Arm Rejuvenation

Patients present for this procedure with a desire for better, thinner, shapelier, and more proportioned contour to the arms. The arms may just be really fat or have fatty accumulations in unusual areas. Or there may be loose and hanging skin (“bat wings”) that can occur after weight loss or just with aging.

Patients often come to me quite frustrated and seeking a solution to help them improve the size, contour, and volume of their arms.

This is a problem that is extremely disturbing to patients, and I can appreciate why; it is difficult to wear clothing that reveals the arms, patients are very self-conscious of shape and size, and it is uncomfortable. I know how much this issue bothers patients, and there is a solution to it: arm-contouring surgery, also known as brachioplasty. It is something I do very well and can help you with.

Patients present with a desire for better, thinner, shapelier, and more proportioned contour to the arms. The arms may just be really fat or have fatty accumulations in unusual areas. Or there may be loose and hanging skin (“bat wings”) that can occur after weight loss or just with aging. It is mostly localized to the upper inner arms, but can also be present in other areas, such as sagging in the armpit or along the side of the chest. Still other patients may have some degree of both fat and loose skin. The anatomy of concern in this case is just basically that of excess fat, excess skin, or both to differing degrees. The relationships among the amount of excess skin, skin elasticity, and excess fat is what determines the surgical intervention. I will coordinate these features of your anatomy with your expectations, formulate a plan with you, and guide you through this process. Arm definition is created by careful liposuction combined, if indicated, with skin removal, and there are a number of different techniques that I must apply exactly to your precise anatomic features in order for us to achieve your best possible result. Surgery involves a light general anesthetic and is performed where I do surgery, which is in a hospital setting. The surgery is safe and predictable. There is very mild swelling after surgery. All of the stitches are dissolvable, and you can return to work in as little as three to five days and to some physical exercise in the first week. The surgical procedure and results of arm rejuvenation depend on your anatomy and can range from liposuction alone to liposuction combined with skin excision and an incision for some distance on the upper inner arm. The categories of surgical arm rejuvenation that I offer in my practice are:

• Liposuction Alone: This is usually in the upper inner arm. If you have good skin tone and mostly just excess fat, then I can remove the fat, and your skin shrinks down around this newly reduced fatty framework. This is often possible, and long incisions are not needed.
• Liposuction with Arm Lift: This is used in cases involving a significant amount of excess skin and/or poor skin elasticity. Liposuction is performed first (there is usually some excess fat present), then an incision, designed as short as possible, runs for some length between the elbow and armpit to remove the excess skin, mold and shape the arms, and tighten up the armpit that was drooping.
• Designer Arm Liposuction: This is performing liposuction in other areas of the arm where fat may accumulate, such as the forearms, at the armpit crease in front and/or back, or over the upper outer arm (deltoid). All of these areas can be treated artistically and safely.
• Crêpe Loose Arm Skin: This can be treated by Thermage. Please see the section on this procedure.

I have great expertise in liposuction and arm lifts for arm rejuvenation procedures, and I have performed many of these operations over the years with very natural results. I spend a great deal of time discussing your anatomy, listening to your expectations, and interpreting for you what your anatomy and tissues will safely and predictably allow me to do. In addition I consider your body as a whole, and I build a system into all body-contouring surgeries that, initially, allows you to recover much more quickly and, secondly, preserves your surgical results. This system includes a special diet, special attention to blood clotting, vitamins, supplements, special garments, skin products, physical training, and knowing what to avoid. Together all of this allows me to create results that are consistently very beautiful, quick to heal, and exceptionally natural. I use minimal incisions. I am delighted to surgically provide you with such a profound yet natural body-image change, one that has so consistently pleased my patients and changed their lives.

To learn more, you can also review Dr. Romano’s article on liposuction in the Educational Articles section of the website.