Thigh Lift- 32 Y/o, No Kids - Final Procedure After Having Tummy Tuck and Arm Lift Last Year - Chadds Ford, PA

The time has flown, and so has recovery, thankfully. It doesn't even really feel like I've been in "recovery" since the first week, because life was fortunately able to go back to normal pretty quickly. I really couldn't be happier with how smoothly everything has gone, especially since my previous procedures had some difficulties.

I decided to try easing back into working out last week with some upper body/lifting and some light core work and that felt fine, so last night I tried running, just 20 minutes on the treadmill, but felt great! My legs felt totally normal, no weird sensations or pain, and I didn't feel overly worn down afterward either.

My doctor said to keep wearing a compression garment on my legs and stomach for as long as possible, and I prefer the feeling of having something there, especially when working out. However, I bought a pair of regular bike shorts that don't come up as high (the ones I got after surgery are high waisted and zip/clasp up the sides) so I think I will start to transition into wearing other garments with a bit less compression.

I went to the pool and the beach last weekend and was excited to be in a bathing suit with the new thighs! It felt weird to go longer stretches of time without wearing the shorts, but it was also really liberating. There is a bit of a strange sensation when the inner thigh incisions touch each other but it's not painful, just weird to get used to, and I imagine that will start to subside. I think some of it is just paranoia about not wanting to mess anything up. I'm also really happy that you can't see the incisions at all, even in a bathing suit or shorts. The only time they are visible is if I actually turn my leg outward, and even then only in a bathing suit/underwear since the incisions don't come down past most shorts.

All in all, very happy! I don't have to see my doctor again for another 6 weeks (well now more like 5) unless I have any problems, so I feel like at this point - fingers crossed - I should be good to go! I do not plan to have any further procedures, at least related to excess skin, so it feels nice to have this behind me. I will post pics again soon- so far they look about the same as the last pics.

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks, and also can't believe how amazing I feel so early in the recovery process. I'm probably jinxing myself but it has been exponentially easier and smoother than the tummy tuck/arm lift recovery.

I got my drains out last Friday (8 days post-op) and was already feeling good but that made things much better and easier, especially getting the compression shorts off and on. On Saturday I was probably feeling TOO good and lured in by the nice weather and ended up out and about from about 2 pm to 1 am hanging out with friends at a couple of beer gardens and probably walking more than I should have. However, miraculously, I felt fine the next day and have continued to feel better and better. I'm not going to work out until after I go back to my doctor on July 1 and he clears it, but everything feels well enough that it actually feels doable already which I did not expect.

Yesterday was my first day back at work and the compression shorts are a bit annoying as they come down lower than some of my skirts and they feel bulky under pants, but I can deal with that. I'm sure I'll be tired by the end of the week but so far so good!

I'm attaching some pics I took this morning, and also a picture I took the morning of surgery right before I went in. I knew that this surgery would not be as drastic of a change because there was a more limited area of my thighs I was concerned with which is why I didn't have the incision go down very far. I think this picture showcases it a bit better- that upper inner thigh area where I had those lumps of extra skin. My lower thighs aren't perfect and he did lipo that area, but I don't care about or need perfect thighs, I just wanted that extra pocket of skin to go away! So I'm very pleased with the results, and will see if they continue to smooth out about as time goes on.

Early yesterday I was feeling a bit anxious about untangling myself from my compression garment (very tight crotchless bike shorts with a combo of clasps and zippers up the side), the bandages and gauze that were still on my body and drains in order to shower. I was a bit more sore and lethargic and and showering felt overwhelming.

By last night and this morning, I couldn't WAIT to finally get out of this stuff! And it felt great. I was told to leave all of the bandages and garment in place for the first 72 hours and then could take everything off to shower, but damn was I feeling grimy and swollen and ready to unstuff myself from my garment when the time finally came.

Getting all of the tape and bandages off took a bit but unhooking the shorts wasn't as bad as I thought, and showering was not hard and felt amazing. I hooked all 3 drains onto a lanyard around my neck which made things easier. I've had no trouble walking or standing and feel much better than I did 3 days after my tummy tuck/arm lift so the first shower was much better this time around.

Everything looks good from what I can see (there is still tape over the incisions). My thigh incisions go a bit less than halfway down my inner thighs which is right where we discussed they would stop. I really was only focused on the upper inner thigh area and didn't want the scars going all the way to my knees. He did some lipo in the lower thigh area but no cutting. I'm also pleased with my stomach.. that was secondary and done at the doctor's suggestion but everything looks even flatter and the incision was lowered maybe an inch or so in the middle.

I will definitely post pics soon! I didn't have my phone in the bathroom with me when I was showering today and I'll probably wait and see if I get my drains out tomorrow. I know my mood might ebb and flow throughout the day but overall feeling great right now and glad to be another day out from surgery and into recovery.