Arm lift or Brachioplasty is a cosmetic procedure that contours the arm to give them a slimmer and toned appearance . Although not very sought out procedures due to the concerns from wound healing and prominent scars but is done to improve arm contour, here are few things that you need to know about the surgery.
Need for Arm lift / Brachioplasty:
- Usually done to address skin laxity and excess skin on the arm especially following massive weight loss,
- Skin redundancy secondary to arm liposuction can also be addressed by arm lift,
- Some individuals have primary skin redundancy that appears displeasing.
Benefits of ArmLift / Brachioplasty Surgery:
- Removes flabby skin
- Provides smooth, toned appearing arms
- Lasting results
Procedure:
Depending upon the skin elasticity and amount of fat the procedure can vary.
Liposuction is done to individuals having bulky arms due to excess skin fat although having good elasticity of skin, generally sought among young age group.
The arm lift/ brachioplasty can be done as a day care surgery or short hospital stay for overnight observation. It is done under general anaesthesia or using tumuscent local anaesthesia with sedation.
Traditional arm lift/ brachioplasty is done generally for moderate to severe skin laxity especially following massive weight loss. Skin marking will be over area to be excised over arm between elbow to arm pit. Ellipse of skin and subcutaneous fat is removed and skin is closed in layers using absorbable stitches.
Mini arm lift/ brachioplasty is done on patients having minimal amount of excess skin on the upper arms. A short incision will be made from the armpit to the area where the inner arm connects to the shoulder.
Recovery following arm lift / brachioplasty:
- During first post operative day, will elevate your arms and there will be compression bandages wrapped around them to reduce any swelling.
- During first week of recovery, we recommend avoiding any lifting or stretching so it’s important to have someone on hand to help you post-surgery. Also advised to sleep on your back with your arms elevated on pillows. Any discomfort during first week recovery is managed with appropriate pain killers.
- Post operative first month can resume most of all normal activities and can exercise fully around six weeks. Can return to work after two weeks. There may be some stiffness and swelling present during this period, hence advised to continue to wear specially designed compression garment to speed up the healing process.
- Scarring is a major concerns following aesthetic surgeries and arm lift does demand lengthy incisions on the arms. These will be very red and raised initially but over the year and half usually fades fully and flattens.
