An arm lift (brachioplasty) reshapes the upper arms to create a more youthful, defined shape. Over time, upper arm skin loosens, becoming saggy despite toning the underlying arm muscles. Oftentimes, there is extra fat that is stubborn and hard to shrink through improved nutrition. In this case, the surgery may combine both skin tightening and fat removal with liposuction to provide the best results.
After surgery, many patients are much happier wearing short sleeves and tank tops, feeling less self-conscious while out and about, while exercising, and in photographs.
PROCEDURE DETAILS
The surgery takes about 2-3 hours, and is performed under general anesthesia at an outpatient surgery center. Local anesthetic blocks are given during surgery to control postoperative pain and to minimize the need for strong pain medicine afterwards. If liposuction is performed, tumescent solution is used to soften and numb the fat to be removed. Drains may be used to help control swelling after surgery. Dissolvable sutures are used to close the incisions. The patient is dressed into compression sleeves before waking from anesthesia. After a 1-2 hour period of recovery, the patient is discharged to continue recovery at home.
RECOVERY and FINAL RESULTS
Most arm surgery is done as outpatient surgery, with all recovery done at home. You will wear compression sleeves 24/7 for the first two weeks, and will gradually wear them less and less as the weeks pass. Full return to most physical activity happens around six weeks. Most patients feel “back to themselves” at around 2 weeks, but may feel more tired than usual for the first month after surgery. If feeling well, people can usually return to desk work within a week. While you will see a difference right after surgery, the final results are appreciated at 6 months after the surgery.
OPEN ARMS