Brachioplasty

The arm lift or brachioplasty procedure is offered to eliminate the condition known as batwing deformity, in which there is excess skin and fat under the arms. While the surgery can effectively tighten the skin of the upper arms, if you have had a mastectomy you may not be good candidate for such a procure if your lymph glands were damaged during mastectomy procedure.

Although liposuction alone is sometimes offered to reduce fullness in this area (especially if fat and not redundant skin is the primary problem) , care must be taken to avoid disturbing deeper layers of fat in order to protect the nerves, glands and veins of the arm. In general however this procedure is directed towards skin resection since due to gravity the skin in this region rarely is capable of shrinking significantly enough to reduce the size of the arm when liposuction alone is being offered.

The arm lift incision runs all the way from the armpit to the elbow on the
inside of the arm. Those who are considering brachioplasty must understand that they will be left with long scars on the insides of their arms.

Three layers of sutures are used: a deep layer of dissolving stitches; a middle layer of sutures to close the incision and a top layer of light sutures to create a thin scar.

Following surgery, a dressing is applied and your arms are wrapped in elastic bandages.

Bruising and swelling will be marked for at least two weeks and you will need painkillers for the first few days. The compression garment you are given must be worn for a week. While most people return to work after a week, you should avoid lifting anything heavy until the incisions are fully healed.

Besides the persistence of a residual skin and potential for left to right asymmetry the risks are few and infrequent. All potential complications and expectations will be reviewed by Dr Van Wyck prior to confirming your surgical intentions.