Hello, and welcome to
my
practice! I'm Dr. Stefan Mark
Szczerba (pronounced
Sher-ba).
I am a board
certified
Chicago plastic
surgeon with fellowship
training in cosmetic plastic surgery. This level of
training represents 9 years of training after medical school and is matched by only by a handful of plastic surgeons in the Chicagoland area. I have three offices in the
Chicago
area where we offer
both cosmetic and
plastic
surgery treatments
as well
as aesthetician
services
and non-invasive
procedures such as
Botox,
dermal fillers
and skin
resurfacing
treatments.
You can find everything
you
need for your
personal image
transformation
at one
of my conveniently
located offices in
and
around
Chicago.
I look
forward to
meeting
with you to
discuss your
makeover
desires.
10400 W. Higgins Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
(847) 853-9900
1786 Moon Lake Boulevard, #205
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
(847) 885-1200
900 N. Kingsbury Street, Suite 130-N
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 286-1642
3226 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 348-1800
BODY CONTOURING THIGH LIFT IN CHICAGO
INTRODUCTION TO THE THIGH LIFT (THIGHPLASTY) IN CHICAGO
The word “thighplasty” is a surgical term for a thigh lift procedure, which is generally performed for one of two reasons: either a patient has lost a great amount of weight and has significant sagging on the thighs, or age-related changes have created sagging of that area. A thighplasty is one of several body contouring procedures that will eliminate sagging to result in a more pleasing body contour. It is sometimes part of a lower body lift, and is also called an inner thigh lift.
As we age, our skin and muscle tissues become less resilient and the body begins to sag. Likewise, after the skin has been stretched due to obesity, once the weight is lost, the skin cannot shrink past a certain point, leaving the patient with sagging skin and tissue that does not improve with diet and exercise.
Body contouring will remove the excess, sagging tissues and skin and tighten the thigh muscles to attain a more pleasing body silhouette. Please see our other pages about Brachioplasty (arm lift) and Body Lift if you have lost significant weight and need contouring for the arms and body. A brachioplasty procedure can be performed at the same time as these other body contouring procedures.
Dr. Szczerba can use computer imaging to help you see the anticipated results of your thighplasty, during your consultation visit in one of his Chicago plastic surgery offices.
GOOD CANDIDATES FOR A THIGH LIFT
If you are otherwise healthy and have realistic expectations for improvement, you may be a good candidate for a thigh lift.
Before scheduling your procedure, Dr. Szczerba will want to confirm that you are in good health. If you have lost significant weight, it’s possible that during the time you were overweight, you may have developed disorders related to obesity, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Therefore, Dr. Szczerba will want to speak with your family doctor or endocrinologist to be certain that you are healthy enough to have a surgical procedure and to undergo general anesthesia. If you are a smoker, as with any surgical procedure, Dr. Szczerba will want you to quit smoking at least two weeks prior to the procedure and for at least 6 weeks following the procedure, as smoking decreases the amount of oxygen available to the cells which can cause poor healing.
HOW A THIGHPLASTY (THIGH LIFT) IS PERFORMED
Dr. Szczerba performs thighplasty procedures under general anesthesia as a same-day surgery in one of his accredited operating suites in the Chicago, Rosemont or Hoffman Estates areas. Board-certified anesthesiologists who are the best in their fields supervise Dr. Szczerba’s plastic surgery procedures. The procedure takes approximately 2 hours, unless it is combined with other body contouring procedures. After anesthesia is in place, Dr. Szczerba makes an incision in the inner groin area where the leg meets the body. He will remove excess fat and tissue and excise the extra skin before closing the incision with fine sutures. Depending on the amount of tissue and skin removed, he may place one or more drains to pull off excess fluid during the recovery; these are usually removed within a few days after the procedure when your body has regained its ability to control tissue fluid movement in the area of surgery.
For patients with significant excess skin of the thigh area, a vertical incision is added and additional tissue is taken out in the vertical direction to tighten the entire upper thigh area. This incision is not needed for all patients, and this will have been discussed at your initial consultation with Dr. Szczerba.
Liposuction of the thigh area may be added to loosen the skin and reduce the volume of the thigh prior to the removal of the thigh skin. Dr. Szczerba will carefully go over these options with you during the consultation.
RECOVERING FROM THIGHPLASTY
Dr. Szczerba will place a compressive garment on your legs that you will wear to help with swelling until he instructs you that it can be discontinued. This helps keep the area compressed and aids in healing. Standard pain medications and ice packs are generally adequate to control discomfort, though Dr. Szczerba will encourage you to convert your pain medications to plain Tylenol as soon as you feel comfortable.
Just like other procedures, you will want to avoid any heavy lifting or exercising that involves your legs until Dr. Szczerba instructs you that you may do so. If drains were inserted at the end of the procedure, Dr. Szczerba will remove them at one of your postoperative visits to his Chicago plastic surgery office. All the details of the procedure and subsequent recovery will be discussed at your consultation at Dr. Szczerba’s plastic surgery office in Chicago, Rosemont or Hoffman Estates, so you are fully aware of the process.
