It is very likely that he had to make a decision about where to place the incisions based on a number of factors, including the quality of the skin. MANY plastic surgeons won't do thigh lifts at all on WLS patients because the skin is in such poor condition, which creates two major issues (in addition to some minor ones and the most general issue of it just not looking natural):

1) the chances of the incision breaking down (and potentially also turning necrotic because of very poor blood supply to the very thin skin) are much higher on the things of someone who has been MO or SMO, not to mention someone who is older. So you have a double whammy in this respect.

2) surgeons cannot pull the skin at all tight on the thighs because of the issues mentioned above. The more tension placed on the incision, the more likely it is to open up (and that's even if you could just lay in bed all day until the incisions healed. Moving around pulls at those incisions a great deal, so the surgeon HAD to leave more skin to give you even half a chance at decent looking scars (when the open up, you end up with wide scars -- or even hole shaped scars -- and if the incision turns necrotic, that means having to have the dead tissue cut out and results in scars that look like burns. If that happens it also takes MONTHS for the body to heal, and you would end up with scars that would still prevent you from wearing shorts above the knee (depending on how large the necrotic area and scarring is).

My tummy tuck incision turned necrotic and I ended up with a large sort of T-shaped crater from just above my waist all the way up to right under my breasts. The deepest part of it, you could see the muscle fascia. It took almost six months for it to heal up and I now look like my stomach was burned and the skin right where my breast starts is still VERY thin and tears easily. Every time I have a mammogram, I go through several weeks of bleeding and healing.

I don't mean to be harsh, but it sounds like perhaps you didn't do enough research (and get enough education from your surgeon) about the thigh surgery prior to having it done. These are well documented issues, and it is something he should have told you about before you decided to have it done. My thighs are hideous (no swim suits without knee length shorts on in the pool for me!) and I really wanted to get them done, but after I did some reading, looked at some sample pictures, and considered what I went through with my tummy tuck (I cannot imagine having large nectoric holes between my legs for many months!) I decided I would just enjoy my "wingless" arms and my flat tummy and continue to hide my thighs just as I have done my entire adult life.(I am 55, had my RNY in 2007, had a panniculectomy in 2008 , and had my arms and tummy done (separately) in 2009.

Lora

I hope all gets sorted out and I am sure it will in time. I only asked Dr name because I would eventually love to have my arms and tummy done and live not far from you in CT (right near Nothern Westchester) Nice to know who is who. Even though all good for you eventually I rather do it all just once as a baby and no patience. I might kill him if I had to go back several times ! Just kidding of course. I think I would go to D.C. To Dr. Michael's. I Love the work I have seen he has done. Waiting game for me with kids... have to take care of college. Soooooo expensive. Just decided last year wouldn't mind fixing a couple things! (10 years later) smart for those doing it right away. Do it when you can do not wait! I can live with mine and totally hideable and not impeding sizes I buy but on beach etc would not mind some work done! Eventually maybe still happen!

I am sure in time yours will look the way you want since you say his past results have been awesome for you. One step at a time.

Best

megan

Thank you for looking into my past posts. I sincerely appreciate it!

If the amount left was a small amount, I would agree that enough is enough, but there are at least 6-8 inches left of hanging skin going down each thigh (no fat) that he could remove much of and still not be tight. If he was being conservative, he was ultra-ultra-ultra conservative. The scars down the thighs are totally fine and healing almost invisibly. It is at the 4-way intersections near the groin that opened. I don't think he even needs to go near there to fix the problem. It would be from maybe 3-4" down from the groin to just above the knee. My dread is the incredible discomfort again. There has been NO stress on the incisions down the thigh. Just pain.

I'm not crazy -- I've worked on my body for 13 years. I'm moving to Florida after I retire next June and I want to be able to wear shorts and skirts and not walk around still embarrassed. My arms, 12 years later, are hanging like an older person's arms would hang, and I don't care. I had them done when they were bat wings, and now I'm older and it is natural. I'm not being unreasonable, needing to be perfect. My calves are very wrinkled and so be it. I could use a facelift, but not happening anytime soon. But these thighs just horrify me and I have to have one more chance to feel better walking around after all this. Thank you everyone for listening and understanding and caring enough to give me pause.

Marla

I know very, very little about plastic surgery, but this was my thought as well, Hala. It seems he recognized the OP's lack of elasticity and was conservative as a result in order to minimize a very likely side effect.

The pic on the left was the night before. The one on the right was at 12 weeks. I'm 5.5 months out now and feeling good. In fact, good enough that I had a breast lift with implants yesterday and really feeling good