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An arm lift surgery, also known as a brachioplasty, improves your arms’ appearance and visible tone by eliminating excess skin and fat. This is done with an incision on the underside of the arm.
While surgical scars are a necessary provision with all plastic surgery procedures, many are concerned about arm lift surgery scars due to the visible nature of the arms — particularly in the Miami heat.
Let’s take a brief look at the procedure, results, and how to manage the scarring so you can hit the beach feeling confident exposing your arms.
How Is an Arm Lift Surgery Performed?
Men and women undergo an arm lift after weight fluctuations or age have left hanging skin (“bat wings”) on the underside of the upper arm. This surgery eliminates some of this skin and fat to minimize the circumference of the arm, exposing the arm muscles that were previously hidden.
During the procedure, your surgeon makes an incision on the underside of each arm. This incision usually starts at the armpit and continues downward toward the elbow. The length of this incision depends on the extent of laxity present.
From here, tissue is removed, repositioned, or tightened, and incisions are closed with surgical tape or stitches.
What Are the Results of an Arm Lift Surgery?
An arm lift surgery removes the loose skin under your upper arms to make them appear more toned. The results are usually long lasting; however, your skin naturally loses its firmness and sags as you age.
You can mitigate this process by maintaining a healthy weight.
Does an Arm Lift Surgery Leave Any Scars?
Scarring is an unavoidable side effect of plastic surgery, and all resulting scars are essentially permanent.
To make the scars less visible, the surgeon makes the incisions inconspicuous areas. However, there are things you can do following your surgery to help mitigate the visibility of the resulting scars.
You can minimize the scars by:
- Not placing excess pressure on the wounds. Scarring is less noticeable when the skin heals naturally and without stress. Unfortunately, excess stress on the incisions — which can occur from exercising or lifting heavy objects too soon — can cause the incisions to separate, thus widening the scar. Everyone can agree that a thin line is much less noticeable than a wide one when it comes to aesthetics.
- Avoiding exposure to ultraviolet rays. Skin is especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of UV rays as it heals, so shield the scar with sunscreen or occlusive medical tape. Sun exposure to healing wounds can cause the permanent darkening of the scar.
- Follow your surgeon’s post-operative instructions. Your surgeon will give you tips on how to care for your incisions. This will include topics like when to shower, apply ointments, and change bandages. By following these instructions, you are doing everything in your power to avoid healing complications like infection, which could worsen the look of the scar.
- Apply silicone strips, silicone gel, or other topical scar creams. These over-the-counter products can help to lighten the scars, resulting in less visibility. Dr. Hochstein recommends patients use BioCorneum, which is the only FDA-approved scar gel available today. BioCorneum is only offered through doctor’s offices.
- Laser treatments, such as the Halo™ laser system, are effective at reducing the appearance of indented or raised scars that occur after surgery or trauma. Halo™ laser treatments are performed at our Medspa.
- Maintain a healthy diet. Good nutrition promotes healing, so eat healthfully to replenish the vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients that get used up during the healing process.
Taking these steps and precautions ensures your scar heals well.
Get the Best Plastic Surgeon To Perform the Procedure
Having a qualified and experienced plastic surgeon perform the surgery helps ensure you get the results you want. If you have any questions about an arm lift, contact Leonard M. Hochstein today.