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You may be healthy and fit, but your skin is not as resilient as before. Or else you had good outcomes from bariatric surgery or dieting. Whichever way, you can see one result that is not pleasing: Flaps of saggy skin hanging on your upper arms. Most people consider receiving an arm lift to minimize the irritating condition, which is sometimes called the bat wings. These patients visit their surgeons when the skin on their upper arms appears deflated. So, if you are thinking about an arm lift, here are the facts that you need to know.

How Does an Arm Lift Help?

Those that are keeping watch of their weight aren’t the only people with this problem. As you get older, your skin tends to get loose, forming excess bags below your arms. If you’ve had a considerable weight loss, you’ll probably see this outcome. So, if this is your condition, an arm lift, also called Brachioplasty, can form an excellent contour. It also removes the excess, drooping skin and fat that covers from elbow to armpit.

What Can You Expect from the Arm Lift Procedure?

If you choose this procedure, you will undergo an arm lift in an operating room under anesthesia. Your surgeon will get rid of some fat and an elliptic part of your skin from the inward backside of your arm. If there is excess skin, your surgeon will take some from the top of your arm to your armpit area and probably spread out to your chest. The procedure takes two to three hours. Later, you will put on a compression garment to aid in controlling swelling. And one can get back to light activities within a few days. But for strenuous activities, you can resume after three to four weeks.

Why Doesn’t Liposuction Fix the Problem?

In case you have excess arm skin, but then underlying fat maintains the skin’s tightness, liposuction and an arm lift combination is at times an option. Though for most people, an arm lift is the best fix for loose underarms rather than liposuction alone. Some patients ask for liposuction since there is no scarring, and with an arm lift, there is some scarring, especially if the surgeon removes a large amount of skin and fat. But liposuction alone can’t treat the trouble of excess skin for many patients. Even when your surgeon gets rid of underlying fat, the excess skin stays behind after liposuction. Therefore, patients with a fat excess then whose skin is quite tight are best recommended for liposuction.

What Are Other Important Considerations?

Other considerations are that patients should be truthful with what they are beginning with and the correct procedure. For any surgical procedure, there are prospective complications. So, it would be best if you talked about these before the treatment with your plastic surgeon. Also, ensure that the physician performing the procedure is a board-certified plastic surgeon.

Schedule a Consultation

Plan a consultation with Drs. Tamir or Ali Mosharrafa at Mosharrafa Plastic Surgery in Phoenix, Arizona. To schedule your consultation, call our office or contact us online.


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A breast cancer diagnosis is overwhelming in so many ways. There are a lot of emotions. Dr. Ali Mosharrafa and his entire staff put me at ease at every step. After surgery, I was very self conscious, and the way I was treated with each visit helped me as much as the excellent medical care. Whether it is for an elective procedure or a surgery due to illness, I cannot endorse Dr. Ali more as a physician and human. 

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Dr. Ali and Dr. Tamir understand that you have made an important decision by choosing to undergo plastic surgery, and they are committed to delivering the exceptional results you expect and deserve.

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