Body area

Thighs and buttocks

Name: Loose Thigh and Buttock Skin After Weight Loss
Creator: Dan d'Auvergne-Massie

Loose skin on the inner thighs rubs and chafes, and buttock and outer thigh skin often drops after a large loss. What non-surgical treatment can change, and how a thigh lift and a lower body lift differ.

What changes in the thighs and buttocks

Two separate things tend to happen. On the inner thighs, loose skin gathers and folds, and because the thighs rub together with every step, it is one of the areas most likely to cause chafing and rashes. On the outer thighs and buttocks, skin often drops as a whole, so the buttocks sit lower and the outer thigh develops folds. Surgeons grade both on the same kind of scale used for other areas, from mild looseness to skin that hangs. [1]

In a survey of people after large weight loss, problems with physical activity and with finding clothing that fits were among the difficulties people reported most. [2] Thigh skin is a large part of why.

Some of what looks like loose skin on the thighs is still fat, particularly on the outer thighs. The loose skin or fat post explains how to tell.

What exercise and devices can do

Strength training for the legs and glutes rebuilds the muscle underneath, which improves shape and support even though it does not remove skin. It also protects against the muscle loss that tends to come with weight loss; eating enough protein matters here, with the trial evidence in adults losing weight supporting more than 1.3 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. [3]

For mild laxity and crepey texture on the thighs, RF microneedling is the best-studied non-surgical option, though its evidence comes mostly from general dermatology rather than thighs after weight loss. [4] Surface radiofrequency is gentler, with a lower ceiling. Neither removes skin, and on the inner thighs, where excess is often substantial, they are rarely enough on their own. The non-surgical limits post explains why.

Thigh lift or lower body lift?

These solve different problems.

A thigh lift (thighplasty) removes loose skin from the inner thigh. A limited version uses an incision in the groin crease. A fuller version adds an incision down the inner thigh, often in a T shape, and is more common after large losses because the excess runs the length of the thigh.

A lower body lift (belt lipectomy) removes skin around the whole lower torso, lifting the buttocks and outer thighs as well as tightening the abdomen. If your main concern is dropped buttocks and outer thighs, this is usually the relevant operation rather than a thigh lift.

Some people need both, usually staged as separate operations. The surgical options guide covers recovery and risks, and a surgeon will tell you which combination suits your shape.

Medicare

A thigh lift after significant weight loss may be covered by item 30169, which covers removal of redundant skin from one or two areas other than the abdomen. The published criteria say the skin must be causing functional problems, after a loss equivalent to at least five BMI points and six months of stable weight. [5] A lower body lift may be covered by item 30179, whose published criteria are stricter and include a skin condition that has failed three months of treatment. [6] Your surgeon assesses whether either applies, and the Medicare post explains how cover works.

What it costs in Australia

	Price
Thigh lift, total out-of-pocket with Medicare and fund cover, one surgeon	usually around $16,000 [7]
Thigh lift, total uninsured, one surgeon	usually around $27,000 [7]
Thigh lift, surgeon's fee, another surgeon	$19,990 to $45,990 [8]
Lower body lift, total out-of-pocket with cover and an item, one surgeon	around $24,500 [9]
Lower body lift, total uninsured, one surgeon	around $43,500 [9]

The published surgeon's fees for a thigh lift are unusually wide, from under $10,000 to over $45,000, because the operation ranges from a small groin incision to a full-length one with liposuction. Ask exactly which version a quote is for. The costs by procedure page has more detail.

Managing chafing in the meantime

If your inner thighs rub, the practical fixes are unglamorous and cheap: smooth, moisture-wicking fabrics or anti-chafe shorts under clothes, keeping the skin dry, and an anti-chafe balm. Rashes that persist, break the skin or keep coming back are worth seeing your GP about now rather than putting up with until surgery.

Frequently asked questions

Mild looseness can improve with time, strength training and energy-based treatment. Where the skin folds and hangs, which is common on the inner thighs after a large loss, no device removes it and a thigh lift is the only thing that does.

Usually not. A thigh lift works on the inner thighs. Dropped buttocks and outer thighs are generally addressed by a lower body lift, which works around the whole lower torso.

It varies more than most operations because the procedure ranges widely. One surgeon publishes totals of around $16,000 out of pocket with Medicare and fund cover and around $27,000 uninsured; another publishes surgeon's fees from $19,990 to $45,990.

Other areas

Sources cited

Written by

Dan d'Auvergne-Massie· Editor, Skin After Weight Loss

Lost 36kg on a GLP-1 protocol and spent the next two years researching what actually tightens skin after rapid weight loss. Works professionally in the peptide industry. Not a doctor: every clinical claim on this site is sourced.

Last updated by the editor: 23 September 2026