Liposuction-assisted medial thigh lift in non bariatric surgery patients

IntroductionThe abdomen, thighs, and buttocks are often the areas of greatest concern to patients following massive weight loss (MWL) due to bariatric surgery. The typical appearance of the patient who has lost a massive amount of weight derives from a combination of factors, including a gender-dependent body morphology and a change in body mass index (BMI), which lead to skin and soft tissue excess and poor skin tone.Thigh laxity and redundancy represent a great challenge to both patients and surgeons; not only because of the difficulty to satisfy the patients but also because of the higher incidence of complications especially with those obese patients who have not undergone bariatric surgery before. The problems with such patients are due to the heavy thighs that require both debulking and tight anchorage to prevent scar migration or labial distortion.Aim of the workThe aim of the present study is to improve the aesthetic outcome and avoid the complications of medial thigh lifting with simultaneous liposuction in non-bariatric patients with or without lipodystrophy.Patients and methodsTwenty-five female patients presented during the period from January 2007 till July 2011 complaining of moderate to severe thigh laxity with or without lipodystrophy. In twenty patients medial transverse thigh lift was performed, to treat medial thigh friction and laxity particularly in the upper half, whereas in the other five patients suffering from upper and lower medial thigh bulkiness, vertical thigh lift was performed.ResultsAll patients recovered well in two weeks and showed improvement of thigh contour. Scar downward displacement occurred in one patient. No skin necrosis or seroma was encountered. One patient developed superficial thrombophlebitis and required hospital stay for 5 days and anticoagulant treatment. No labial distortion or separation was encountered.