What Can You Do to Achieve Slimmer Thighs?

For years, patients who have had localized areas of stubborn fat on certain areas of the body have benefited from liposuction. The Philadelphia area’s Dr. Scott Chapin, a board-certified plastic surgeon, knows that for many patients, even after lowering the number on the scale and reducing weight from all over the body through healthy lifestyle changes, there may still be areas that they wish they could tone up.

If you are prone to having more fat on specific areas of the body because of genetics or hormones, it can sometimes seem almost impossible to reduce those areas on your own.

The thighs are often one of the most challenging areas to reduce because hormones promote the deposition of fat on the pelvis, butt, and thighs of women, and the storage of fat on the lower body is believed to be advantageous for pregnancy. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to store their extra weight on the belly area.

To make matters worse, the area where you gain weight first will also be the area where you lose it last. If your genetic body type and hormones are making it difficult for you to slim your thighs, there are several methods that could be helpful for getting the look you want. 

Consider Liposuction

You can pinch the fat on the thighs because it resides directly below the skin, making it what’s known as subcutaneous fat. While visceral fat lies deeper in the body, subcutaneous fat can be removed with liposuction. It’s very common for patients to have fat-reduction surgery on the inner and outer thighs. Removing “saddle bags” (accumulations of fat on the outer thighs) can make a significant difference to overall contours and dramatically change the body shape. Reducing fat from this area can also make it easier to wear certain styles of clothing. 

Tone Your Leg Muscles

Unfortunately, we can’t spot reduce fat from specific body areas. While we can lower the number on the scale by losing weight all over through diet and exercise, we have no control over which areas this weight leaves from. The body utilizes fat stores from throughout the body for energy when you exercise, so activities despite squats, lunges, and leg lifts directly impacting the thighs, they won’t burn fat directly from the area. However, strengthening your muscles will help to build muscle mass and raise your metabolism so weight loss will become easier. Indoor cycling classes are excellent for toning the legs and for weight loss. Including stairs in your running workout will also help you to use your leg muscles more. Try body weight squats, inner thigh exercises, and balance work to help sculpt those legs even more. 

Be Careful About Your Salt Intake 

Salt can give your lower body—and the rest of your body—a more bloated appearance because it causes you to retain excess water. Reducing your salt intake will make you feel better and may even improve how clothes fit. 

Add More Cardio 

Regardless of where you want to lose weight from, cardio will be an essential part of weight loss because it creates a calorie deficit. Cardio is an excellent way to burn calories while strengthening your heart and reducing body fat. You should do both steady-state cardio and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts to get the best results if your goal is to decrease overall body fat and slim your thighs. If you’re not already doing some form of cardio regularly, pick a sport or try swimming, biking, jogging, or an aerobics class. If you’re already doing cardio and still not getting the results you want, you may not be doing enough of it. Talk to a professional who can recommend taking your efforts to the next level.

The Philadelphia area’s Chapin Aesthetics team can tell you more about what you can expect from each stage of liposuction, as well as how the surgery can complement other body sculpting efforts. Call 267.880.0810 or submit a contact form to request a consultation to meet with a plastic surgeon to discuss liposuction.