Arm Lift Surgery
Arm lift surgery may be right for you if the underside of your upper arms are sagging or appear loose and full due to excess skin and fat.
A brachioplasty, commonly called an arm lift, is a surgical procedure to reshape and provide improved contour to the upper arms and connecting area of chest wall. Massive weight loss, growing older, and heredity can cause your upper arms to have a drooping, sagging appearance. Your flabby upper arms may make it uncomfortable to wear short sleeves, sleeveless tops or bathing suits. Brachioplasty is often used to address issues such as excessive loose skin or excessive fat in the arms when it does not respond well to diet and exercise. Brachioplasty is a common procedure for patients who have experienced massive weight loss.
The procedure
The least invasive manner to contour the upper arms is to simply remove extra fat via liposuction. This is suitable for younger patients having good skin elasticity. Incision length and pattern during arm lift surgery depend on the amount and location of excess skin to be removed, as well as the best judgment of your plastic surgeon. Incisions are generally placed on the inner side of the arm or the back of the arm, depending on the surgeon’s preference, and may extend from the underarm (axilla) to just above the elbow. Excess fat may be directly excised or treated with liposuction. Depending on your specific condition, incisions may be more limited. Under the right conditions such as adequate skin elasticity and minimal excess skin, the surgical incision for the Brachioplasty can be placed under the arm. This allows for easy concealment of the scar. The underlying supportive tissue is tightened and reshaped with internal sutures. Finally, the skin is smoothed over the new contour of your arm.
Results
The smoother, tighter contours that result from Brachioplasty are apparent almost immediately following your procedure, although there will likely be swelling and bruising. If a qualified and experienced plastic surgeon performs your surgery, your procedure and recovery should be uneventful. Arms may remain swollen for several months and the arm’s final contour will not be visible until all swelling has gone down. Patients that were once worried about loose or hanging skin on their arms find that after an arm lift they feel very comfortable and confident in clothing that bares their arms. Brachioplasty results are long-lasting and can produce dramatic improvement in the firmness and appearance of the upper arms.