“Do you have excess skin and fat on the upper arms that won’t budge, despite a strict diet and exercise regime?”
If you want to achieve a smoother upper arm contour, an arm lift (otherwise known as brachioplasty) may be a suitable treatment for you.
Age, heredity factors and fluctuations in weight can all cause your upper arms to have a drooping, sagging appearance. If the appearance of ‘bat wings’ or ‘tuckshop arms’ are impacting your confidence, a brachioplasty performed by our surgeon Dr Anh may be your solution to slimmer, more contoured upper arms.
What is an arm lift?
A brachioplasty, or ‘arm lift’, is a surgical procedure designed to reshape and improve the contour of the upper arms. This is done by removing excess skin, tightening underlying tissue and reducing localised pockets of fat, resulting in smoother skin and better-proportioned contours of the upper arms.
Candidates for an arm lift
An arm lift is typically performed on men and women who are in good health, within a stable weight range and experience significant upper arm skin laxity. Your plastic surgeon, Dr Anh, will assess your candidacy during your initial consultation.
What you can expect from your initial consultation for an arm lift
Dr Anh realises that your initial consultation can be daunting. It is only natural to feel nervous or self-conscious about revealing your body concerns with someone you have never met before. Dr Anh understands that you may feel this way and will try to make the consultation as comfortable for you as possible.
Dr Anh and her cosmetic consultants will spend about 45 minutes with you to gain a better understanding of why you are seeking an arm lift, the results you are hoping to achieve and the expectations you have surrounding the procedure.
During your consultation, Dr Anh will review your medical and surgical history before examining you. Afterwards, she will recommend a treatment plan and discuss the procedure in depth with you, including pre and post operative care.
She will also show you before and after photos of her previous arm lift patients, answer any questions you may have and provide you with written material regarding the procedure for you to take home. A quote will be given to you at the end of your consultation and all costs involved will be explained.
What happens during the procedure
Arm lift surgery is performed under general anaesthesia and takes between two to three hours to complete. Once you have been sedated, Dr Anh will make an incision from the elbow to the armpit. This allows her to remove excess skin and fat deposits and tighten underlying supportive tissue. The skin is then redraped and smoothed over the new contours of your arms, after which Dr Anh will close your incisions with sutures.
FAQs
The cost of an arm lift varies from patient to patient. The total cost of your brachioplasty is made up of a number of components, including Dr Anh’s surgical fees, anaesthetic fees and hospital fees, as well as the complexity of the procedure. During your consultation with Dr Anh, she will provide you with a detailed quote of what is included in the total costs of your procedure.
Dr Anh is a highly experienced plastic surgeon, however no procedure is without risk. Potential risks and complications of brachioplasty include:
- Allergic reaction to anaesthesia, sutures, dressings or antibacterial agents
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Poor wound healing
- Asymmetry
- Visible and prominent scarring
- Damage to nerves, blood vessels and muscles
- Death of fatty tissue
- Numbness and changes in skin sensation
- Restricted movement to tightened skin
- Excess fluid accumulation under the skin
After your arm lift, you may need to wear a compression garment to control any swelling. Dr Anh may also insert a temporary drainage tube in your arm to drain any fluid or blood that may build up after surgery.
You will need to take some time off work to rest after your brachioplasty procedure. Your arms will likely be a bit sore for the first two to three days and you may experience some bruising and swelling. You will need to avoid any heavy lifting, strenuous exercise and swimming until advised by Dr Anh, however most patients are return to all normal activities within four weeks.
Dr Anh will provide you with thorough post operative care instructions to take home. This will cover how to care for your wounds, which medications to take and when, warning signs to look out for and a timeline for any follow-up visits.
As with any other surgical procedure, brachioplasty will inevitably leave a scar. During the procedure, Dr Anh will aim to create incisions in an easily hidden location. This way, any scarring will hopefully go unnoticed once your surgical wounds have healed. If your skin is prone to scarring, make sure to discuss this with Dr Anh during your consultation.