Description

Arm Lift- Brachioplasty

Overview

Deterioration of the skin thickness and elasticity is
inevitable due to many factors, especially aging and weight gain and loss. As
the person ages, the elastic and collagen fibers in the body becomes distorted
and deformed and subcutaneous fat tissue shrinks. Accordingly, body tissues
loosen and sag.

If the skin of arms sags, the condition can be
corrected by arm lift, also known as brachioplasty. Excess skin and fat in
undersides of your arm are removed, sagging is eliminated and the skin is
stretched to obtain a toned appearance by arm lift.

If you want to have an arm lift, please consult our
plastic surgeons for techniques, expectations, conditions that contraindicate
arm lift and potential risks.

Why is arm lift procedure done?

Arm lift or brachioplasty allows the removal of
sagging skin on the lower and inner side of the arm due to aging and
significant weight changes. Thus, both the outer contour of the arm is
corrected and the skin appears firm and well toned.

For body recontouring surgeries, all body parts should
be considered as a whole for a proportional appearance of body parts.
Otherwise, the result will not be satisfactory.

You should discuss aim of arm lift with our plastic
surgeon in order to get most realistic and satisfactory outcomes.

Risks

Potential risks of an arm lift surgery are listed
below.

• Abnormal scar tissue formation
• Changes in the sensation of the skin
• Abnormal wound healing
• Asymmetry of two arms
• Infection
• Bleeding and blood accumulation beneath the
  incision line (hematoma)
• Fluid accumulation in the incision area (seroma)
• Anesthesia-related risks

Although all possible measures that modern medicine
allows are taken to prevent occurrence of risks, it is no means possible to
warrant that the risks will be completely eliminated.

Our expert surgery team will employ all practices to
minimize the risk of complications and our plastic surgeons will preoperatively
inform you about risks listed above and all other potential complications and
will address all your concerns.

Preparation

The first phase of preoperative preparation is same in
all Medicana Hospitals.

After you decide to have an arm lift surgery and
discuss with our plastic surgeons, following examinations are performed to
decide whether you can undergo this surgery:

• Review of health history
• A detailed physical examination
• Necessary laboratory tests and radiology studies
• Assessment by anesthesiologist and other
  laboratory tests and radiology studies to minimize anesthesia-related
  complications

After it is verified that the surgery does not pose
risk, you will be asked to quit smoking, if you are a smoker, and to stop taking
certain medications that increase risk of bleeding. All other prescribed and
over-the-counter medications, herbal products and supplements will also be
questioned and you will be informed to continue or stop taking them.

In your preoperative assessment, the fat accumulation
and sagging in undersides (lower and inner region) of your arm are carefully
evaluated. Besides, detailed information about the postoperative scar formation
and the location of the scar is given.  In brachioplasty, scar formation
is located in the interior part of the arm close to the armpit. These areas are
the least visible places.

You will also be instructed to stop eating and
drinking at a particular time before the surgery and you should strictly follow
this instruction in order to undergo the surgery at the scheduled date.

Moreover, it is reasonable to plan discharge,
post-discharge accommodation and travel at this phase in order to manage
postoperative period better.

Arm lift can be done alone or combined with other
cosmetic procedures, such as abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), breast reduction or
breast augmentation, thigh lift and liposuction. Better outcomes can be
obtained when arm lift is combined particularly with liposuction.

Surgery and early postoperative period

Arm lift is performed under general anesthesia or
local anesthesia and sedation. The sagging skin and excess fat tissue in
undersides of your arm are cut and removed. Next, the skin and subcutaneous
tissues are stretched and stitched. Small tubes, also known as drain, can be
placed, before the surgery is completed, in order to prevent accumulation of
blood and body fluids. Finally, the arm is loosely bandaged.

You may need to wrap your arm with soft bandage,
elevate your arms for a time interval that your doctor will instruct. Thus,
swelling will be minimized and the new tone of the skin will be supported.

You may feel pain and recognize swelling in your arm
after the surgery. Or, you may even notice bruising in skin of the arm. These
are expected symptoms that will spontaneously disappear within several weeks.

The scar tissue that forms along the incision line
will fade over time, but its color will never be identical to your skin tone.
Therefore, you need to avoid exposure of your incision line to sun for up to 1
year to help healthy wound healing.

Although you will feel minimal pain, your plastic
surgeon will prescribe pain killer pills to manage the pain.

If your plastic surgeon used non-absorbable stitches
and placed a drain to prevent accumulation of excess fluid and/or blood beneath
the incision line, your doctor will instruct you the date they will be removed
(usually the first postoperative follow-up visit).

Your plastic surgeon will inform you whether you need
to be observed or you should stay in hospital.

After you recover from anesthesia and you are ready to
walk, you will be mobilized by or under supervision of our healthcare
professionals.

Before you are discharged, your plastic surgeon or
another healthcare professional will inform you about the time interval that
you should rest and the time that you can start non-strenuous exercises.
Although routine daily life activities are allowed, your doctor will instruct
you to avoid strenuous works for a particular time.

It is substantially important to follow those
instructions to facilitate recovery period and get best outcome from the
surgery. Therefore, please ask all your questions to your plastic surgeon
before you leave the hospital.

You should visit your plastic surgeon for follow-up
visits that are scheduled before you are discharged.

If you experience warmth and redness in your incision
line or arm, or if you have a fever or any symptoms that you think are due to
surgery after you are discharged, contact your plastic surgeon immediately.

Results

After excess skin and fat are removed, your arm will
appear tight and toned.

Outcomes of the surgery will be long lasting as long
as you follow instructions of your doctor, but it is not possible to stop and
eliminate future effects of the aging.