Hi Exuberant 861759, thank you for your question regarding whether it’s possible to undergo a thigh lift if you have cellulite. Before I answer your question, let’s explore what cellulite is. Cellulite is a vertical band of scar which tethers your skin to the underlying soft tissue. Without these vertical bands, your skin would fall off your body. As you age, trauma, infection, inflammation, or significant weight loss, these bands can tighten. As these cellulite bands tighten, there is dimpling of the skin. Thus, cellulite is dimpling of the skin resulting from contraction of these vertical bands. To treat these areas of cellulite, these vertical bands need to be transected. This can be accomplished with a specific cutting V-shaped tip liposuction instrument. This technique works well for patients with mild to moderate excess skin and fat of the thighs and significant areas of cellulite. However, if you have moderate to extreme excess skin of the thighs, you may do better with a thigh lift, thigh reduction or thighplasty. Therefore, it is not true that you are not eligible for thigh liposuction or thigh skin removal because you have cellulite. In fact, almost all my weight loss patients who undergo a thigh lift have cellulite. The mere fact that you have lost 120 pounds and you were 135 at 5’3”, I believe you are a candidate for a thigh lift at this point. in my opinion you do not need to lose another 15 pounds. In my opinion, you are ready for a thigh lift. I specialize in thigh lifts. I hope that I have answered your questions regarding the thigh reduction. If you have any more questions regarding the thigh lift, thigh reduction, vertical thigh lift, medial thigh lift, spiral thigh lift, crescent thigh lift, or thigh lipo, please contact my office. Please seek an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon with significant experience performing thigh lifts. Do your research. Make sure your chosen plastic surgeon has performed at least 100 thigh lifts. Make sure they have the before and after pictures to prove it. Carefully examine their before and after pictures and check their reviews on RealSelf. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. (“Verified” Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, International College of Surgery, and American Board of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)
