While we certainly wish we could perform surgery without resulting scars, unfortunately, scars are a part of any surgery that requires incisions. And as thigh lift surgery requires incisions, thigh lift scars will indeed be the result.
Will they be large and glaring or even unsightly? Everyone’s different when it comes to scar formation, so we can’t give a one-size-fits-all answer.
However, the vast majority of thigh lift patients end up with scars that blend and fade very well with the surrounding skin over time. They do not mar the entire look of your thigh area.
Of course, it’s also important to focus on the fact that you’re going to be getting rid of all that loose skin, excess fat, and many wrinkles and stretch marks after thigh lift surgery. For most patients, this benefit far outweighs the drawback of a few scars.
What Is a Thigh Lift Procedure?
Thigh lift surgery is plastic surgery that removes sagging skin and tissue on the inner thighs. It can also remove excess fat on the area. Most thigh lift patients have gone through a significant weight loss and are now dealing with excess skin, wrinkles, stretch marks, and stubborn fat.
Thigh lift surgery is frequently a part of an entire body contouring makeover following weight loss. More than one surgery may be involved.
Where Will My Thigh Lift Scars Be Located?
This depends on what type of thigh lift you undergo.
Medial Thigh Lift (Inner Thigh Lift)
The most commonly performed type of thigh lift is the medial thigh lift or inner thigh lift. This targets excess skin on the inner thighs. Your surgeon will use an incision that is usually located in the groin area.
Mini Thigh Lift
Another type of thigh lift that requires a groin area incision is the mini thigh lift. This tends to focus on loose and sagging skin on the upper inner thigh area. Again, an incision is made in the groin area, but this one tends to be a smaller incision when compared with the medial thigh lift incision.
Spiral Thigh Lift
The spiral thigh lift requires recontouring of the thighs as well as the buttocks. This thigh lift involves comprehensive enhancement of the entire area by using liposuction, skin removal, and sometimes fat transfer as needed to create the outcome the patient desires.
Scarless Thigh Lift
Lastly, the scarless thigh lift will attempt to tighten the skin on the inner thighs using either laser liposuction, BodyTite, Renuvion, or similar. While no incisions are required for these types of procedures, they cannot achieve the significant results that the other types of thighs can achieve.
What Do Thigh Lift Scars Look Like?
Often, a thigh lift scar must extend down the inner thighs (vertical thigh lift). This is the case when a significant amount of fat and loose skin must be removed from the length of the thigh. Scar tissue will make a thin line down the inner thigh.
With that said, in some cases, we can place the incisions only on the upper groin area, along where the edges of bikini bottoms would be. This frequently offers enough area of manipulation for adjusting the upper thighs, which is where sagging is typically most severe.
No matter where your scars are located, in terms of scar appearance, thigh lift scarring is red and raised at first. Over time, the incision sites will flatten out, and they should also fade. Only rarely is scar revision surgery recommended.
To get the most accurate idea of what your thigh lift scars might look like, we invite you to look up thigh lift before and after scars photos online. You’ll notice straight away that while these types of scars are noticeable, they are placed as discreetly as possible and certainly do not mar the overall appearance of the thighs. They are, in fact, typically quite light and faded when enough time has passed.
What if Liposuction Only Is Needed?
When plastic surgeons don’t need to remove excess skin and only need to remove excess fat, they can use only liposuction. And this means fewer visible scars and scars that are smaller overall.
It is removing excess skin that requires longer, more significant scarring. Body contouring procedures that only need liposuction result in far less noticeable scars in general.
FAQ: Scars After Thigh Lift Surgery
What do thigh lift scars after 1 year look like?
If you had thighplasty to remove loose skin thigh lift scars after 1 year are typically nicely faded to a soft pink or brown, and they have flattened out. This is especially true if you took care of the incisions sites and used tools like silicone sheets and massage.
What do thigh lift scars after 2 years look like?
If you had cosmetic surgery to remove excess skin and fat from your thighs two years ago, you should have very nicely faded scars by now. Our skin is incredible at healing incision areas, and over time, your scars will blend with the surrounding skin and stay flat. Try to keep your scars out of the sun and continue with intermittent massage if you are still struggling with bumpy scar tissue two years after surgery.
How painful is thigh lift recovery?
During your first week of thigh lift recovery, you may feel discomfort, but the pain should lessen as you heal. Some swelling will persist for several weeks. If pain and swelling worsen, contact your surgeon, as this may indicate an infection.
Book Your Thigh Lift Consultation Today
Thigh lift procedures tend to be most beneficial for patients who have lost a significant amount of weight and those who have excess skin and sagging wrinkles on their thighs due to aging. If you are interested in thigh lift surgery, please set up a consultation today.
There are numerous thigh lift options available, including upper thigh lift surgery, inner thigh lift surgery, outer thigh lift surgery, spiral thigh lift surgery, medial thigh lift surgery, and more.
Beverly Hills Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Charles Galanis can help you decide which procedure is right for you.
Call today to schedule your personal consultation with Dr. Galanis.
