Dreaming of a tighter, firmer and more contoured backside? In the Sutter Health network, our certified cosmetic surgeons offer thigh and buttock lifts to eliminate saggy skin and give you the well-defined curves you desire. This procedure is particularly useful following massive weight loss, such as after gastric bypass surgery.

A thigh and buttock lift involves surgically removing a section of excess skin and fat from all around your hip area. This allows for reduced irregularities on your skin’s surface and gives you a tauter, more youthful-looking appearance. Thigh and buttock lifts are generally performed under general anesthesia, so you won’t feel any discomfort.

Multiple Surgical Options

Depending on your needs and desires, wide variations in the placement of incisions are available. Incision sites can often be hidden so you may be able to wear your favorite bikini without revealing any surgical scars. If you’re looking to have your inner thighs lifted, this may require incisions extending from the crease where your thigh and groin meet to the crease where your thigh meets your buttocks. Surgery can also be performed on your outer, upper and lower thighs. The incisions there will depend on your preference and on where there is excess skin.

Lifting the entire thigh and buttocks requires much longer incisions that start at your buttocks crease, extend around your groin, come up over the side of your abdomen and reach over your flank and across your back. The buttocks alone can be lifted with upper or lower scars.

Many people combine thigh and buttock lifts with other procedures such as liposuction or tummy tucks for improved results. Be sure to ask your doctor if you're a good candidate for a combined procedure.

Recuperation and Healing

If you have a small thigh or buttocks lift procedure, you may be able to go home the same day of your surgery. For larger thigh or buttocks lifts, you may spend one or two nights in a skilled nursing facility or hospital. This allows for injections and intravenous catheters to be administered for better pain control if required.

Sometimes special garments are needed to help you heal. Your care team may place you in a compression garment to reduce swelling and assist in the natural shrinking and tightening of your skin. Your doctor may have you wear this compression garment for a few months, depending on the complexity of your surgery. Bruising and swelling from surgery typically subside within a month. Strenuous activities are usually possible in six weeks and almost all symptoms are gone in about four to six months.