Arm lift : more about surgical techniques

Arm lift : more about surgical techniques

Arm lift with an incision along the inner arm

This technique is mainly used to address significant skin laxity in the inner arm. Aside from the flabby appearence of the arms (which is a problem for most patients when it comes to wearing short sleeves), another reason why patients request an arm lift is a functional problem : difficulties moving, putting on clothes, redness and maceration in the inner arm. First, liposuction can be performed in case of fat deposits along the inner arm. Next, excess skin can be removed with a longitudinal incision along the inner arm (excess skin is marked before the procedure by the surgeon). The procedure is 2 hours long on average, it can vary depending on the extent of the corrections to be made. At the end of the procedure, a dressing is wraped around the arm for compression.

Arm lift with an incision in the armpit

This technique is designed to address less severe imperfections with skin laxity limited to the upper thrid of the inner arm. With a single horizontal incision made in the armpit, and after liposuction has been performed if necessary, excess skin in the upper part of the inner arm is removed. Sutures in the armpits allow the surgeon to redrape the skin upwards and in the axillary region. The scar resulting from this incision is very discreet, but results are less noticeable than with a longitudinal incision. The procedure is 90 minutes long on average and a compressive dressing is also wrapped around the arms at the end of the procedure. The armpit incision is less invasive than the extended incision along the inner arm, which is why it is performed as an outpatient procedure, sometimes with local anesthesia. This technique promises less significant results then the previous one, but one of its main benefits is minimal tissue trauma which translates to short recovery and the possibility to perform another short incision arm lift in the future.