SHARES
Sagging underarm skin can make us feel quite self-conscious. We might choose to avoid wearing short-sleeved clothes or swimsuits due to the “bat wing” appearance excess underarm skin can give us. However, aesthetic treatments like arm lift (or brachioplasty) can help us remove these excess skin. Dr Marco Faria, plastic surgeon at Dr Marco Faria Plastic Surgery, details his recommended practice for arm lift procedures.
What is brachioplasty?
We can have sagging underarm skin for various reasons, such as weight fluctuations, ageing, and genetics. These factors may damage the elastin within the upper arm area. Therefore, patients who might consider brachioplasty are those who have bad upper arm skin laxity.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, brachioplasty is a surgical procedure that:
- Reduces excess sagging skin that droops downward
- Tightens and smoothens the underlying supportive tissue that defines the shape of the upper arm
- Reduces localised pockets of fat in the upper arm region
In short, the upper arm is tightened through the removal of excess skin.
How is brachioplasty conducted?
The incision placed for this procedure depends on a few factors, such as:
- Flabbiness of the arm
- Amount of excess skin
- Skin elasticity
- Amount of fat to remove
- Amount of skin to remove and tighten
Arm lift procedure
The main goals of brachioplasty are to tighten the arm and to hide the incision scar along the natural creases or folds in the armpit and the inner arm. Based on the body anatomy of our arm muscles, there is a natural line between our biceps and triceps muscles. “The trick in plastic surgery is using the anatomical line to dissimulate the scar,” says Dr Marco.
Therefore, one technique to reduce visibility of scarring is by placing the incision in the inner arm. This also allows the scar to heal better. With this technique, a lot of excess skin can be removed and tightened. Additionally, it is able to give a lift to the elbow area. All in all, this technique offers a long-lasting result for patients.
Things to note after surgery
One important advice after undergoing brachioplasty is for patients to maintain their weight and continue exercising their arms. This way, they are able to maintain the strong muscle tone in their arms.
The healing period of scarring will vary from individual to individual.
This article is contributed by Dr Marco Faria. To learn more about getting an arm lift procedure for yourself, you can book a consultation with Dr Marco using GetDoc.
by waiyee
Film junkie. Matcha drinker. Dog lady. Will write for food. View all articles by waiyee.
