Thighplasty in Atlanta – Love your Legs with a Thigh Lift

The legs can be a very bothersome area for many patients, especially after a lot of weight loss.  Loose skin on the outer and inner thighs can make it hard to find clothes that fit and can create chafing while exercising. If you have worked hard to obtain and maintain a healthy weight, but are discouraged by the appearance of excess thigh skin, Dr. Amy Alderman can help with a thigh lift in Atlanta, GA and Buckhead.

Do You Need a Thighplasty?

When Dr. Alderman counsels a patient about the appearance of their legs, she evaluates their skin quality, the presence of extra skin, where that extra skin is located, and whether fatty tissue is a problem.  We then design a surgical plan individually tailored to them.  The plan could be a two-stage process, with an initial debulking of the leg with liposuction followed by a secondary tightening of the skin.

For patients at their ideal body weight, we can move straight to the skin tightening procedure.   When at all possible, Dr. Alderman tries to minimize scarring by keeping it well hidden in the groin crease.

Request a Consultation

If you’re in the Atlanta area and have any questions about a Thigh Lift or wish to schedule a consultation on a Thigh Lift with Dr. Alderman, please contact our office.

Request a Consultation

What is a Thigh Lift?

Thighplasty, also known as a thigh lift, corrects the excess skin and skin laxity of the legs.  Despite hours in the gym, many patients feel that the excess skin of their legs limits their desired clothing styles and hides the underlying contour of tone muscles.  Thighplasty is an excellent option to reduce and tighten excess leg skin while highlighting underlying muscle contour.

Recovering from your Thigh Lift Procedure

A thigh lift can be performed with a short scar located in the upper leg crease (groin) or with an extended scar down to the knee.  When at all possible, keeping the scar hidden in the upper leg crease is preferred.  However, for patients with more extensive skin excess, we often decide to transition the scar down the inside of the leg towards the knee for optimal tightening. 

A thighplasty does not correct cellulite or reduce the overall size of the leg if weight loss is still required.  In some cases, liposuction alone can help with the contour of the knees and the inner/outer thighs by reducing the underlying subcutaneous fatty tissue and allow the patient to avoid an obvious scar.   But when skin laxity is an issue, the best approach is a thighplasty that removes excess skin. Occasionally, a patient may have the best result combining liposuction and thighplasty in one or two stages.

What Happens During Thighplasty?

Patients tolerate the procedure well with minimal pain and discomfort, but Dr. Alderman always encourages at least two weeks for optimal recovery.  Everyone seems anxious to get back into exercise so that they don’t lose ground, and she does everything possible to try to expedite that recovery in a safe manner.

Some patients will have small drainage tubes for about a week after surgery.  These help aid in the healing and recovery process.  You will be taught how to care for your drains prior to your surgery.  The steps are simple and easy to follow.

It is generally recommended that patients take two weeks off from work, but patients who have a more sedentary work life may be able to return to work sooner.  You will be asked to be up walking soon after surgery to minimize complications.  Some numbness at the incision site is normal and temporary.  Patients can typically return to full activity including the gym in six weeks.  Swelling and some bruising are normal.  You may be asked to wear compression garments to help minimize this swelling for six weeks.  Patients are placed in a comprehensive scar management program.

Meet Dr. Alderman

Dr. Amy Alderman is a nationally known, board-certified plastic surgeon located in Buckhead near Atlanta. As a female surgeon and mother of two children, she provides a unique perspective to patient care. Each surgical plan is individually tailored to each patient’s needs and lifestyles and is aimed at enhancing her patient’s natural beauty and restoring confidence. She is known for her personal approach to patient care and has unparalleled commitment to patient safety, which can be attributed to years of education, professional experience and involvement in national patient safety initiatives.

Meet Dr. Alderman

Do You Qualify for Cosmetic Thigh Surgery?

Patients who are in good overall health who have skin laxity in the inner thigh region due to significant weight loss are good candidates for thighplasty.  The ideal candidate should be at their target weight as significant weight gain or loss after the surgery can impact the results.  Patients should also be non-smoking to avoid complications with healing.

Deciding Between a Thigh Lift or Liposuction

Liposuction is used to remove unwanted fullness in the outer or inner thigh or knee area due to extra fatty tissue.  Patients who are good candidates for liposuction only must have good skin quality without stretch marks.  Women more often than men are bothered by excess fatty tissue, and most commonly it is in the “saddlebag” region of the outer thigh or between the legs in the inner thigh area.  Patients who have lost a significant amount of weight often do not have extra fatty tissue but are struggling with excess skin and skin laxity.  For those patients, a skin tightening procedure such as a short scar or extended thigh lift can create their desired leg contour.

Comprehensive Thigh Treatment: Lipo and Lifts

In general, we try to avoid extensive liposuction to the area near the surgical site.  Many patients complain about fullness around their knees, and that area can be easily addressed with liposuction at the time of the thighplasty.  However, for patients with a significant amount of lipodystrophy in the thigh region, a two-stage procedure is often recommended.   The first stage involves liposuction to the entire upper leg.  After about six months, the swelling has resolved and the skin excess can be adequately determined.  A secondary procedure to tighten any excess skin (thighplasty) can then be performed.

Are you dissatisfied with the appearance of your legs? Call us today to schedule a consultation to find out more about liposuction and a thigh lift in Atlanta with Dr. Alderman.

View Gallery

Be sure to view our Before and After Photo Gallery of Thighplasty procedures to see real patient results at North Atlanta Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Alderman’s National Efforts on this Topic

Chairperson of the Body Contouring Section for Aesthetica, a national cosmetic surgery meeting sponsored by the American Society of Plastic Surgery

American Society of Plastic Surgery Patient Safety Committee

ASPS Aesthetic Surgery Advisory Committee

Vice Chairperson, ASPS Education Aesthetic Council

Managing the Unfavorable Scar: When to Perform Surgical Revision.  Challenging Complications in Plastic Surgery Symposium: Successful Management Strategies.  Washington, DC, July 2012.

VTE Prevention in Cosmetic Surgery.  Georgia Society of Plastic Surgery Annual Meeting, Aug 2013, Brasstown Resort, GA.

Patient Safety: Prevention of VTE in Cosmetic Surgery.  QMP Aesthetic Surgery Symposium, Nov 2013, Chicago, IL

DVT Prophylaxis in the Breast Patient.  ASPS Management of Complications in Plastic Surgery Symposium.  March 28-29, 2014,Chicago, IL

The Complex Scar: New Strategies to Improve Appearance.  Aesthetica, June 2016, Washington, DC.

Advances in Post-Bariatric Body Contouring, December 20, 2007, University of Michigan Bariatric Program.

Pannucci, C, Alderman, AK.  Venous Thromboembolism and the Aesthetic Surgery Patient.  Essentials of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Alderman, AK, Kerrigan, CL, Lemaine, V, Pusic, AL, Vidal, DC.  Evidence-Based Medicine &Health Services Research in Plastic Surgery.  In Plastic Surgery  1stEdition

Alderman, AK, Chung, KC.  Outcomes for Surgical Guidance in Plastic Surgery: Measuring Outcomes in Aesthetic Surgery.  Clinics in of Plastic Surgery, 2013:297-304.

Alderman, AK, Kerrigan, CL, Lemaine, V, Pusic, AL, Vidal, DC.  Evidence-Based Medicine &Health Services Research in Plastic Surgery.  In Plastic Surgery 4th Edition

Kassen, AF, Cano, SJ, Alderman, AK, et al.  The BODY-Q: A Patient-Reported Outcome Instrument for Weight Loss and Body Contouring Treatments.  Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Glob Open 2016;4:e679, April 13, 2016.