Arm Liposuction & Lift

An arm lift is a surgical procedure designed to reduce the size of the arm and eliminate fat deposits in the arm, as well as remove a surplus of loose arm skin.

The choice of procedure depends on the exact condition (excess fat deposits, excess loose skin or both) but will involve either liposuction, skin excision or both.

The procedure is carried out as a day case procedure usually under General Anaesthesia and takes between 1 – 2 hours.

There is typically bruising for up to 3 weeks after which you can happily wear short sleeves, and an end result at about 3 months. Scars are insignificant and managed by our Scar Management programme.

You may be suitable for an arm lift if you have:

• Excess fat deposits in your upper arms
• Loose sagging skin in/around your upper arms
• Inelastic, lax arm skin
• 'Bingo wings'
• Unshapely, untoned arm contours
• Disproportionate arms relative to rest of figure

An arm lift focusses on the upper arm area, but adjacent areas of fat deposits and excess skin can also be treated at the same time

These include:

• the shoulder
• armpit
• back
• breast
• forearms
• back of the elbow

One of our highly trained, elite plastic surgeons will perform your arm lift.

All our liposuction specialists have been hand-picked by Mr Bryan Mayou, our founder, and the pioneer of liposuction in the UK.

There are three techniques that are used, with techniques relating to the size and scale of the operation at hand. Where possible more minimal techniques are preferred, as this reduces the length of surgery, the amount of scarring, and the amount of downtime and extent of recovery

• Mini brachioplasty (minimal incision) - your surgeon will make a single incision in the shape of a crescent under the armpit. This may be extended in a 'T-Line' into the arm. This technique is most suitable for people with minimal excess skin and fat in the upper region of the arm and will result in less scarring than a standard brachioplasty. Your surgeon will hide the scar within the armpit
• Standard brachioplasty (inner arm incision)- this technique involves making two separate incisions: one from the armpit to just above the elbow, between the biceps and triceps, and another on the back of the arm from the armpit to just above the elbow along the tricep region. It is most suitable for those with a moderate amount of excess skin and fat. Your surgeon will remove the excess skin and fat, then tighten and reshape the underlying tissues. The scar is well hidden when the arms are held at the side, and this technique is thought to achieve a more comprehensive result than the mini-brachioplasty
• Extended Brachioplasty – the incision for an extensive brachioplasty runs from the elbow, through the armpit, and into the side of the chest. After your surgeon makes the incision, they will remove excess skin and fat, then tighten the underlying tissues. They will either remove the excess fat directly or use liposuction to remove it. As this technique results in maximal scarring that extends to the side of the chest, surgeons do not often use it.

Your consultation is designed to be the perfect opportunity to ask all the pressing questions that you have to your consultant, ahead of making a decision on surgery. It is vital that you are fully informed before making your final decision, and the consultation is, therefore, a key part of the education and decision-making process.

Some good examples of questions to ask include:

• Am I a good candidate for this procedure?
• Do you think my goals are realistic given my existing anatomy?
• Will I require a single surgery or multiple surgeries?
• Can I see some before & after pictures of arm lift procedures you have done previously?
• How long will my recovery take?
• Is it true that Cadogan offers 24/7 on-call nursing service?
• What can I expect in terms of bruising, swelling and scarring?
• What are my options if I am unhappy with my results?

No special preparation is required although it is generally advisable to do the following before any surgery:

• Stop smoking. Smoking decreases blood flow in the skin and can slow the healing process. If you smoke, your doctor will recommend that you stop smoking before surgery and during recovery.
• Avoid certain medications. You'll likely need to avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements, which can increase bleeding.
• Arrange for help during recovery. Make plans for someone to drive you home after you leave the hospital and stay with you for at least the first night of your recovery at home.

Arm Lift surgery should take between one and two hours.

You should start to see results in the days following surgery. These will fully start to appear from around the six-week mark and improvements will be ongoing for the first 12 or so months.

Your results will be long lasting and permanent so long as you maintain your body weight following surgery.

The ageing process will however continue from your new post-procedure point, and skin laxity will gradually increase over time. The ageing process will start from a far better point, however, so it should be many years before this becomes noticeable again.

You will not feel any pain during arm reduction surgery as you will be under the influence of the anaesthetic.

Immediately following arm reduction surgery, you may experience discomfort but any pain should be tolerable.

Your surgeon can provide painkillers for this and the majority of patients will no longer need them a few days after arm reduction surgery.

Arm reduction surgery is straightforward, safe surgery although you should be aware of all the risks and complications before going ahead with arm reduction surgery.

Some are listed above in the body of this web page, but your surgeon at your will go through these at length and in full at your arm reduction consultation.

Downtime is fairly minimal following an arm lift and you should be back at work within a week or two, and resuming normal exercise in 4 – 6 weeks.

If you have undergone Liposuction, you will feel a little bruised and stiff for a few days but there is no restriction on movement. Any dressings can be removed in a couple of days or when they come loose, and stitches removed in a week.

If you have undergone skin excision you will have some dissolving sutures and probably some permanent sutures to be removed in 7 to 14 days. Dressings vary, but any bulky ones can come off in a couple of days. You should exercise to maintain full movement of the shoulder and arms, but this need not be violent to stress the sutures.

Yоu may соntіnuе tо experience ѕоmе mіld, реrіоdіс dіѕсоmfоrt and ѕwеllіng durіng thіѕ tіmе, but ѕuсh fееlіngѕ аrе nоrmаl. Sеvеrе pain, bleeding or swelling should bе reported tо your surgeon.

You will receive more detailed advice from your surgeon ahead of surgery.

A brachioplasty, or arm lift, is sometimes referred to as arm reduction surgery as this procedure involves a reduction in the size and volume of the upper arm following liposuction and the excision of excess skin.

Of all the terms for a brachioplasty, arm reduction surgery captures the sculpting and volume reducing essence of the operation best, and hence its use.

Yes, an arm lift will leave a permanent scar, but a skilled Cadogan Clinic surgeon will endeavour to conceal this as much as possible. Arm lift scars can take some months to settle in. Scars can take up to a year to flatten and lighten.

You can expect minor scars following arm lift surgery.

An arm lift, otherwise known as brachioplasty, is a surgical procedure to remove loose skin and excess fat deposits on the upper arm. This is done via liposuction and skin excision.

Our expert surgeon will try to make scars as subtle as possible by confining scarring to the armpit. They do this by taking skin from this area and then pulling up the arm skin towards the armpit. However, scars may remain visible for some patients, particularly among those with excessive surplus skin or fat deposits.

Arm lift scars are mainly confined to the armpit area. In some cases, these scars can be visible under the arms between the armpit and elbow if the patient, particularly if the patient has excessive surplus skin or fat deposits.

During the procedure, skin is removed in a long ellipse shape from the back of the elbow, along the line between the inside and back of the arm, curving into the armpit.

An arm lift surgery is highly likely to be worth it if you have clearly defined your aims with your surgeon and he or she has made you very clear on what can be achieved via surgery in relation to these aims.

Arm lift surgery is an excellent way of targeting excess fat deposits in the upper arm. Arm lift surgery typically results in firmer, leaner, more slender arms, tightened arm skin and elasticity, sculpted, shapely arms and a more defined figure.

Arm lift treatment helps to restore self-confidence and can deliver an improved sense of emotional wellbeing following surgery.