An arm lift (or brachioplasty) can help you achieve the arm shape and silhouette you have always wanted.
How many of you have spent countless hours at the gym trying to firm up and tone your upper arms only to experience little to no change? If you find that your upper arms don’t fit your sleeves, or hang loosely when you raise your arms chances are you are a candidate for an arm lift or reduction.
Good candidates for an arm lift have sagging, loose, or excess skin in their upper arms. The usual causes of this are loosening of skin with aging, changes in your weight, sun damage, or genetics. You may benefit from an arm lift if:
Generally, patients should be healthy and fit though patients of many ages, from younger to older, may have this issue and are eligible to undergo this surgery. Dr. McLean will assess and evaluate every potential candidate to ensure it is the right step to take.
An arm lift, also known as brachioplasty, removes loose skin and excess fat to tighten the arm and reduce its girth. Many patients express their discomfort when wearing short-sleeved shirts or tank tops in public, or find it difficult to find clothing that fits them correctly due to their larger arm size. This procedure is designed to improve the appearance of the upper arms so that they no longer resemble what is commonly referred to as “bat wings”. Not only will your clothes fit better but you will feel more confident as you will no longer feel the need to hide your arms!
The cost of an arm lift varies according to what you and Dr. McLean determine is required to give you the look you want with the best results. Your questions and concerns will be addressed personally by Dr. McLean during an in-depth consultation in the comfort and privacy of the McLean Clinic office located in Mississauga.
The first step is to schedule your initial consultation with us so that the McLean Clinic team can examine your arms to determine if the procedure is right for you, and assess the degree to which the arm lift will need to be performed. The needs of our patients vary substantially, so some will have more excess skin on their arms than other patients do. You may even have more sagging skin on one arm than the other.
Brachioplasty is carried out as a day procedure at the McLean Clinic, Dr. McLean’s private Mississauga cosmetic surgery clinic. You are asleep, under general anaesthesia during an arm lift. Once the incisions are made, the skin along with its fatty layer will be removed accordingly. Dr. McLean takes great care to ensure the right amount is removed so that the new arm shape will be proportionate to the rest of your body. The incision will then be carefully stitched closed, and a dressing will be applied. Staples and tubes are not required. Then, the steps will be repeated on the other arm.
A brachioplasty will remove excess skin in the upper arms to achieve a thinner, smoother, and more proportional upper arm, As a result, you will experience a significant skin and fat removal in the arms, which begin at the elbow and extends into the underarm area of the body.
Arm lifts often pair well with other body contouring procedures such as breast lift, liposuction or tummy tuck. The procedure is best for those who plan to keep their weight stable.
Incisions and light bandages are strategically placed on the inside of your arm, and within the first week of your recovery, you should refrain from participating in any type of physical activity. When sitting or sleeping, we recommend keeping your arms slightly elevated by propping the arms on pillows placed on both sides of the body. Keeping your arms elevated helps decrease swelling in the arms and will, as a result, decrease discomfort and improve the speed of your recovery.
It is normal for your arms to feel tight and sore in the first 1 to 2 weeks after your procedure. Bruising should also resolve on its own within 1 to 2 weeks. You can start light exercise at 2 weeks post-operation, but no exercises involving raising the arms should be done until 4 weeks after your surgery.
All surgeries run the risk of potential complications. For an overview of risks and concerns associated with surgery, please click here. Dr. McLean will provide a thorough review of the risk factors that are specific to you and your chosen procedure during your private, one on one consultation.
There is a common misconception in that saggy, loose arms can be addressed with the help of arm toning workouts and exercise. While this type of physical activity is great for toning the area, it does not do much about excess skin. For patients who have undergone significant weight loss, the issue is in the amount of skin left over as opposed to toning the underlying muscle in the arms. No amount of exercise can eliminate excess skin, which is why arm lifts can correct a localized issue such as this.
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