Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)

What Is An Arm Lift?

Fluctuations in weight, growing older and even heredity can cause your upper arms to have a drooping, sagging appearance.

Also known as brachioplasty, an Arm Lift removes excess skin and fat that form under the upper arm.

Although exercise may strengthen and improve the underlying muscle tone of the upper arm, it cannot address excess skin that has lost elasticity or underlying weakened tissues and localized fat deposits.

If the underside of your upper arms are sagging or appear loose and full due to excess skin and fat, an Arm Lift may be right for you.

Consultation

You will meet with Dr. Thomassen and have a thorough history and physical exam.  For the history portion, it is important to discuss any medical conditions, medications, allergies, prior surgeries, and habits that may impact healing. 

For the physical exam, Dr. Thomassen will determine based on the amount of excess skin, what procedure is best for you

Anesthesia

Anesthesia includes the medications that will keep you comfortable during the surgical procedure. 

Anesthesia options for this procedure include local anesthesia, intravenous sedation, or general anesthesia.

Dr. Thomassen will recommend the best choice for you.   If your procedure is mininal, local anesthesia may be enough.

Arm Lift Procedures

Minimal Scar Brachioplasty

In this procedure, we keep the incision hidden in the axilla or armpit. This avoids a long scar running the length of the arm. It does not contour the arm as well as the other procedures and is only indicated for minimal correction of excess upper arm skin

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Inner Arm Incision

This excision pattern leaves a scar in the natural crease between your biceps and triceps muscle. This may be the best location to hide a scar in some patients.

Back of Arm Incision

This excision pattern leaves a scar on the undersurface of the arm. This avoids a visible scar when extending your arm out. It is the preferred location for the scar.

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Liposuction

Dr. Thomassen will usually use liposuction to remove areas of localized fat within the upper arm at the same time as the incision. To accomplish this, he will use the arm lift incision to insert a small tube (cannula).  The cannula suctions excess fat in the upper arm. Dr. Thomassen will carefully remove small amounts of fat at a time, continuously checking the contour and fat thickness of the areas being treated. Once he completes one upper arm, he will move to the other upper arm and perform the same procedure. He repeatedly compares the two sides, adjusting the process to ensure the upper arms match.

 Closing the incisions and Dressings

We close your with absorbable sutures that absorb on their own in 4-6 weeks.  Dressing and an elastic garment is applied at the end of the procedure. This dressing and elastic garment are used to place a gentle pressure on the skin, which helps prevent excess fluid from accumulating in the areas that were treated.

See the results

The smoother, tighter contours that result from brachioplasty are apparent almost immediately following your procedure, although initial results will be somewhat obscured by swelling and bruising. The swelling and bruising resolves in 4-6 weeks.

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