Abstract
Introduction
Massive weight loss (MWL) patients present skin and soft-tissue laxity and ptosis involving inner thighs. Previous efforts were focused on the upper two thirds of the thigh, while literature has never dealt specifically with lower thigh contouring. We present an original approach to the lower inner thigh, intended for patients who already had upper thigh lift, discussing outcomes, advantages, and limits of our technique.
Materials and Methods
Sixteen female MWL patients with persisting severe deformities in the lower inner thigh, following an upper thigh lift, received lower third medial thigh contouring, through concurrent liposuction and skin excision, between 2017 and 2019. The excision pattern consisted of an inferiorly-based vertical triangular component, centered on the inner midline, and a distal horizontal crescent, resulting in an inverted-T scar. Our series was retrospectively investigated, comparing preoperative and 12-month postoperative pictures and assessing the outcomes by means of a tailor-made 11-item survey.
Results
Three patients had minor complications (two cases of skin de-epithelization at the wound margin, one granuloma). Photographic assessment showed a 15.9% transverse diameter reduction (p<0.05). The questionnaire showed encouraging scores for all the investigated items. Mean overall satisfaction was 9.6/10.
Conclusion
Despite the retrospective design and the limited sample size, in consideration of the applicability of this technique in selected cases, and the need for a two-step procedure, separate upper and lower thigh contouring, the results of our study showed a considerable improvement of the inner thighs by our personal combined liposuction and lower medial thigh lift approach.
Level of Evidence IV
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Change history
27 February 2024
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-024-03904-7
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Requirements of the Declaration of Helsinki as well as principles of GCP were taken into consideration. Patients gave full consent to use their personal data. Local Research Ethics Committee did not require a formal ethical approval, as this surgery could have been formally considered the next step of the thigh deformity treatment.
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Simone, P., Marchica, P., Savani, L. et al. An Original Approach to Massive Weight Loss Deformities in the Lower Thigh: A Retrospective Assessment of Results and Patients’ Satisfaction. Aesth Plast Surg 47, 1884–1893 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-023-03311-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-023-03311-4