To understand thigh reduction surgery, it is important to understand what the shape of the normal thigh should be. Thigh shape can be thought of as an inverted cone.
The next step is to understand what is the nature of the problem of large thighs. Although it often looks like the excess in the thighs is vertical in nature, it is mostly due to horizontal excess of fat and skin that has dropped, especially in the inner thigh region. So, if most of the problem is horizontal in nature, then removal of a vertical wedge of skin and fat from the inner thighs is usually the best way to treat these problems. The design of the markings shown below, the inner ellipse, is typical of the wedge of tissue to be removed.
Thigh reduction can be done as an inpatient (with an overnight stay in the hospital) or outpatient procedure. The surgery usually takes two to four hours, under general anesthesia.
The procedure itself involves cutting out the tissue outlined within the inner ellipse shown to the left. The underlying fat will be excised, and the skin will be reduced and reshaped for a firmer, smoother contour lower body. Liposuction is used to promote the removal of tissue. This technique also avoids incisions in the crease around the pubic area, which eliminates one of the most dangerous complications of thigh reduction surgery; labial spreading in females. Labial spreading is a condition where the female labia cannot touch each other, which is the normal condition because the scar located in the crease on either side of the pubic area pulls them apart. Dr. Aly’s technique essentially eliminates the risk of this complication.
The final scars position is often difficult to see from the front or the back.