Brachioplasty

The arm lift procedure or brachioplasty, is a surgical procedure to remove loose skin and excess fat deposits in the upper arm. With age, upper arm skin can become loose and flabby. The goal with brachioplasty is to tighten the skin and remove the excess fat tissue. In some cases your plastic surgeon may suggest that liposuction be used alone or in conjunction with an arm lift to remove excess fat in the upper arms. Sometimes the skin of the hand is also tightened or resurfaced with IPL.

In selected cases liposuction alone may be adequate because it removes excess fat and may cause slight tightening. Just before surgery, the excess skin and fat tissue is marked. The incision is placed on the inner and under surface of the arm and often curves or zigzags. Often some fat liposuctioned at the same time. The operation is done under either local anesthetic or general anesthetic. You can choose but most patients are happier with general anesthesia. Most of the time this is an outpatient operation and a stay in the hospital is not needed. Recovery takes one to two weeks. Most people are back to work within a week or two.

Arm Reduction

Arm reduction procedures are similar to Arm Tuck procedures described in the previous chapter, except for modifications made to incorporate larger volumes of skin and fat of massive weight loss patients. Arm reduction is a surgical procedure used to remove excess skin and fat deposits in the upper arm. After massive weight loss, upper arm skin and fat becomes loose and flabby. The goal with arm reduction is to tighten the skin and remove any excess tissue. With arm reduction procedures, excess skin and fat is marked. The incision is placed on the inner surface of the arm and curves or zigzags into the armpit area. Often, patients who have lost massive amounts of weight have extensive skin and fat deposits in the armpit and upper chest areas. These have to be incorporated into the incisions to effectively tighten the arm, armpit area and upper chest. The operation is done under a general anesthetic as an outpatient procedure and a stay in the hospital is not needed. Most people are back to work within a week or two.