Arm Lift Surgery –Preparation, Procedure, Risks and Recovery Phase

The term ‘Plastic Surgery’ refers to a process and a decision that may change your point of view regarding your appearance forever. It can turn a scared, under confident person to a totally new, bold and confident person. Many different surgeries intend to correct one’s overall looks, like liposuction, breast augmentation, tummy tuck, facelift, Rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, arm lift and so on. Here, we will be talking about arm lift surgery.

Sagging skin below the arm may leave you self conscious. It may also compel you to mingle only occasionally with the outer world. This is the reason why people opt for an arm lift surgery. The surgery intends to correct the under portion of your upper arm, from the region starting from your arm to elbow. Here is more info about it.

What is arm lift surgery?

An arm lift surgery, also popularly known as Brachioplasty, helps to eliminate excessive skin and gives a defined look to your arm. Genetics and aging both play a major role in the sagging skin. When a person gains weight over time and then loses a lot of it in a short time, the muscles might not be elastic enough to tone itself down. However, it leads to excess skin fold and hence sagging skin.

The sole purpose of an arm lift is to reduce excess fat and make patients feel beautiful about them. It tightens the skin of your arm by reducing the additional skin from the sagging underarms. The person will be able to wear any kind of dress, especially sleeveless tops that they might not have been able to wear before.

Who is a good candidate for arm lift?

Any patient who feels the need to look bold and self confident and the only thing stopping him is the excessive skin, is an ideal candidate to opt for arm lifting surgery. Some of the common problems faced by people because of sagging skin are:

• Common discomfort and lack of confidence
• Inflammation which may also end up with infection
• Unable to maintain the hygiene of the area

People who want to avoid facing these problems or are currently facing them should consider getting a Brachioplasty. An arm lift dramatically changes the upper body proportions and may help the patient to recover from their own psychological burden.  

Preparing for the arm lift surgery

It would be wise to connect with people who have already undergone an arm lift surgery. Suggestions from them will help you to prepare for the procedure properly. In addition, recommendations from your surgeon would be equally important. Abiding by them will help you to avoid the hassles that you may come across during the surgery otherwise.

1. Pre health check-ups

To start with, it is important to get in touch with your doctor to inquire about the issues you might have to face. If you have too many health issues, the surgeon will not recommend you to undergo the surgery. It is always good to have a rather realistic approach towards the surgery, as it helps avoid any kind of disappointment after the surgery takes place.

2. Surgery cost

Next comes the pricing plans. Most of the insurance plans do not cover any such expense. They may cover if you face any issues with the surgery but not the main surgery cost. These types of surgeries are expensive, as you may already know. Still, it would be better to get a fair idea about the amount of surgery before proceeding with it. This will help you prepare for the price beforehand.  

3. Weight maintenance

Surgeons usually recommend a stable weight for the candidates before proceeding with the surgery. Two things are likely to happen after the surgery:

• You might lose weight that will lead to the same sagging problem in other areas.
• You may gain weight that will lead to scars and unwanted stretch marks.

4. Pre-surgical requirements

If you are an avid smoker, it is better to quit smoking several weeks before the surgery to reduce any complications. You may face a lot of issues if you decide to continue with it, such as the slow healing process of wounds that may lead to infection. Likewise, it is advisable to quit consuming alcohol for at least one week prior to the surgery and around two days after the surgery, or as per suggested by your surgeon. This is because alcohol can reduce the efficacy of anesthetic medicines. Also, stop eating or drinking anything around twelve hours before the surgery.

5. Other tests

The surgeon and his staff would perform several tests in the preoperative stage to ensure the perfect condition of your body before starting the procedure. These include:

• Lab work
• Electrocardiogram
• An X-Ray of chest
• Dosage adjustment of your current medications
• A prescription containing the medications to take during before the operation phase
• Pulmonary function test
• Basic blood tests

This will help the surgeon to take the safest approach around your surgery to make it a success.

The arm lift procedure  

After preparing for the arm lift, now is the time for the surgery day. Here are the steps that your surgeon will perform as a part of brachioplasty.

1. Creating of incision

The surgery will start with the doctor marking areas for the incision. The most common places for marking the incision are inside or the back of your hands. The surgeon could also make an incision in the armpit or from top of your elbow to your armpit.

2. Administering anesthesia

The surgeon will inject local or general anesthesia depending on the procedure he will be going forward with. Next, he will start the surgery.

3. Fat removal

If any part of fat is hard to get rid of by the procedure followed, liposuction might be used to solve the purpose. The entire surgical procedure does not take more than 3 hours in general. He will seal the wounds with stitches after the completion of the procedure.

4. Dressing of incisions

The surgeon will dress your incisions, making you free to go back after having some rest. Make sure to have someone with you during and after the surgery for a day. It will ensure that no complications arise after the surgery has taken place.

Probable risks involved in the surgery

Some of the basic risks accompanied with the surgery are:

• Infection or Inflammation at the place of stitches
• Scarring may be permanent
• Temporary numbness due to repositioning of arm tissues
• Blood vessel damage
• Bleeding that might even be excessive
• Death of the fatty tissues
• Asymmetry in the arms
• Adverse effect of anesthesia

Apart from these, some of the individual problems caused due to general anesthesia are as follows:

• Confused state of mind
• Pneumonia
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Anxiety
• Allergy to anesthesia

It is important for you to go over the complication with your doctor carefully and make a wise decision. Moreover, if you have a prior health condition or a chronic disease, your surgeon is most likely to recommend not to opt for the surgery, as it may cause further complications.

Recovery phase of the arm lift procedure

Once the procedure is complete, you will need to follow the instructions from surgeons to make way for a satisfying recovery.

• The doctor will recommend you to wear compression in this phase to keep the swelling in control.
• A temporary discharge tube will also accompany you to drain any fluids that build up after the surgery.
• The surgeon will discuss all the post operative instructions and care, including the dos and don'ts while taking care of the wounds
• Avoiding smoking will be for your best as well. You wouldn't want to slow down your own healing process of the wound.
• You will gradually be able to do some selective activities by the time you approach the second week. Returning to normal day-to-day activities will take almost six weeks.
• It’s better to communicate any pain or problems experienced during this phase with the doctor immediately.

Abiding by all these points would be advisable if you are keen at prompt recovery from your arm lift surgery. For best results, seeing an experienced and board certified plastic surgeon would be advisable. It is even better if you could find him near your place and this is where you can seek the help of our official website.

Conclusion

Arm lifting surgery has a long lasting effect. To maintain the results, you should always maintain a healthy lifestyle and a stable weight. Keep in mind not to let your body proportions go out of control; everything will go well if you take necessary precautions. Avoid taking anything leniently and be careful to follow the instructions of your surgeon during and after the surgery for speedy recovery. Also, make sure to do proper research for the best surgeons before you choose the one for yourself. Fix an appointment with him to know all the pros and cons associated with the arm lift surgery.