Thigh Liposuction

Dr. Daniel Lanzer has been performing liposuction and liposculpture for over 2 decades and explains that the liposculpture of the thigh was the original area where liposculpture was intended for.

WHY THE THIGH?

Many women have excessive deposits of fat on their outer thighs. These have been termed the saddlebags and can be quite distressing to women as it affects their appearance in all different types of clothes. A v-shape is often the silhouette that one sees. This makes the person look shorter and fatter. Sometimes there is an 8-shape due to the fat bulging on the hips and then again on the outer thighs.

WHICH AREAS ON THIGHS HAVE LIPOSUCTION?

The most common areas are the outer thighs, the inner thighs, and around the knees. Liposuction is often also performed on the front of the thighs. When performing liposuction on the outer thighs it often involves liposuction of the outer buttocks. Dr. Lanzer will often have his patients tighten the bottom so that he can see how much of the fat that is sitting on the outer thighs actually originates from the buttocks.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS?

The thigh is an area that is prone to dents called cellulite. Sometimes the cellulite will improve with the liposculpture and may involve a method called superficial liposculpture. Other time, Dr. Lanzer may elect to perform a different procedure using a Cellulaze laser to help break the fibrous fibers down.

ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF THIGH LIPOSUCTION?

The main differences in types of thigh liposuction are that there are many different shapes and sizes. Sometimes, it is just a small bulge. Other times the fat can be quite large and extensive. Some patients have large dents particularly on the outer thighs.

WHAT ARE THE COMPLICATIONS OF THIGH LIPOSUCTION?

The skin on the inner thighs is notoriously thin and one needs to be careful not to overdo liposuction in this area.

CAN I MAKE IT SO MY THIGHS DO NOT TOUCH?

This is probably one of the most common questions patients ask me, as they dislike the rubbing of the fat on the inner thighs, particularly when walking or running. Liposuction really improves this in a significant way but one can never guarantee that their legs will not touch since sometimes the muscle has a diagonal shape which means that the 2 sides will always be touching.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS AFTER LIPOSUCTION OF THE THIGH?

Liposuction of the thighs is treated in the same way as other areas of the liposuction in that one avoids hot showers for a day or 2 and wears a compression garment for 2 weeks all the time and 2 weeks part of the time.

WHAT DEVICES ARE USED TO PERFORM THIGH LIPOSUCTION?

The most common device that I find effective in this area is the MicroAire which is a vibrating cannula. Sometimes we will use other devices such as laser lipolysis or Vaser liposuction.

 

IS LIPOSCULPTURE OF THE THIGH PERFORMED AWAKE OR ASLEEP?

Patients will always have a choice as to what they prefer. Dr. Lanzer performs probably 60% of the thigh liposuctions awake. The others are performed under a light, general anesthetic in the Day Surgery Centre.

WHEN CAN I RESUME RUNNING AFTER LIPOSCULPTURE OF THE THIGHS?

Most patients return to normal sports activities after 2 weeks.

DOES THE UNDERLYING MUSCULATURE PLAY A ROLE IN LIPOSUCTION OF THE THIGHS?

Some patients do have very muscular legs and one often sees this on the front of the thigh that may curve in a convex fashion. This is something that is important to point out to the patients so that they’ll understand what they could benefit from the actual liposuction procedure.

IS THERE ANY WAY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE RESULTS OF LIPOSCULPTURE OF THE THIGH WOULD APPEAR?

Often Dr. Lanzer draws on before photographs to indicate the areas where the liposuction will occur and the sort of change that one could expect. Dr. Lanzer also has the 3 axis 3D imaging which allows patients to have a 3 dimensional view of how they may appear.

IS THIGH FAT GENETIC?

Yes, often this is an area which is determined by genetics and sometimes one finds many people in the same family having similar problems. I recall performing liposculpture on the thighs on 4 sisters that was later published in a number of media avenues. They were of all different weights and heights but all shared the same genetic tendency to carry fat on the thighs.

DO I NEED TO DO THE CALVES AND ANKLES AT THE SAME TIME?

Sometimes, the lower leg is performed together with the thighs. This is not always essential and would depend on the patients shape. Because they are seen at the same angle, it is often a good idea to do them together.

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