Lower Body Lift

If you've experienced major weight loss, you may be left with a lot of loose skin. When you've reached your goal weight, a lower body lift — or buttocks lift — may help improve the look of your lower body. This plastic surgery procedure removes excess skin from the lower body.

Looking For Care?

On this page

• What Is A Lower Body Lift?
• What Are the Benefits of A Lower Body Lift?
• What Are the Risks and Complications of A Lower Body Lift?
• What Should I Expect from A Lower Body Lift?
• What Is The Cost of Lower Body Plastic Surgery?

What Is A Lower Body Lift?

A lower body lift — or buttocks lift — is plastic surgery to remove excess skin and improve contour in your:

• Buttocks.
• Outer thigh area.
• Hips.
• Lower abdomen or inner thighs.

A belt lipectomy is performed slightly higher and can improve the look of the flanks or love handles. It's commonly used to remove loose, sagging skin after people have lost a lot of weight.

Back to top

Benefits Of A Lower Body Lift

A lower body lift can tighten the loose skin on the outer thighs and buttocks. It uses state-of-the-art techniques to keep volume in the buttocks so they don't look flat after surgery.

Most people who undergo lower body lift also have abdominoplasty (a tummy tuck) at the same time. That's plastic surgery to remove excess skin from your waistline, so your waist is sculpted.

The scars from these plastic surgeries are usually hidden on the skin beneath your underwear. But how long they are and where they are can vary. The lengths and positions of your scars will depend on whether the excess tissue is high above the buttocks or low around the saddlebags.     

Back to top

Lower Body Lift Surgery Risks

A lower body lift is major surgery. While it tightens the skin on your buttocks and thighs, it leaves a permanent scar.

Other risks from lower body lifts include:

• Adverse reaction to anesthesia and other allergic reactions.
• Bleeding.
• Blood clots and complications, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
• Changes in sensation.
• Damage to underlying structures.
• Hematoma or seroma, which occur when blood or fluid builds up under the skin. Your surgeon will need to remove it when this happens.
• Infection.
• Return of skin laxity due to additional weight loss after the procedure. You should reach your goal weight first before undergoing a lower body lift.

Some people experience prolonged or even permanent leg swelling called lymphedema. But this is rare.

Not every person is a candidate for a lower body lift. Your risks may be greater or different from those of other people. Your plastic surgeon will review all potential risks with you before the surgery.

Is lower body lift right for me?

A lower body lift is for people with loose skin on the buttocks and outer thighs. Age is not a factor in determining if you qualify. As long as you are in good health, you can receive a lower body lift at any age.

You may qualify for a lower body lift if:

• You are in good physical and mental health.
• You have specific and realistic goals for your lower body lift.

Not everyone is a candidate for a lower body lift. That's why scheduling a visit with a plastic surgeon is crucial in deciding if this procedure is right for you.

Your plastic surgeon will listen carefully to your concerns about excess skin on your thighs and buttocks. They will also go over your goals and expectations from a lower body lift.

Alternatives to lower body lift

Liposuction is a common alternative to skin removal. Although this option usually avoids long scars, it may worsen the loose skin. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of all procedures in greater detail at your initial consultation.    

A lower body lift can significantly change the outer portion of your thighs, but it will not change the appearance of your inner thighs.

For the best results in removing excess skin from your inner thighs, you will need a thigh lift. In most cases, your surgeon will suggest performing the two surgeries separately. This increases surgical safety, helps with recovery, and achieves the best results for each lift type.

Back to top

What to Expect Before Your Lower Body Lift

Your plastic surgeon will examine your lower body. This includes looking at your excess skin and scars from previous surgeries.

Your surgeon will also perform a careful evaluation of your overall health, including issues that could cause complications, such as:

• Your blood pressure.
• Bleeding issues.
• How your scars from previous surgeries look.

How to prepare for your lower body lift

Your plastic surgeon will give you written instructions to help you prepare for your plastic surgery, including:

• When to stop smoking, if you do. If you smoke, it may take longer for you to heal. Smoking can also cause coughing, which can increase your risk of bleeding. It can also increase the risk of infection.
• Medicines and supplements to avoid. You should not take any blood thinners, including aspirin, warfarin, NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen sodium), and herbal supplements.
• When to take your prescribed medicines.
• Proper wound-washing techniques.
• When to stop eating and drinking before surgery.

Where will I have my lower body lift?

Lower body lift surgeries are done in a hospital. They are inpatient procedures. The surgery itself may take around four hours.

A friend or family member must drive you to and from the hospital.

Back to top

What To Expect During A Lower Body Lift

Your surgeon will go over the procedures of your lower body lift. The basic approach for a lower body lift includes:

• Creating an incision that goes around your torso.
• Removing excess skin and fat below the incision.
• Positioning you on your side or tummy.
• Pulling the remaining skin around your buttocks and thighs upward to tighten your skin and underlying tissues.
• Moving you on to your back.
• Treating your front side if you've chosen to have a tummy tuck.
• Adding deep support sutures within the underlying tissues. This helps form the new contours of your buttocks and thighs.
• Closing these incisions in multiple layers, over tubes to help drain fluid if needed, to control stretching and swelling. To close the incisions, your surgeon will use sutures, tapes, or skin adhesives.

Type of anesthesia for lower body lift surgery

You will need general anesthesia for a lower body lift. General anesthesia is when doctors give you medications through a vein to make you sleep during the surgery.

Recovery After Lower Body Lift Surgery

As an inpatient procedure, most people will have a one- or two-night stay in the hospital. Your care team will get you up and walking the day after surgery.

Immediate recovery after a lower body lift

Most people have pain in their thighs and buttocks for the first two or three days after surgery. You may have an abdominal binder or compressive wraps on your legs to reduce swelling. If the pain becomes intense, tell your surgeon.

Recovering at home

Before you leave the hospital, you will receive postsurgery care instructions. They will go over:

• How to care for your incisions and scars.
• How to manage drains, if you have them. You will also need to measure the amount of liquid drained and let your surgeon know.
• Pain management, including your prescription pain medicines and what other medicines you can take.
• Potential complications to look for and when to call your doctor.
• The best position to use for sleep.
• When to see your surgeon for follow-up visits. Drains and sutures are usually removed one to two weeks after surgery.

Common side effects include bruising, redness, and swelling. These start to lessen after one to three weeks as your body adjusts to the new contours and your incisions heal. You must continue wearing compression garments for several weeks to reduce swelling. You will have to avoid bending over for three weeks while the buttocks incisions heal.

Your surgeon will advise you when you can return to work and normal activity. Most people can go back within two to four weeks.

You should avoid strenuous physical activity, including lifting, for four to six weeks after surgery. That includes lifting babies and small children. Strenuous exercise can increase your risk of fluid retention or wound breakdown in the treated areas.

But it's vital to walk every day. Walking helps reduce swelling and prevents blood clots in your legs.

Don't drink alcohol for five days after surgery or while you are on pain medicine. Avoid smoking to prevent coughing and bleeding.

Weight loss medications may be held for a few weeks before and after surgery so you can maintain adequate nutrition to heal your incisions.

Back to top

What Results Should I Expect After My Lower Body Lift?

Lower body lift usually produces a tightened and more attractive look to your buttocks, abdomen, and thighs.

Scars from the surgery incision may stay thick and red. But for most people, they fade over time. The way your scars look may not change much after 12 to 18 months.

Before and after photos of lower body plastic surgeries

These UPMC Plastic Surgery photos show a before and after front view and back view from a lower body lift.

These photos show a before and after view of a thigh lift.

This photo gallery shows before and after photos from a tummy tuck.

Back to top

What Is The Cost Of Lower Body Plastic Surgery?

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average costs for lower body plastic surgeries are:

• For abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), the average cost is $7,215.
• For liposuction, the average cost is $4,449.
• For lower body lift, the average cost is $9,449.
• For thigh lifts, the average cost is $6,378.

A lower body lift is an elective cosmetic procedure. So, in most cases, it is not covered by insurance. Your plastic surgeon will discuss the costs of your surgery with you during your consultation.

UPMC offers many different financial services to help you understand your medical costs and to help with your medical bills. Always check with your insurance provider before your surgery to find out what they cover.

Back to top

Contact UPMC Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

To find out whether lower body lift surgery is right for you, contact UPMC Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

At your first visit, your surgeon will talk to you about your personal goals and address any concerns. They can also talk to you about financial issues.

More About Lower Body Lifts

For more information about plastic surgery, including lower body lifts:

• The Aesthetic Society (The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons).
• The American Society of Plastic Surgeons.