What You Need to Know Beforehand
Surgical techniques
Liposuction is in most cases performed before the resection of the excess skin to remove fat tissue. The skin excess is measured and excised the skin of the inner thigh is pulled up and fixated to the strong ligaments of the inguinal area and the periosteum of the pelvic bones. If there is a substantial excess of skin, thigh lift may need to be bi-dimensional with additional vertical skin removal resulting in a T-shaped scar.
In cases of cellulitis or previous operations resulting surface irregularities, autologous fat transfer can be combined with a thigh lift to smoothen out the surface of your legs. Numerous dermatological treatments can be simultaneously applied either pre-, peri or postoperatively.
Where is the scars?
Our goal is to create a scar that lies stable within the inguinal crease and is as short as necessary. The scar will be hidden in most cases when you wear your underwear. Its length depends on the extent of the skin excess. Only in cases of massive weight loss or extreme skin excess we may add a vertical scar which runs up the inner thigh.
After Surgery and Beyond
Aftercare
The Ocean Clinic is dedicated to avoiding any unnecessary pain. We routinely perform a temporary local nerve block of relevant sensory nerves, thus considerably lowering the pain in the early post-operative period. With an additional combination of one or two painkillers, you should be free of pain. Our suturing is resorbable; there is no need to remove stitches. Postoperative lymphatic drainage is advisable after this kind of procedure.
We will provide you with a special compression garment to be worn for about 4 to 6 weeks. Do not lift any objects beyond 8kg and avoid sports involving weights during this period.
Procedure related risks
There are non-specific risks that are connected to any kind of surgical procedures like hematoma, infection, seroma.
When choosing the right technique, the restriction of blood supply to the thigh skin (necrosis) is extremely rare. Avoiding smoking for 1 month prior to surgery and 4-6 weeks post-surgery enhances the wound healing process and to minimize risk for nipple necrosis.
Alternative treatments
Liposuction only in cases of good skin quality.
Our experience
Our surgeons had numerous congress participations on body-sculpturing, liposuction and scar corrections. We offer an exclusive inter-disciplinary treatment program for post-operative scarring. As key opinion leader for Body-jet® Liposculpturing System, we impart regular master classes and lectures aiming to educate surgeons all around the world on water-assisted liposuction. With this technology we respect the lymphatic network of the leg, therefore we experience much less postoperative edema and edema related complications. The choice of surgical technique and complementary procedures are paramount in order to achieve the best possible outcome.