Brachioplasty, known as arm lift in common parlance, is a type of plastic surgery that helps you get rid of excess flab in the area between your armpit and elbow. Often, with age, you may find that you are losing the elasticity in specific parts of your body including the upper arms. This may happen despite following a healthy diet and rigorous exercise regime. Flaps of loose skin, sometimes called ‘bat wings’, may hang from your arm area giving an unseemly and unkempt impression to your overall appearance.
An arm lift procedure can help you minimize this issue of sagging arms that is usually induced by age, weak muscles, weight loss, or lack of muscle definition.
What does Brachioplasty entail?
Your plastic surgeon will put you under either anesthesia or sedation before commencing this procedure. An incision will be made on your upper arm area, the specific placement depending on your body type and the results you are looking for.
The extra skin will then be removed by your surgeon, who may also throw in a liposuction procedure to remove any excess fat in the area. They will tighten the supportive tissue lying underneath followed by smoothening of the remaining skin across your arm. As a final step, the incisions will be closed with the help of stitches or sutures that will have to be removed after a couple of weeks.
Am I eligible for a Brachioplasty?
You can go for an arm lift procedure if,
- You want a more toned upper arm by getting rid of sagging extra skin in the area
- You are not overly obese
- Your weight remains stable without fluctuating too much either on the higher or the lower side
- You are overall healthy and a non-smoker
- Your expectation of the potential outcome of this procedure is realistic
Apart from this, your plastic surgeon may require you to undergo several lab tests and give your full medical history before accepting you as a healthy candidate to undergo this surgery.
How can I prepare for a Brachioplasty?
You can prepare yourself in the weeks or even months before your arm lift procedure in order to make it as uncomplicated and effective as possible. For smokers, quitting a month or two before the surgery will greatly help matters and make it safer, particularly during the recovery period. For instance, if you are a smoker, the healing period may protract leading to higher chances of infection.
Your plastic surgeon will sit with you several weeks before the actual surgery and enlist a comprehensive preoperative evaluation. They will also ask you several questions about your medical history and your current health. A good doctor will encourage you to ask several questions and bring forth any doubts or inhibitions that you may harbor. They will discuss in great detail, the best and safest approach to surgery that they are going to adopt.
Some of the preoperative evaluations suggested by your doctor may include,
- A chest x-ray
- Lab work
- An electrocardiogram
- Adjusting doses of any medication or supplement that you may be currently taking
- Additional preoperative medication
The road to recovery
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The timeline
It usually takes about two weeks for you to recover and get back to a semblance of normal life and activity after an arm lift procedure. However, it may take up to six weeks or more to get back to your regular lifestyle and level of activity. In case you experience any pain or problem in movement after the initial recovery period, you must notify the doctor immediately.
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Additional steps
During the period of recovery, you may need to keep the swelling under control by wearing a compression garment. A temporary drainage tube may also be inserted in your arm by your surgeon so that any fluid or blood building up in the area in question can get drained out.
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Post-op care instruction
Apart from this, you may receive an extensive post-operative care instruction sheet before you are sent home. This needs to be followed to the letter as it will tell you how to care for your wounds, what are the red signals that you should be looking out for, what medications you need to take and when, and when should you visit for your subsequent follow-up appointments.
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No to smoking
During your period of recovery, you must avoid smoking at all costs as this may decelerate your process of recovery leading to untoward situations like chances of infection and permanent scarring.
