It is normal for the upper arm skin to become loose and flabby as we age. The excess skin and fat in your upper arm may cause you to lose confidence in wearing short-sleeved tops and blouses. Fortunately, an arm lift can help you improve tone and definition in your upper arms. An arm lift Austin is a cosmetic procedure that involves removing excess skin, eliminating pocket fats, tightening supportive tissue, and smoothing over remaining skin. The procedure makes your arms appear more sculpted in a way that exercise and diet can’t.
Who benefits from an arm lift?
An arm lift, also known as Brachioplasty surgery, can benefit anyone with sagging or drooping upper arms. If your arms take on a batwing-like appearance or have a flap of skin that hangs when you raise your arms, you may consider an arm lift. Dropping or sagging upper arms may occur due to the following:
- Major weight loss
- Skin elasticity changes that occur with age
- Genetic factors that cause your skin to sag
- Lymphedema
What makes you a good candidate?
Generally, individuals with loose skin in their upper arms are eligible for an arm lift. However, a person should be of stable weight, meaning they are not likely to gain or lose significant weight in the long term. They should also be healthy and without medical conditions like anemia that elevate the risk of surgical complications. An arm lift leaves a scar, which typically runs the length of your upper arm and is usually unsightly; good candidates should accept the scar that comes with surgery. If you smoke, your surgeon may advise against surgery because of the risk of surgical wound complications.
An arm lift aims to tighten loose or sagging skin in your upper arms. If you wish to achieve a more sculpted look, your surgeon may need to perform liposuction on your arms. Your surgeon can combine an arm lift with liposuction to give you a more sculpted look. Liposuction removes fat deposits that don’t respond to exercise and diet. It is also important to know that Brachioplasty won’t prevent your arms from sagging if you gain or lose a lot of weight. That explains why you should maintain a healthy weight before and after the procedure.
What happens during an arm lift?
If your surgeon finds it fit for you to have an arm lift, you can expect the following:
- You will receive medication to make you comfortable throughout the surgery. It may be general anesthesia to put you to sleep or local anesthesia to numb the surgical area.
- Once the medication takes effect, the surgeon will make an incision on the inside or back of your upper arm. The extent of the procedure determines the size of the incision.
- Your doctor will excise excess skin and may perform liposuction to remove excess fat.
- After removing loose skin and excess fat, the surgeon will use sutures to tighten supportive tissues.
- Finally, the surgeon will use sutures to close the incision and dress your arm in sterile gauze to reduce the risk of infection.
If you have loose skin on your upper arm, consult your surgeon at Pearce Plastic Surgery to know if you are a good candidate for an arm lift.
