When you’re wearing a sleeveless blouse or a swimsuit, do you ever worry that a sudden gust of wind will cause some flapping? Not in an adjacent umbrella at the shore…but in your upper arms?! Of course, that’s an exaggeration, but if you have loose skin on the underside of your upper arms, you may be leery about moving your arms overly quickly to keep that skin from flapping about.
It sounds like an arm lift with Dr. Hetzler could be right for you.
What is an arm lift?
Lots of circumstances are out to get the skin on your upper arms. If you’ve lost a good deal of weight, you’re virtually guaranteed to have loose skin up there. Of course, the sagging and tissue loosening that comes with age knows the upper arms quite well. Even your genes can play a part — there is a hereditary component to developing loose skin in that area.
What you can be left with is loose skin that hangs on the underside of your arms when you raise your arms. And that’s no bueno.
An arm lift reduces excess skin and underlying fat that occurs between the underarm area down to the elbow. The surgery removes the hanging skin and tightens the muscles beneath to give your upper arms a slimmer, toned contour without the flapping!
What’s involved in an arm lift?
Dr. Hetzler can make the incision in an arm lift in a few different locations. The choice will depend on the amount and location of the excess skin to be removed, along with personal preference.
- Inside of the arm— The incision can be made on the inside of the upper arm, stretching from the inside of the elbow up to the armpit.
- Back of the arm— The incision can be made on the backside of the arm. You may think of this as the underside.
- Minimal incision— If there isn’t too much-sagging skin to remove, an incision can be made just under the armpit. In these cases, liposuction is used to remove fat rather than excision to remove more skin.
With any method used, Dr. Hetzler will usually also include some liposuction to remove unwanted fat.
Recovery
With an arm lift, you’ll be instructed to keep your arms elevated for several days after surgery. You’ll also need to avoid any lifting or weight bearing with your arms for a few weeks. You’ll simply need to be smart even with a range of motion so that you don’t stress your incisions. You’ll have to scar, but over the course of the year that follows, the scars will refine and fade.
Interested in losing the flapping of your upper arms. Call Dr. Hetzler, 732-219-0447, and set up a consultation for an arm lift. The winter is a great time to do it!
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