I recently did a Behind the Mask episode on inner thigh lipo, and it was very popular, so I thought I’d touch on that topic in today’s blog. I think it’s important to say that I perform lipo in this area, but only on specific patients with a particular type of skin, fat and shape.
Good plastic surgeons are constantly trying to hone their skills, and I’m no different. I want patients to exude confidence after every procedure, so I take every consideration to make sure that happens, even if that means turning patients down for surgeries that aren’t right for them. Tapping into years of experience, research and learning, there are two compounding reasons I won’t perform liposuction in the inner thigh – overall shape and skin elasticity.
You know that I’m all about the shape, and though lipo in the inner thighs is a lot different than, say, a BBL, I still consider a person’s contours first. If the patient has some fat in the area but an overall normal shape, I will not perform lipo because it will make the shape appear abnormal, which is even worse than having a little extra fat.
Despite whether a patient’s inner thighs touch or there is a fat deposit – like all my surgeries – the first thing I consider is shape. If taking fat away doesn’t benefit your shape, I will not perform the procedure. Simply put, having fat in a location is not a clear indication for liposuction.
The secondary reason I won’t perform liposuction on just any patient is skin elasticity. Say a patient comes in and does have an abnormal shape with an excess of fat that would benefit from lipo– that’s a great start, but I also consider the skin. If I perform lipo in an area that is already loose or has elasticities issues, once the lipo is done, the skin will hang loosely, making it appear crepey. Worse than having fat in your inner thighs is the appearance of loose skin.
The other point I want to mention is sometimes patients will ask me to do total thigh lipo, and I want to be clear that liposuction is a powerful tool, but it isn’t good at globally debulking or getting rid of all of the fat.
I have successfully performed this procedure on patients in the past who want a smaller thigh overall, but it is common to end up with a lot of dimpling or cellulite, which is why I perform only inner thigh lipo on patients with a fat deposit, abnormal shape and firm, taut skin.