Best Calf Reduction Clinics

Calf reduction is a cosmetic procedure aimed to lessen the size and volume of calves by removing fat or muscle from the area to make your legs more skinny and attractive. 

In most cases, calf reduction is the only option for people who want to enhance the appearance of their legs by improving their calves' size and shape.

An increase in this area can be observed in the following cases:

• Swelling or so-called edema — can be a symptom of certain diseases or some associated with overweight, excessive fluid intake, wearing uncomfortable shoes, etc. 
• Excess weight — even a slight increase in subcutaneous fatty tissue gives additional volume to calves.
• Intensive physical activity — can increase calf muscle mass. In this case, small calves can only be returned with surgery.

Calf reduction by removing fat deposits (liposuction) is the best treatment option if the volume increased because of the accumulation of adipose tissue.

The recovery period duration depends on the volume of the removed substance. It can last from several days to several weeks. After the calf reduction with lipo , doctors recommend to limit physical activity for 6 weeks and wear compression stockings.

When calves are reduced by removing fatty deposits, only a few tiny scars remain. However, a patient has a significant muscle mass and a small body fat mass, only a slight decrease in calf volume can be expected.

The most effective method of calf reduction. During the procedure, the surgeon removes the hypertrophied muscle that enlarges the calf volume through a 5 cm incision in the popliteal fossa and incision in the middle of the tibia. As a result, the volume can be reduced up to 5-7 cm. The surgery takes 1-2 hours. 

However, calf reduction surgery has some disadvantages. Among them are:

• scarring
• short term strength loss
• removal of healthy muscle tissue
• in patients with a small amount of adipose tissue in the calf area, the inner contour of the upper calf area looks somewhat unnatural.

• The hospital stay takes 24 hours.
• About 3 months after the operation, the patient must wear compression stockings.
• The patient should take heparin to prevent thrombosis.
• In the first 2-3 days the patient moves with crutches. 
• In the first 2 weeks after calf reduction, the patient must rest and upward the legs.
• About 6 weeks the physical activity is forbidden. 
• The fully functional ability of calves is restored in a few weeks.
• In general, the recovery period takes about 6 months.

Read more about the recovery period after calf reduction here.

Endoscopic calf reduction is a surgical procedure aimed at thinning of muscle tissue with an electric knife (a knife that cuts the tissue with the help of electric current and heat). Thus, the natural form of calves is preserved. This calf reduction method is the most widespread in South Korea. 

The partial resection takes 1-2 hours. The technique is popular due to small skin incisions, possibility to make individual calf shape, and short-term recovery period (3-4 weeks). 

The endoscopic procedure is still a surgery, so specialists also remove healthy muscle tissue. It is a partial reduction and the calf volume does not decrease as much as when the muscle is completely removed. If the surgeon cannot make the cut surface smooth, the roughness of the contour may remain noticeable. So choosing a highly-qualified specialist is crucial.