Contour Your Body after Weight Loss with an Arm Lift

An arm lift, also known as a brachioplasty, is a cosmetic surgical procedure to remove fat deposits and excess arm skin. While it can be done to ward off the effects of aging, an arm lift is performed most commonly on people who have lost large amounts of weight.

What Does an Arm Lift Involve?

Patients getting arm lifts fall into five categories, depending on how much fat and excess skin they have and how far down the arm it extends. Patients with Type 1 arms have only small amounts of fat. They usually only need liposuction. By contrast, patients with Type 5 arms have fat deposits and excess skin extending from their underarms to their wrists. Types 2 and 3 falls between those two extremes.

There are several different techniques for performing an arm lift. Dr. J. Timothy Katzen will choose one based on your arm type. For example, Dr. Katzen may perform a crescent lift on a patient with Type 2 arms. Dr. Katzen will make a crescent-shaped incision under the arm to access and remove the fat deposits and excess arm skin.

The modified T arm lift is performed on patients with slightly more arm fat. In addition to making the crescent incision in the armpit, Dr. Katzen will make another incision about three or four inches long down the inner arm. Thus, Dr. Katzen will be able to remove more arm fat and skin.

Full arm lifts can take three or four hours to complete. Dr. Katzen will sometimes remove the fat first through liposuction and then trim away the excess skin. He will reshape the remainder to produce proportionate and natural-looking arms.

What Is the Recovery Like?

Most patients may resume their usual activities, including exercise, about a month after the arm lift procedure. Patients who have a desk job may return to work about seven to ten days after the arm lift procedure. People with physically demanding jobs should wait at least two weeks.

During the first week after an arm reduction surgery, the patient should not move and keep their hands elevated above their heart with their elbows straight. For the first few days, it would be ideal if someone can help them brush their teeth, comb their hair, and wash their face. Dr. Katzen will change their dressings between the fifth and seventh days.

During the second week, the patient will be able to take short walks. If their arms are healing well, Dr. Katzen may permit light exercise such as yoga during the third week.

To learn more about the arm reduction or brachioplasty and whether or not you qualify, feel free to contact Dr. Katzen at one of his offices in Beverly Hills to schedule your consultation today!