CRUROPLASTY (THIGHS)
Does excess skin on the inner thighs bother you? Not being able to wear a bikini on the beach, shorts, miniskirts, or shorter tight clothes, let’s face it, is a frustrating situation that ends up affecting your self-esteem. Besides the discomfort in this area, such as getting baked, having torn or worn jeans around the thighs, and even having your relationship with your partner affected.
WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT IS DONE
Excess skin and fat can be removed from the inner and outer thigh area providing a more harmonious contour for the body, with benefits even for the skin, through plastic surgery called Cruroplasty, also known as a Crural Lift. “Crural” is a term associated with the thighs.
In the planning, we choose the best technique to be used, because the incisions vary according to the areas to be treated and degree of correction. Depending on the amount of corrections. the procedure lasts 1 to 2.5 hours and the patient receives epidural or local anesthesia and sedation.
A common technique we use in Cruroplasty for the inner part is to make incisions in the groin, extending down around the back of the thigh. The underlying connective tissue matrix is reshaped and stretched, and the skin is reduced and accommodated. Depending on the case, the procedure is performed with a minimal incision in the medial part of the thigh. To improve the contours of the outer thigh, we make an incision extending from the groin, around the hip and firm the tissues.
Deep support sutures within the underlying tissues help form the newly shaped contours. The most frequent scar is restricted to the uppermost region of the thigh internally (thigh root). Depending on the degree of correction, the scars may extend from the groin to the knee running along the inner thighs, extend anteriorly toward the abdomen and posteriorly toward the buttocks.
It should be noted that both internal and external incisions can be extensive, but are made in strategic locations where they can be hidden by most types of clothing, including swimwear.
In some cases, with just Liposuction we remove excess fat deposits where the skin has good elasticity and is able to naturally conform to the new body contour. In cases where skin elasticity is poor, a combination of Liposuction and Cruroplasty techniques may be recommended.
INDICATION
The Cruroplasty can be performed in both women and men with aesthetic or functional complaints and is indicated when there is laxity along the inner or medial region of the thigh. It is important that the person has a relatively stable weight for their biotype.
In addition to the genetic factor, this condition is common in people after large weight losses (weight loss), sedentary and with advancing age. This occurs because of a characteristic of the skin of this region itself, which is very thin, less resistant to stretching and therefore more subject to loss of elasticity. Likewise, the fat accumulated in this region is difficult to burn.
PREOPERATIVE
It is essential to consult the SCHEDULED THE SURGERY? page which has a series of questions to talk about during the consultations, to help you with your doubts and where you will find recommendations for the day of the procedure.
If necessary, we ask the patient to purchase compression pants for the thighs. They are important to control the edema (fluid swelling), keep the tissues together, and help in the healing process. Likewise, we recommend lymphatic drainage sessions with ultrasound.
POSTOPERATIVE
The Cruroplasty requires a 24-hour hospital stay. After surgery, dressings are made and then the compression pant for the thighs is placed. A drain may be temporarily placed under the skin to draw out any excess blood and fluid that may accumulate.
The first dressing change is done in 1 week – when the patient can shower normally – and maintenance for 3 weeks. Since the scars are closed with absorbable threads, there is no need to remove stitches. The surgical mesh must be used for a period of 2 to 3 months.
In the first few days, it is possible to have a feeling of tightness in the thigh. This is due to the traction on the skin that has been stretched and due to swelling due to the surgical manipulation. The pain is not usually very bothersome and can be controlled with painkillers. Swelling and tingling in the legs, purple and red spots, can also occur. Most of these signs and symptoms disappear within 1 to 2 weeks.
We recommend the amount and periodicity of lymphatic drainage sessions. Besides eliminating fluid accumulation from the body, this treatment activates the immune system, helps decrease pain and discomfort, relieves bruising and swelling, and is effective in preventing and treating fibrosis and scar adhesions.
Do not move your legs much for 2 weeks. Avoid spreading your legs too far apart or squatting so as not to compromise the sutures. In the meantime, it is important to make your legs higher while sitting or lying down, which increases venous and lymphatic return and helps decrease swelling.
Avoid exposing the scars to the sun as much as possible for at least 2 months. Then, always with the use of sunscreen with a minimum of 30 SPF (sun protection factor).
Most people return to work within 2 to 3 weeks when they can walk normally and frequently, as long as it is without physical exertion. Light walking is allowed after 30 days, as is exercise cycling and stretching. We release the return to physical activities, such as sports and exercises, from 3 months in general.
The planned result is achieved in about 6 months, when all the edema disappears (80% of the swelling is eliminated in 3 months). However, it is only after about 1 to 2 years that we observe the scar maturing. It is important to emphasize that the scars on the thighs become more and more discrete as the years go by.