Weight fluctuations, aging, and heredity can lead to excess skin and give your upper arms a drooping, sagging appearance — a condition that cannot be corrected through exercise.
However, an arm lift, or brachioplasty, can help. Arm lift surgery reduces excess skin that droops downward, while tightening and smoothing the underlying supportive tissue that defines the shape of the upper arm. If the undersides of your upper arms sag or appear loose due to excess skin and fat, arm lift surgery could be a suitable and effective option.
At Palm Beach Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, our Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Fredric M. Barr, M.D., F.A.C.S. performs the arm lift procedure at our outpatient surgical center — always prioritizing patient safety.
A brachioplasty procedure offers a multitude of benefits, including:
Brachioplasty could be suitable for you if you're an adult who's self-conscious about the appearance of your upper arms, due to “bat wings" — upper arms with sagging skin. Men and women can undergo a brachioplasty procedure if in overall good health. Do you avoid wearing sleeveless shirts or revealing your upper arms? An arm lift could be a safe and effective solution.
Dr. Barr performs arm lift surgery as an outpatient procedure with the patient under general anesthesia. During your initial consultation with the doctor and our patient counselor, we will listen with compassion to your concerns and goals for your arms, review your medical history, and determine if an arm lift is appropriate for you. If you're a smoker, he will advise you to quit smoking, refrain from alcohol, drink plenty of water, and eat a nutritious diet to prepare for your arm lift.
On the day of your brachioplasty surgery, Dr. Barr will review the plan for your surgery before beginning your sedation. Depending on your desired result and the amount of skin and fat to be addressed, the technique Dr. Barr employs can vary. Generally, he makes an incision on the underside of the arm (between the armpit and the inner elbow), then removes excess skin and fat and extra tissue, and tightens the remaining skin and underlying tissue before closing the incision with sutures.
After the cosmetic surgery, Dr. Barr will provide you with a compression garment to wear on your arm to minimize swelling and facilitate the healing process. Your surgeon will also advise you on pain medication. While you're recovering, do not lift your arms over your head, and avoid strenuous exercise for a minimum of several weeks to two months. Patients generally take 10 days off from work; however, this time frame depends on the type of job and its physical demands.
Elevate your arms as much as possible during your recovery. You may experience some common side effects such as tenderness, bruising, and swelling. Some patients observe feelings of skin tightness, which is a temporary sensation.
Once the swelling subsides, it'll reveal slimmer, tighter upper arms. With an arm lift, the results are permanent; however, an arm lift cannot counteract the natural effects of aging. As West Palm Beach plastic surgeons know, patients can extend their optimal results by eating well, maintaining a healthy weight, and engaging in regular exercise.
Arm lifts can be combined with liposuction, a breast lift, or a tummy tuck, depending on your goals and health considerations. During your consultation, let us know what you expect from an arm lift and if you have a desire to undergo another procedure like liposuction simultaneously. As a surgeon who prioritizes safety, Dr. Barr will make recommendations based on your unique circumstances.
Patients who have achieved significant weight loss should remain at a stable weight for one year before the procedure.
Although you will have a scar from the incision, it is on the underside of the upper arm. Dr Barr will take care to minimize any scarring.
As plastic surgeons can attest, risk is inherent in any procedure. However, when you choose a Board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Barr, you can rest assured he will apply his knowledge and expertise as a Board-certified plastic surgeon with over three decades of experience, putting your safety above all else.
As with every cosmetic procedure, the cost of an arm list varies, depending on the patient. During your consultation, we can discuss costs based on your needs and goals.
Insurance regards an arm lift as an elective procedure; therefore, it's generally not covered. However, we accept CareCredit®, cash, checks, and credit cards, and offer financing options for your convenience.
When choosing among West Palm Beach plastic surgeons for procedures like arm lifts, experience, knowledge, training, and compassion matter. Our doctor, Fredric M. Barr, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a Board-certified plastic surgeon who has been helping patients achieve a naturally beautiful appearance for over three decades. Schedule your consultation at (561) 833-4122 or complete our online form.
The answer depends on multiple factors, including the specific combination of procedures, your recovery rates, your age and health status, and your behaviors or habits. More invasive surgeries typically require recovery time ranging between 6 and 12 weeks to 6 months, and surgeries to the same area of your body will also generally require recovery time between procedures.
However, if you are in good health and the combination of procedures in question will be performed on different parts of your body and are not especially invasive, a combination of procedures could potentially be approved together on a case-by-case basis. It is imperative that the combination of procedures does not compromise your healing, and your attention to prescribed pre-operation and recovery habits also plays a significant role. Schedule a consultation for an assessment and guidance regarding the procedures you are considering.
While aging affects us all, there are steps we can take to put forth a more vibrant appearance. We seek to perform subtle adjustments to address imperfections and the wear of time while retaining your natural look. While you should notice an improvement, the glaring changes or distortions in appearance you are concerned about and may have seen from other surgeons’ work do not meet the standard of quality plastic and cosmetic surgery we perform in our office.
Dr. Frederic M. Barr is a board-certified Plastic & Cosmetic Surgeon with over 30 years of experience performing Plastic Surgery in South Florida. We enhance and refine your appearance according to your goals. Review our Gallery of Before & After Photos to see some examples of our work.
For patients with Breast Implant Illness (BII), which can include allergy, auto-immune, and thyroid hormone issues, this has been an emerging topic with significant press coverage in recent years. Although numerous medical professionals have demonstrated varying responses to these women’s concerns, we believe in addressing these women’s experiences and symptoms. In response to this phenomenon, we have also chosen not to perform new breast implant surgeries. We perform Total Capsulectomy on patients with breast implants, which involves the removal of both the saline or silicone implant and the capsule around it.
Removal of the implants and surrounding scar tissue has been shown to improve women’s health concerning these symptoms. While some women choose no further procedure following Breast Explant Surgery, some patients elect to have a Mastopexy procedure that involves reshaping the breast tissue for a pleasant cosmetic breast appearance. We welcome your specific questions regarding these procedures and their anticipated effects for your situation. See our Breast Implant Explantation (Total Capsulectomy) page for more detailed information, including before-and-after photo examples.