You Can Restore Shape to Your Arms by Summer

At this time of year, many people begin imagining what they will wear once the heat kicks up. The idea of long sleeves is not the least bit appealing. This strategy, however, may be your norm if you don’t like the way your arms look. Many people are in this same boat. We assume this is why instances of Brachioplasty increased over 5000% between the years 2000 and 2018. If you’re not thrilled with the way the backs of your upper arms hang, consider how Brachioplasty might help you feel your best by summer.

What Is Brachioplasty?

Brachioplasty is better known as an arm lift. The procedure is intended to restore shape to the upper arms by removing fat and excess tissue that has become significantly loose and saggy. These problems may occur with age or if a person loses a substantial amount of weight. Regardless of the cause, looseness at the backs of the arms can be incredibly difficult to tighten naturally. Sure, you may be able to build muscle to regain some degree of tone. However, once tissue has stretched a great deal, it may never return to normal without a little help.

How is Brachioplasty Performed?

An arm lift is an outpatient procedure that is performed using general anesthesia. Before going into the surgical suite, the patient meets with the surgical staff to review the details of the procedure, including the location and length of incisions and techniques that will be used to give shape back to their arms. Brachioplasty incisions are usually made on the underside or backside of the upper arm. If only minor tissue repositioning is needed, incisions may be only a few inches long and located near the armpit. More extensive tissue contouring requires longer incisions, possibly from armpit to elbow. Once incisions have healed, patients may begin a scar-repair program to promote optimal fading.

Some arm lifts include liposuction. This minor procedure extracts fat cells through a small tube. Liposuction on the backs of the arms can support optimal contours after muscle and skin remodeling. After removing excess fat, Dr. Schaffer then pulls the muscle of the back of the arm to its ideal tightness. Excess muscle is trimmed and dissolvable stitches are placed to connect the two edges. Skin is then tightened over the muscle and trimmed to lie flush. External stitches are placed to join the two edges. The arms are then bandaged and a compression garment may be applied to protect incisions and healing muscle.

Arm Lift Recovery

The bandages and compression garments can significantly limit arm mobility. Patients should expect to need help performing many normal activities, as they cannot lift their arms to their sides, in front of their body, or overhead. After one week of recovery, comfort should be noticeably improved. A follow up may occur at this time to remove or check external stitches. Arm mobility gradually increases after 4 to 6 weeks of healing. Well before that time, however, patients will see the beautiful improvement that was achieved through surgery.

An arm lift might be just what you need for your most beautiful summer. For more information, call 210-227-3223.

Posted in: Arm Lift

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