Upper Arm Plasty
If the patient have a lot of excess loose skin on the upper arm, an upper arm lift is the best option.
Fluctuations in weight, growing older and even heredity can cause your upper arms to have a drooping, sagging appearance. Exercise may strengthen and improve the underlying muscle tone of the upper arm, but it cannot address excess skin that has lost elasticity or underlying weakened tissues and localized fat deposits.
An arm lift, or brachioplasty, is a surgical procedure that reshapes the under portion of the upper arm, from the underarm region to the elbow. The procedure is performed to:
- Reduce excess sagging skin that droops downward
- Tighten and smooth the underlying supportive tissue that defines the shape of the upper arm
- Reduce localized pockets of fat in the upper arm region
The incision is in the armpit only (in selected cases) or runs down on the inside of the upper arm.
(See picture on the 'Body Contouring'' side)
Anaesthetic: general anaesthetic; Duration of operation: 2 hours
Hospital stay: 1 day; Proposed stay in Cyprus: 3 days after surgery
Stitch removal: 2 weeks after surgery or absorbable stitches
Every surgical procedure involves a certain amount of risk and it is important that you understand the risks involved with upper arm plasty. Although the majority of patients do not experience the following complications, you should understand all possible consequences of breast reduction surgery.
The risks include:
- Unfavorable scarring
- Bleeding (hematoma)
- Infection
- Fluid accumulation
- Anesthesia risks
- Poor wound healing
- Skin loss
- Blood clots
- Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
- Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling
- Asymmetry
- Major wound separation
- Fatty tissue found deep in the skin might die (fat necrosis)
- Damage to deeper structures such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and lungs
- Pain, which may persist
- Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
- Sutures may spontaneously surface through the skin, become visible or produce irritation that require removal
- Possibility of revisional surgery
Fortunately, major complications from upper arm plasty are uncommon. Every year, a lot of patients undergo upper arm plasty and experience no significant problems.
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