Arm Lift Surgeon Serving Dallas, TX
An arm lift or brachioplasty is a cosmetic procedure that contours or re-shapes the arm by excising excess skin and tissue +/- liposuction. A limited-incision arm lift addresses excess skin and tissue that is limited to the proximal, inner arm with a scar resulting at the arm crease. For patients with more extensive skin excess, the full arm lift results in a scar from the arm pit to the elbow area. Dial (214) 363-1073 today to schedule your arm lift consultation with Dr. Zachary Farris!
Who is a candidate for an arm lift?
Healthy, normal-weight patients who have excess skin and fat of their arms are candidates for an arm-lift, whether it is a limited incision or full arm lift. On occasion, patients may be good candidates for liposuction alone if they have moderate fatty tissue with very little excess skin. Those who are smokers and significantly overweight are poor candidates for the procedure.
Brachioplasty Before And After
How is an arm lift performed?
After you are marked by Dr. Farris, the procedure is performed under general anesthesia. If liposuction to the arms is also to be done, it is performed first. For limited incision arm lifts, the incision is placed at the arm crease near the armpit. For a full arm lift, the incision extends from the elbow area to the armpit. This is determined by the extent of excess skin and tissue that you have. The excess skin and fat is then removed and closure is performed with the sutures buried under your skin. A compression garment is then applied.
What to expect after surgery?
Dr. Farris and his staff at Farris Plastic Surgery will provide specific instructions regarding your surgery. Expect to wear a compression garment for 2 weeks. You will be provided instructions on drains if they are used. Do not raise your arms above your shoulders for the first 2 weeks, as this would create tension on your incisions. Stitches are placed underneath the skin during surgery so there is nothing to remove in the office. Use moisturizer for your scars for 6 weeks. Avoid direct exposure of the scars to sunlight and consider sunscreen as necessary for the first 6 months. Scars change in appearance and improve over time up to 12 months.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation and discover the difference of Farris Plastic Surgery!
Call Dr. Farris For An Arm Lift Consultation In Dallas, TX!
Contact us today to schedule your consultation and discover the difference of Farris Plastic Surgery! You can give us a call at (214) 363-1073 to reach our office, or you can fill out the form in our contact page. Dr. Farris and his skilled team looks forward to serving you!
FAQs
These are safe procedures, but there are some risks involved. An arm lift is open surgery, so it does involve the risks inherent with any surgery: excessive bleeding, poor incision healing, infection, poor wound recovery, reaction an anesthesia, and the like.
Specific to this procedure, these are the risks:
- Scarring — You will have visible scarring, but Dr. Farris does his best to locate the incisions on the bottom of the arm where they are hardly noticed. There is a rare risk that your incisions can become keloid scars, where they are raised and red. This can occur if the incisions are stressed before they have healed.
- Asymmetry between arms — The healing process can be somewhat unequal between arms, although this is not typical.
- Changes in skin sensation — Dr. Farris repositions arm tissues and this can impact your superficial sensory nerves. This is typically only temporary numbness, as your nerves adapt.
If you have excess tissue along your entire upper arm, the arm lift incision would extend on the inside aspect of your arm from your armpit to your elbow area. If the excess tissue is limited, you may be a candidate for a short scar arm lift where the incision is placed solely within the armpit.
There tends to be a higher risk for wide scars in this part of the body compared to other areas. However, if you wear your compression garment and restrict your arm movement to reduce the tension on your incision, you can certainly diminish the risk for this problem.
Although your arm contour is evaluated for suitability for surgery, you should generally have a body mass index (BMI) of less than 35 in order to optimize safety and aesthetic result.
If you have little to no excess arm skin and good tone, liposuction can be considered as a treatment alone for the excess fatty tissue in your arms. If you have excess arm skin, then an arm lift is required. Liposuction can be performed in conjunction with an arm lift in certain cases where there is both abundant fat and skin excess.
You should refrain from any strenuous activity, exercise or heavy lifting for at least four weeks.
In certain cases such as a full-length arm lift, you may need a temporary drain to help collect fluid from the surgical site. This would help prevent fluid collections. Drains are typically removed within one week after surgery.
The need for an arm lift is usually a combination of the aging process and the gain and loss of a good amount of weight. As we age, the skin and muscles of our upper arms slacken. That is a universal event.
Excessive weight gain can often show itself in the upper arms. If that weight is lost, the skin that has been stretched can’t tighten back to its former degree of tautness. This leaves loose, sagging skin.
The key to maintaining the slimmer, contoured upper arms created by Dr. Farris with this surgery is to maintain a healthy weight and to make exercise a part of your life moving forward. This should include weight-bearing exercise across your body, but particularly your upper arms. You will inevitably have some future sagging; there isn’t any way anyone can avoid the changes made with time. But if you keep a healthy weight that sagging will never even approach the amount that made you opt to have this surgery. You’ll enjoy your slimmer upper arms the rest of your life.