Skin elasticity can diminish over the years because of several factors, including the pull of gravity, childbirth, massive weight loss, or simply passing time. However, if you are uncomfortable with the elasticity of the skin on your thighs, legs, buttocks, or upper arms, a thigh lift or upper arm lift may be able to help you regain your self-confidence and boost your self-image.

Thigh Lift

When you have lost a lot of skin elasticity in your thighs and they are disproportionate to the rest of the leg and/or the buttocks, one solution is to remove excess skin and fat with a thigh lift.

Procedure

Thigh lifts are conducted on an outpatient basis, most often using general anesthesia. An incision is made in the crease where the upper thigh meets the buttocks or in the groin area near the hip and can extend all the way around the thigh, depending on the laxity of the skin and expected results. The skin is carefully separated from the underlying muscle and tissue. Excess skin is removed. If needed, liposuction may be used to remove excess fat. The remaining skin is stretched and tightened over the area and sutured closed. The surgery takes between two and three hours.

Recovery

Drainage tubes may be inserted to help remove excess fluid for the first two days. A dressing and light compression garment will also be applied following the surgery and must be worn for a few days. Swelling and bruising are common and subside over a few weeks. Stitches are removed after a week to ten days. Most patients are back to work in about one week and resume most normal activity within three weeks.

Upper Arm Lift

You may be a candidate for an upper arm lift (brachioplasty) if you have loose, excess or sagging skin on your upper arms. Weight gain and loss, heredity and aging can all be attributing factors to this.

Many surgeons perform upper arm lifts under general anesthesia and patients are generally able to go home the same day. An incision is made from the armpit to the elbow in order to remove excess skin and fat and although it fades with time, a scar will remain on the inside of your arm but will only be visible when you lift your arms.

Most patients return to work within one week after the procedure and can resume normal activity with three to four weeks.