Arm Lift in Birmingham AL

Arm Lift Candidates

You may be a candidate for an arm lift if the underside of your upper arms are sagging or appear loose and full due to excess skin and fat.

In general, arm lift candidates include:

• Adults with significant upper arm skin laxity.
• Adults whose weight is relatively stable and who are not significantly overweight.
• Nonsmokers who are healthy and without medical conditions that impair healing or increase the risks of surgery.
• People with a positive outlook and realistic expectations.

Your Arm Lift Consultation

A consultation at our Birmingham, Alabama cosmetic surgery center can help you decide if an arm lift is right for you. During your arm lift consultation, be prepared to discuss:

• Your surgical goals.
• Medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments.
• Use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
• Previous surgeries.

Your arm lift surgeon will also:

• Evaluate your general health and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors.
• Take photographs for your medical records.
• Discuss your options.
• Discuss the likely outcomes of arm lift surgery and any risks or potential complications.
• Answer any questions you have about your arm lift.

Arm Lift Risks and Safety

Each patient must decide if the benefits an arm lift will achieve their goals, and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable. The risks of an arm lift include:

• Anesthesia risks.
• Bleeding.
• Damage to deeper structures such as nerves, blood vessels and muscles.
• Possible death of fatty tissue under the skin (fat necrosis).
• Fluid accumulation (seroma).
• Infection.
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation.
• Pain, which may persist.
• Poor wound healing.
• Possible need for revisional surgery.
• Sutures may not absorb but spontaneously surface through the skin, causing irritation, drainage and redness.
• Unsightly scarring.

Arm lift risks will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It's important that you address all of your concerns about risks with your plastic surgeon. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure.

Preparing for an Arm Lift

In preparing for arm lift surgery, you may be asked to:

• Get lab testing or a medical evaluation.
• Take certain medications or adjust your current medications.
• Stop smoking.
• Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements, which can increase bleeding.

Arm lifts are performed at our accredited Outpatient Surgery Facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you to and from surgery and stay with you for at least the first night.

Arm Lift Procedure

Arm lift surgery is performed using intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. Your surgeon will recommend the best choice for you.

Arm Lift Incisions

Incision length and pattern during arm lift surgery depend on the amount and location of excess skin to be removed as well as the best judgment of your plastic surgeon.

Incisions are generally placed on the inside of the arm or on the back of the arm, depending on the surgeon's preference, and may extend from the underarm (axilla) to just above the elbow. Excess fat may be directly excised or treated with liposuction.

Depending on your specific conditions, incisions may be more limited. Underlying supportive tissue is then tightened and reshaped with internal sutures. Finally, the skin is smoothed over the new contour of your arm.

Your incisions will be closed with absorbable sutures or stitches that will be removed within 1 to 2 weeks.

Arm Lift Recovery

During your recovery from arm lift surgery, dressings or bandages may be applied to your incisions. Your arms may be wrapped in an elastic bandage or a compression garment to minimize swelling following surgery.

A small, thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin to drain any excess blood or fluid.

Your plastic surgeon will give you specific instructions on how to care for yourself after surgery. Following these instructions is essential to the success of your arm lift. The instructions may include:

• How to care for the surgical site and drains.
• Medications to apply or take orally to aid healing.
• Specific concerns to look for.
• When to follow-up with your plastic surgeon.

The surgical incisions should not be subjected to excessive force, motion, swelling or abrasion during the time of healing.

Arm Lift Results

The smoother, tighter contours that result from arm lift surgery are apparent almost immediately following your procedure. Initial results will be obscured by swelling and bruising, and a scar will remain where the incision was made.

Although good results are expected from your procedure, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure and another surgery may be necessary.

Arm lift results with Dr. William Hedden, Dr. Stephen Gunn and Dr. Joshua Halka are long-lasting, provided that you maintain a stable weight and general fitness. As your body ages, it is natural to lose some firmness, but most of your improvement should be relatively permanent.

Arm Lift Words to Know

• Arm lift: A surgical procedure, also known as brachioplasty, to correct sagging of the upper arms.
• Axilla: The underarm area.
• Brachioplasty: A surgical procedure, also known as arm lift, to correct sagging of upper arms.
• General anesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
• Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.
• Intravenous sedation: Sedatives administered by injection into a vein to help you relax.
• Liposuction: Also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, this procedure vacuums out fat from beneath the skin's surface to reduce fullness.
• Local anesthesia: A drug injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain.
• Skin laxity: Degree of loose skin.
• Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.