It can be embarrassing and make you feel self conscious about your hips if they hold on to excess fat or skin. Dr. Paul Pin understands how difficult this can be, as he has consulted with many patients who feel uncomfortable about the size and shape of their hips and outer thighs. There are several options that he can offer to help improve the appearance of your hips and outer thighs, depending on your goals for cosmetic surgery. Below are some of the options that you might consider in order to improve the appearance of your hips and outer thighs.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a technique designed to remove stubborn pockets of excess fat from your hips and outer thighs if it has not properly responded to a combination of regular exercise and a balanced, low-fat diet. It is an excellent option if your hips and outer thighs need only a little bit of work to get them to your goal appearance.

For this procedure, Dr. Pin will start by making small incisions in the areas from which the excess fat will be removed. He will then use a thin, hollow, metal tube to vacuum out the fat cells. There are some additional techniques that can break up the fat cells, making them easier to remove. These include ultrasound, heat, and injections of a local anesthetic and epinephrine just below the surface of the skin to cause the fat cells to swell and to move closer to the skin’s surface (called tumescent liposuction).

Body Lift

Body lift procedures are meant to remove excess skin and underlying tissue, and tighten up loose muscles if you have lost a large amount of weight, such as after a bariatric surgical procedure. These can be done by themselves, or in conjunction with a liposuction procedure to remove excess fat cells. A body lift can be done to a variety of areas on the body where there is excess skin, but improving the appearance of the hips and thighs requires two different types of body lift procedures.

Circumferential body lift: This type of body lift, also sometimes called a belt lipectomy, actually combines a lift of the hips, abdomen, and lower back/buttock regions. For this type of procedure, Dr. Pin will make an incision following just below the line of your underwear around your body. He will then lift up your skin and underlying tissue, tighten up the underlying muscle, re-drape the tissue and skin, and then remove any excess before suturing everything back into place.

Outer thigh lift: This type of body lift works along the same principle as the circumferential body lift, in terms of removing excess skin and tissue, and tightening up the underlying muscles. However, it specifically addresses the outer thighs. For this type of body lift, Dr. Pin will make the incision starting at the groin, and then circle around the top of the thigh to the buttock.

To find out if you are a good candidate for any of these procedures, contact our practice.