An Arm Lift Is A Type Of Cosmetic Body Surgery That Removes Excess Skin Under Your Arms
If you have flabby skin under your arms, you may be thinking of having an arm lift. The skin under your arms can droop due to age or because of weight loss. You can exercise and build muscle or even have liposuction, but those do nothing to tighten the skin. Even skin tightening treatments may not work if you have a lot of loose skin. Instead, an arm lift could be the right choice. Here's an overview of this cosmetic body surgery.
Find Out If You're A Good Match For An Arm Lift
You may need to be finished losing weight before your doctor will do an arm lift because further weight loss might cause your arms to droop again. Plus, your doctor may want you to stop smoking so you're in better health before having the procedure. If the skin under your arms makes you feel self-conscious or miserable, then an arm lift could be the right treatment.
Have Excess Skin Removed And Your Arms Contoured
This cosmetic body surgery can be done with general anesthesia or with sedation and local anesthesia. Your doctor chooses the right anesthesia based on your wishes and general health. You won't feel anything during the procedure. The doctor makes an incision to cut away the excess skin that hangs under your arms. If necessary, liposuction can remove excess fat so your arms can be contoured too.
The doctor then joins the incision with stitches. The stitches might dissolve on their own, but if not, they'll need to be removed when you go back to the doctor to check on the progress of your recovery. The incision might be visible as a slight scar once your surgery has healed, but the doctor places the incision in a place where the scar is the least visible.
When finished, the doctor wraps your arms in compression bandages, and they may leave a drain inserted to collect fluid so you don't have as much swelling. You'll be sent home with recovery instructions, and it's important to follow them closely so you can get back to your routine as quickly as possible.
Restrict Activity For A Few Weeks
You'll probably need to avoid lifting for several days so you don't disrupt the healing of the incision. It could be a few weeks before you can do everything you normally do, but you may be allowed to return to work sooner than that if your job doesn't involve heavy lifting and strenuous labor.
You'll probably notice a change in your arms right away, but since you'll have some swelling, you won't see the final results for a few weeks. An arm lift is permanent as long as you don't gain and lose a lot of weight again. However, the aging process continues, so your skin may gradually get loose and start to sag as you get older.
