The thigh is the part of the lower extremity that spans between the abdomen and the knees. From the front, the thighs are separated from the abdominal region and groin area, including the mons, by the groin crease. From behind, the upper thigh is separated from the lower buttock by a well-defined crease known as the infra-gluteal fold, which is the continuation of the groin crease beneath the buttocks.
After massive weight loss, the degree and pattern of thigh tissue laxity can vary considerably depending on genetics, gender, the amount of weight lost, current weight, muscle tone and structure, and overall body shape. Patients with an apple-shaped body may experience less pronounced changes in the thighs than patients with a pear-shaped body who tend to carry more weight through the hips and thighs.
In many weight-loss patients, deflation of the thighs creates tissue laxity in two directions: vertical and horizontal, or circumferential. Vertical laxity may appear as inner thigh rolls extending backward beneath the buttocks, prominent saddlebags along the outer thighs, dimpling and looseness along the front of the thighs, and excess tissue around the knees.
Some patients also develop horizontal or circumferential laxity, leaving the thighs wider because of excess skin and tissue around the circumference of the legs. This is often most noticeable along the inner thighs and may extend below the inner knees into the upper calves. The resulting skin folds can rub together, cause irritation and discomfort, interfere with clothing, and affect intimacy for some patients.
Thigh laxity after major weight loss may also occur together with changes in the lower back, buttocks, hips, waist, and abdomen. Because these areas influence one another, treatment must be customized according to the location and direction of the excess tissue, the patient’s anatomy, and their goals.
At The One Plastic Surgery Center in Newport Beach, Orange County, Dr. Siamak Agha has devoted a substantial part of his practice to treating the complex patterns of thigh laxity seen in post-bariatric and major weight-loss patients.
Dr. Agha performs more than 36 thighplasties per year and has performed 614 thighplasties in total. For comparison, the 2012 ASAPS Member Practice Profile, published by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, reported that the average ASAPS member performed 1.2 thigh lifts per year. ASAPS members were board-certified plastic surgeons who specialized in cosmetic surgery of the face and body. Compared with this published professional benchmark, Dr. Agha currently performs at least 30 times the annual thighplasty volume.
Dr. Agha’s experience is also grounded in studying how the thighs change after substantial weight loss. In his study of 100 weight-loss patients, all demonstrated some degree of vertical thigh laxity involving the inner, outer, front, and back of the thighs. Approximately 40 percent also had horizontal, or circumferential, thigh laxity, particularly along the inner thighs.
These different patterns matter because downward sagging and excessive thigh circumference are not the same problem and may require different surgical solutions. This understanding has shaped Dr. Agha’s approach to post-weight-loss thigh contouring, distinguishing procedures designed to lift descended thigh tissue from those designed to reduce excessive thigh circumference.
Dr. Agha and Dr. Dennis Hurwitz pioneered the Spiral Thigh Lift in 2007, a technique developed to provide a powerful lift of the inner and posterior thighs in weight-loss patients. Dr. Agha has also developed an anterior thigh lift technique to address looseness along the front of the thighs, an area not directly treated by traditional inner thigh lift surgery.
Because thigh contour is closely connected to the abdomen, hips, waist, and buttocks, Dr. Agha may also integrate thigh lifting with procedures such as a High-Definition Lower Body Lift™, tummy tuck, or other post-weight-loss body contouring procedures when appropriate.
Thighplasty after weight loss refers to surgical procedures designed to remove excess thigh skin and fat and reshape thighs affected by significant tissue laxity after major weight reduction. Unlike patients with more limited upper inner thigh looseness, weight-loss patients may have excess tissue involving the inner, outer, front, and back of the thighs, sometimes extending around the knees and into the upper calves.
Dr. Agha makes an important distinction between a thigh lift and a thighplasty. He uses the term thigh lift to describe procedures that elevate descended thigh tissue in a vertical direction and reserves the term thighplasty for procedures that reduce horizontal, or circumferential, thigh excess. Some patients require lifting, some require reduction of the thigh circumference, and others require both.
Thigh surgery after massive weight loss is particularly challenging because the thigh contour is heavily influenced by adjacent regions such as the abdomen, waist, hips, and buttocks. The tissues are also heavy and subject to considerable movement, while some incisions are located close to the groin. A successful procedure should reduce unwanted tissue, improve thigh descent, preserve or reconstruct important anatomical creases, and place scars as inconspicuously as the patient’s anatomy allows.
At The One Plastic Surgery Center in Newport Beach, Orange County, Dr. Agha uses several thigh lift and thighplasty techniques depending on where the laxity is located and whether the thighs require lifting, reduction, or both.
1. Outer Thigh Lift An outer thigh lift elevates loose tissue along the outer thighs and improves outer thigh laxity, prominent saddlebags, and excess tissue extending toward the waist. It is commonly performed as part of a lower body lift or 360° thigh lift.
2. Anterior (Front) Thigh Lift Dr. Agha developed an anterior thigh lift technique to address vertical laxity along the front of the thighs. It is generally performed as part of an extended tummy tuck, lower body lift, or 360° thigh lift.
3. Vertical Thighplasty With or Without Liposuction Vertical thighplasty reduces excessive thigh circumference by removing loose skin and tissue along the inner thigh. Dr. Agha may combine the procedure with thigh liposuction when additional reduction is needed.
4. Medial Inner Thigh Lift A medial inner thigh lift addresses looseness concentrated in the upper inner thigh. It does not significantly elevate the front or back of the thighs and is less extensive than the Spiral Thigh Lift.
5. Posterior Thigh Lift A posterior thigh lift elevates loose tissue along the back of the upper thighs and reconstructs the natural crease separating the buttocks from the thighs. In Dr. Agha’s approach, posterior thigh lifting is incorporated into the Spiral Thigh Lift.
6. Spiral Thigh Lift Pioneered by Drs. Agha and Hurwitz, the Spiral Thigh Lift combines inner and posterior thigh lifting to address the more extensive vertical laxity commonly seen after major weight loss.
7. 360° Thigh Lift (Circumferential Thigh Lift) A 360° thigh lift, also known as a circumferential thigh lift, combines outer, anterior, inner, and posterior thigh lifting to address vertical laxity around the entire thigh.
An outer thigh lift is the most effective component of any thigh lift procedure. In his experience, Dr. Agha has removed from 4 to 15 inches of outer thigh and waist excess tissues from his patients. The procedure is normally done as part of a lower body lift or circumferential thigh lift. Once the upper and lower incisions of the outer thigh lift are made, the excess waist and outer thigh tissue are excised over the muscle and fat. The outer thigh tissue is then partially separated from the underlying muscles using a specialized instrument known as a Lockwood dissector. The outer thigh tissue is then lifted and anchored at a higher position to the underlying muscles using multiple sutures. The waist incision is then lowered and sutured to the lifted outer thigh incision in 3 layers.
An actual anterior thigh lift has not been described in plastic surgery textbooks and does not formally exists. This is another procedure that Dr. Agha has pioneered for his patients. During this procedure, incisions are made over the upper thighs, 1-2 inches below the thigh/abdomen junction. Similar to the outer thigh lift, the tissue of thigh front is loosened up, lifted, and anchor-sutured to the underlying pubic bone. The abdominal incision is then sutured to the lifted anterior thigh incision in 3 layers. An anterior thigh lift is normally done at the time of a tummy tuck or a lower body lift.
For patients who have horizontal thigh excess, a vertical thighplasty, which is a thigh reduction procedure is needed in order to remove the excess inner thigh skin. Many plastic surgeons call this procedure a vertical thigh lift incorrectly. The vertical thighplasty is not a lift and should not be called a vertical thigh lift.
Vertical thighplasty involves removing a large elliptical section of skin and tissue from the inner thigh. This is done through a vertical incision that runs from the groin crease all the way to the inner knees or below the inner knees if needed. The incision is placed on the inner aspect of the thighs so that it is well hidden. In this manner the thigh circumference can be reduced by about 25 to 33% in most patients. In our practice, a vertical thighplasty is the recommended procedure for about one third of patients who need a thigh contour correction. Following the vertical thighplasty, many patients elect to have an outer thigh lift together with the spiral thigh lift in order to achieve complete circumferential thigh lift of their reduced thighs.
A medial inner thigh lift addresses loose tissue concentrated along the upper inner thigh. This is the thigh lift technique that is typically used for non-bariatric patients or patients whose laxity is limited primarily to the upper inner thigh.
During the procedure, excess skin and tissue are removed from the upper inner thigh and the remaining tissue is elevated toward the groin crease. The goal is to improve looseness along the inner thigh while keeping the incision within or near the natural groin crease when the patient’s anatomy allows.
A medial inner thigh lift does not elevate the back or front of the thigh. Weight-loss patients with more extensive laxity involving the posterior thigh may therefore require a Spiral Thigh Lift, while patients with laxity affecting multiple surfaces of the thighs may require a 360° thigh lift.
A posterior thigh lift addresses vertical laxity along the back of the upper thighs. After major weight loss, loose tissue may descend beneath the buttocks while the infra-gluteal fold, or natural buttock crease, becomes stretched or poorly defined. When this happens, the lower buttocks and upper thighs can begin to blend together.
Posterior thigh lifting uses an incision along the infra-gluteal crease beneath the buttock and another along the upper posterior thigh. A crescent of excess tissue is removed from the back of the upper thigh, and the remaining thigh tissue is elevated and secured at a higher position with multiple sutures.
The infra-gluteal fold is then reconstructed to restore the natural transition between the buttock and thigh. When needed, Dr. Agha can reposition this fold at a higher level to improve the shape and relationship of the lower buttock and upper thigh.
In Dr. Agha’s approach to post-weight-loss thigh contouring, the posterior thigh lift is incorporated into the Spiral Thigh Lift, allowing the back and inner thighs to be lifted together when both areas are affected.
As patients lose weight, many end up with inner thigh and thigh back tissue laxity. Often patients complain about a fold of skin below the groin crease on the inner aspect of their thighs. Often, the inner thigh fold extends under the buttock crease (infra-gluteal crease) as what is known as a banana roll. Furthermore, the infra-gluteal crease can become loose. When this happens, the junction between the lower buttocks and upper thigh is lost. The buttocks and the thighs blend together, altering and blurring the shape of both the buttocks and thighs.
The Spiral Thigh Lift is a signature thigh lift procedure pioneered by Drs. Agha and Hurwitz in 2007. Termed the “Spiral Thigh Lift ” by Dr. Siamak Agha, this thigh lift procedure corrects for the vertical laxity of the back and inner surfaces of the thigh.
The spiral thigh lift surgery begins with an incision at the infra-gluteal crease that separates the buttock cheek from the upper thigh. A second incision is then made over the upper thighs parallel to the infra-gluteal incision.
A crescent of excess tissue on the back of the upper thigh is removed through this incision and then the upper thigh tissue is lifted to a higher position and secured to the underlying tissues via multiple permanent sutures. In this fashion, the lifted thigh tissue is permanently anchored. Next, the infra-gluteal crease is reconstructed, enhancing the shape of the buttocks and thigh. Dr. Agha is able to lift the infra-gluteal fold if needed and reconstruct it at a higher position. This controls the shape and height of the buttocks.
Both of the incisions of the Spiral thigh lift are then continued on the inner thigh over the groin crease and parallel to it. Through these incisions, excess skin and fat of the inner thigh are removed, the inner thigh is lifted and then anchored multiple times with permanent sutures at an elevated position. The groin crease is then meticulously reconstructed to create an inconspicuous scar. The final scar of the Spiral thigh lift ends up in the infra-gluteal crease and the groin crease.
A 360° thigh lift, also known as a circumferential thigh lift, is designed for patients with vertical laxity involving multiple surfaces of the thighs rather than one isolated region.
The procedure combines an outer thigh lift, anterior thigh lift, and Spiral Thigh Lift. Because the Spiral Thigh Lift includes both inner and posterior thigh lifting, the combined approach addresses vertical laxity around the front, outer, inner, and back of the thighs.
A 360° thigh lift may be incorporated into a broader post-weight-loss body contouring plan because the thighs are closely connected to the hips, waist, buttocks, and abdomen. The combination allows these different areas of thigh descent to be addressed together rather than treating each surface in isolation.
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