Should You Get an Arm Lift for Your Most Beautiful Summer?

Between the year 2000 and the year 2018, arm lift surgeries increased more than 5,000 percent, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The most recent report from this organization indicates that, in 2018, more than 17,000 arm lift procedures were performed. The development of lift procedures like the arm lift, called brachioplasty, has opened the doors for people to correct some of the most frustrating problems to coincide with weight loss and the aging process. Here, we discuss some of the important details you need to know if you are considering ways to make your upper arms look better.

Weight Loss Isn’t Always Enough

If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight, your end-result of the hard work you’ve put in may not be exactly what you’d expected. Many people who lose more than 50 pounds are left with noticeably redundant and loose skin. On the backs of the arms, fat doesn’t always go away the way we think it will when we lose weight. If your arms are holding on to excess fat or are now deflated and saggy after weight loss, Brachioplasty is the best approach to recontouring this part of your body.

Arm Lift or Liposuction? Maybe Both!

Correcting the appearance of the backs of the arms takes skill and artistry. When patients consult with Dr. Altamira about having an arm lift, a thorough examination of their tissue may indicate good reasons for including liposuction into the sculpting process. Sometimes, liposuction is all that is needed to restore good contouring to the arms. The determining factor is the extent of laxity that exists in the skin and muscle. When the muscle and overlying tissue has lost its ability to bounce back well, removing excess fatty tissue without also trimming excess skin only exacerbates the appearance of “bat wings.”

The Brachioplasty Procedure

Arm lift procedures are performed in an outpatient surgery center. Patients receive general anesthesia to maintain comfort during surgery and are observed by a board-certified anesthesiologist until the procedure is over. During the arm lift, an incision is made on the underside of the arm, the part that sits against the torso when the arms are at the sides. This placement minimizes the visibility of the scars that form after surgery. The length of incisions is discussed during the consultation and reviewed in the briefing that occurs just before surgery. Some people need only a short scar near the armpit, while more severe tissue laxity may require an incision that runs from the armpit to the elbow. In any case, patients may use remedies such as silicone sheets to help scars heal once their incisions have completely closed.

There is only so much that diet and exercise can do for the backs of the arms. To restore contour to this area, consult with Dr. Altamira to learn more about arm lift surgery. Call 713.271.9000 to schedule a visit to our Houston or Sugar Land office.

Posted in: Arm Lift

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