Endolift journal · Areas · 5 min readEndolift for knees and inner thighs: who it suits and what to expect

Why the knees and inner thighs lose firmness

The skin of the inner thigh is thin and has little natural support. Above the knee, a small pad of fat often sits just over the kneecap, and the skin there creases when you stand. With age, both areas lose collagen and elasticity. The skin becomes softer and more crepey, and small folds appear that do not respond to exercise.

Weight loss can make this more obvious. So can sun exposure, which affects the legs more than people think. Many people who are slim and active are surprised to find that these 2 areas change before the rest of the legs.

The 2 areas behave a little differently. Above the knee, the concern is usually a small pad of fat with creased skin over it, which can make the knee look heavy in shorts or a skirt. On the inner thigh, the concern is more often thin, loose skin that wrinkles when you walk or sit, sometimes with a little fat at the top of the leg. A good plan treats what is actually there rather than applying the same approach to both.

Is Endolift suitable for your legs?

Endolift works best on mild to moderate laxity with small fat pockets. On the legs, a good candidate usually has skin that looks soft or slightly crepey, perhaps with a small fullness above the knee or at the top of the inner thigh, but no large hanging fold.

• Often suitable: crepey skin above the knee, a small fat pad over the kneecap, mild looseness on the upper inner thigh.
• Often better treated another way: large volumes of thigh fat, where liposuction is more effective, or heavy loose skin after major weight loss, where a surgical thigh lift gives a clearer result.
• Not suitable at all: during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or with an active infection in the area.
• Needs discussion first: some blood clotting or autoimmune conditions, keloid scarring, and any recent treatment in the same area.

If you have lost a lot of weight, the loose skin after weight loss page explains how the options compare. Endolift does not restore lost volume and is not a substitute for losing weight.

How the treatment works

Genuine Endolift uses the LASEmaR 1500 laser made by Eufoton at a wavelength of 1470 nm, with original single use fibres. After local anaesthetic, a fibre between 200 and 600 microns wide is passed under the skin through a tiny entry point. There are no incisions and no stitches.

Light at 1470 nm is strongly absorbed by water and fat. That contracts the fibrous bands beneath the skin, which gives some tightening on the day. It can liquefy small fat deposits, which the body clears over the following weeks. It also starts collagen remodelling, in which weaker Type III collagen is replaced by stronger Type I. The skin therefore continues to firm for around 6 months.

A session usually takes about 60 to 90 minutes. Most people need 1 session. You are awake throughout, and once the local anaesthetic has worked most people feel pressure and warmth rather than sharp pain. You can usually walk out of the clinic and go home the same day, though it is easier if someone comes with you.

It helps to wear loose, comfortable clothing on the day, such as wide trousers or a long skirt, so nothing presses on the treated skin or the compression garment on the way home.

Recovery, side effects and risks

The legs bruise easily, so expect some bruising, along with swelling, redness and tenderness. Treated fat can feel firm or lumpy for a while, and the skin may feel numb in patches. Most of this settles within days, although firmness and numbness can take 1 to 2 weeks or longer.

A compression garment is worn for 3 to 4 days. Most people return to work the next day or within 48 hours. Gentle walking is usually fine, but it is sensible to ask before returning to hard exercise, especially activities that rub the inner thighs. The recovery and aftercare page has more detail.

Rarer risks include burns, uneven skin, infection and small scars at the entry points. These are uncommon. The side effects and safety page explains each in plain language.

Cost and results

At TK Medispa in Kensington, the knees or the inner thighs are each priced as a single body area at £2,000. That price includes the photo assessment, video consultation, treatment, local anaesthetic, aftercare and review. If you want both areas, you will be given a fixed price for the plan at your video consultation. All prices are on the cost page.

Results can last up to 2 years. Stable weight, sun protection and not smoking help them last. Results vary from person to person. The legs are not judged well in the first weeks, because swelling and bruising hide the change, so it is better to compare photos at the review than to check in the mirror every day.

Dr Seth's view "The knees are often the area patients find hardest to improve, because the skin is thin and exercise makes little difference to it. When the skin is mildly loose with a small fat pad, Endolift can make a real difference. When the thigh skin is heavy after big weight loss, I would point the patient towards a thigh lift instead."

Next step

To check whether your knees or inner thighs would respond, send 3 photos (front, left and right, standing, in natural light) for Dr Seth's free assessment through the booking page.

This article is general information, not personal medical advice. Results vary between individuals and are not guaranteed. Endolift® and LASEmaR® are registered trademarks of Eufoton® S.r.l.