consider necessary the vertical incision for you would like to use shorts, and this incision looks worst than the condition of your skin.First you need a Tummy Tuck with Lipo, maybe a belt lipectomy, that will pull up part of the excess skin of your thigh, and then we may decide about the other procedures needed.

Any time surgery is done, the way we heal as humans is by scarring. Some have the genes to form big, thick scars and some keloid, yet others have the gene to form good scars but are scars. If the patient can not accept a scar then they should not do any surgery. We try to hide the scars but sometimes we can not.There is no other ways to tighten loose skin other than surgery.

In your case, the amount of horizontal skin looseness, as well as vertical skin laxity, must be assessed to answer this question.  From your photos, it would appear that you do have significant looseness of your inner thigh skin from side to side.  This, then, would require the long inner thigh incision and attendant scar.  You should consult with a board certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in post massive weight loss body contouring procedures for an in person evaluation and examination to more definitively answer your question.  Hope this assists you in your next step of decision making!

Hello and thank you for your question. Congratulations on your weight loss. I specialize in post massive weight loss body contouring. 80 % of my practice is dedicated to post massive weight loss body contouring. I perform both the spiral and longitudinal thigh lift procedures often doing both together. When a lower body lift is done and when done correctly, a strong outside thigh lift is obtained with a very small inner upper thigh lift. Even with this I am sorry but to obtain a superior result a longitudinal thigh incision will be needed. If a spiral thigh lift is done by itself you will have,a discrepancy between the upper thighs which will look good and the lower thighs which will remain loose and wrinkled.Peter Fisher M.D.