Lawrence County plastic surgeons want you to know that you don’t have to just accept flabby upper arms. At Advanced Liposuction Center, a complaint we hear frequently from our clients is that even though they have put in the time and effort to lose weight, they still have unsightly upper arms with loose skin and “bat wings.” This then prevents them from being comfortable in sleeveless styles. However, you can still get rid of that loose skin. It’s through a simple procedure called brachioplasty or, as we like to call it, an arm lift.
Below are some frequently asked questions about this procedure:
Q: How is the brachioplasty procedure performed?
A: During brachioplasty, unwanted fat is removed from the upper arm (which, by the way, can be used in a fat transfer to add volume to another part of your body, if you wish). After the fat has been removed, the skin is then pulled downwards to tighten around the arm and then the incision is stitched in the armpit area.
Q: What type of anesthesia is used?
A: Brachioplasty is done with local anesthesia. The entire procedure takes approximately two hours.
Q: Is the procedure painful?
A: Patients who have had brachioplasty say they experienced mild to moderate discomfort after surgery. Usually, you’ll be able to return to all normal activities within one week of the surgery.
Q: What Should I Expect After The Surgery?
A: Once your surgery is done your doctor will wrap your arm with elastic bandages, these bandages will help you minimize swelling, prevent bleeding and decrease the pain.
You may need to stay at the hospital for a while, during this time tubes will be placed in your arm for drainage flow.
After few days you can go home, but you may need to come back hospital to remove the stitches.
After you go home the recovery can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month.
If you want to recovery faster then you should try the recovery tips given by your doctor, these tips can include drinking plenty of water, following a healthy diet and taking rest.
Furthermore, it’s recommended to avoid strenuous activities too, walking is fine but heavy exercises like weight lifting should be avoided at all costs.
They affect your recovery and can even cause injuries too. After the surgery your arms won’t have enough stress fir a short time so this can also increase the risk of injuries.
However, after few months of surgery when you recovery fully you will be able to do any kind of activity and continue your daily life.
Q: Will The Surgery Cause Scars?
A: Yes, unfortunately because Brachioplasty requires incisions, it’s important to remember that you will need to deal with scars.
However, you don’t need to worry a lot about them since these scars will appear on the places where people can’t notice them, which means it won’t affect your appearance at all.
The scar will surely go away but it may take time, one last thing you should remember about it is that do not expose it to sunlight for 12 months after the surgery.
Or the sunlight can cause discoloration to it and make it look really unpleasant.
Lastly, if it shows any signs of infection or doesn’t heal even after days then immediately call your doctor.
Q: Is there anyone who is not a good candidate for brachioplasty?
A: Generally, men and women in good overall health should be able to have a brachioplasty. However, patients who have had lymph nodes removed, had a mastectomy, sweat excessively or are prone to underarm infections may not be able to have brachioplasty.
Is brachioplasty right for you? There’s only one way to find out. Make an appointment at one of our Pittsburgh area offices by calling 724-683-7581. Then, come in for your free consultation. One of our expert plastic surgeons will meet with you and discuss your appearance goals and which procedures are right for you.