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Arm Lift

Get Slimmer Arms with a Brachioplasty in St. Louis, MO

What is a brachioplasty? This procedure, typically called an arm lift at St. Louis’ West County Plastic Surgeons, improves arm contour by eliminating sagging upper arm skin that can form following weight fluctuations, massive weight loss, or simply because of the effects of gravity and time. The arm lift scar is hidden on the inside part of the arm, and its length can be adjusted based on patient contour goals.

To schedule your appointment for an arm lift in St. Louis, contact our office by phoning 314-996-8800 or requesting your consultation online.

What is new in the field of arm lifts? We are combining liposuction with arm lift surgery more and more to reduce arm bulk. In addition, we can often avoid using a drainage tube. By employing a new approach called "enhanced recovery after surgery", we have been able to limit recovery time and get many of our arm lift patients back to their activities sooner.

Anesthesia: A brachioplasty (arm lift) is usually performed with the patient under general anesthesia.

Length of procedure: 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Estimated recovery time: You can return to work 2 to 4 weeks after an arm lift and should avoid vigorous activities for at least 4 weeks. Visible bruising should clear up within 2 weeks, and swelling begins to resolve within 3 weeks. To avoid arm swelling, we typically recommend that you wear compressive wraps on your arms for several weeks after arm lift surgery. To learn how to prepare for a brachioplasty and what to expect afterward, click here to download our patient instructions.

Side effects: Common side effects of an arm lift include bruising, swelling, some inner arm numbness, possible elbow numbness, and a few spitting sutures. Scars from arm lift surgery are variable, but they have a greater tendency to widen or develop redness compared with other cosmetic surgery scars. Drain tubes lasting 5 to 10 days are placed. An injectable blood thinner called Lovenox^® may be used for 5 to 10 days after arm lift surgery to prevent blood clots. On occasion, delays in wound healing may occur. Click here to download a detailed consent form from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that lists the risks and benefits of an arm lift.

Before-and-after photos of arm and thigh lift results: Click here

Associated Procedures:

An arm lift may be combined with several other body contouring procedures following massive weight loss:

Lower Body Lift

After weight loss, patients interested in sculpting their arms may also wish to sculpt the abdomen, flanks, buttocks, lower back, and outer thighs with a lower body lift. An incision is extended like a belt around the lower abdomen, sides, and back to help address loose skin in all of these regions. This procedure can dramatically improve the contour of the waistline after massive weight loss.

Breast Lift (Mastopexy)

Patients with excess breast skin and downward-pointing nipples may wish to consider a breast lift to raise the breast tissue and nipples to a more youthful position. This is particularly common in individuals who have undergone massive weight loss.

Strattice^™-Assisted Breast Augmentation and Lift (Augmentation Mastopexy)

Some patients may benefit from additional breast volume, tightening of the breast skin, and repositioning of the nipples to a more youthful position. This may be best achieved with both a breast lift and a breast augmentation at the same time: the so-called augmentation mastopexy. Unfortunately, the breast skin quality is often poor following massive weight loss, making it less likely to support the weight of a breast implant. To prevent the breast implants from dropping down too far, or "bottoming out", a material known as acellular dermal matrix or Strattice^™ is placed as an internal hammock to support the implant and reduce the chances of bottoming out. Strattice^™ can also be used to correct post-surgical bottoming out and some other breast deformities if these have already occurred.

Male Breast Reduction for Gynecomastia

Male breasts can also develop loose, droopy skin after weight loss. This form of gynecomastia is usually treated with a combination of excess skin removal and Vaser ultrasound-assisted liposuction.

Buttock Augmentation

A lower body lift may flatten the appearance of the buttocks. To correct this, buttock augmentation—typically performed with fat grafting—can be an option for patients.

To schedule a consultation with one of our plastic surgeons for an arm lift in St. Louis call 314-996-8800, requesting your consultation online, or email us today.