Scottsdale – There is a procedure that can lift the inner thigh, outer thigh and buttocks using a single operation. The procedure is called the Spiral Lift.  The technique is interesting because it addresses these anatomic areas using a single incision. As a bonus, the tissue from the hips can be repositioned in order to augment the buttocks.

The article describing this operation was published in the journal Aesthetic plastic Surgery. The authors say that use of the technique in their practice was infrequent. Of 253 patients only 5 had the Spiral Lift. The results are indeed impressive, especially considering that surgery is carried out as an outpatient with a 23-hour stay, combined with an average of 5.3 liters of lipo and a relatively low blood loss of 220 ml. They report no major complications, re-operations and acceptably low complications. In fact, the patients only experienced minor complications.

The procedure is similar to circumferential body surgery, minus the anterior abdominal incision. This could be advantageous as the patient avoids an incision there. However, this could be considered a disadvantage if the patient requires abdominal skin resection or muscle tightening. The need for skin resection and muscle tightening in today’s society is very high. A bodylift would be more successful in these cases because it tightens the anterior abdominal wall, lifts the outer thighs, and buttocks.

Patients with the type of body contour deformity, the so-called “violin” shape, in which the Spiral Lift is used, are very rare indeed. The procedure might appeal to persons without abdominal excess skin or muscle laxity, but who may have saggy inner and outer thighs with small saggy buttocks. The authors should be commended for their ingenuity in the design and application of the Spiral Lift.