How Does an Arm Lift Work?

Do you wear long-sleeved shirts because you feel self-conscious about excess upper arm skin? Do you have a bit of excess upper arm fat that you just can’t budge? Have you tried seemingly everything to tighten up loose upper arm skin? If so, you may be an ideal candidate for an arm lift at Northstate Plastic Surgery Associates in Chico, CA. If you’re curious about how this life-changing procedure works, read on.

How Does an Arm Lift Work? 

An arm lift works in just a few painless steps. The first step is preparation. We need to examine your upper arms to verify that your skin is not irritated. Additionally, we will give you a hospital gown to put on, and we will mark the incision locations with a washable marker. We also need to administer general or twilight anesthesia, so you won’t experience any pain or anxiety during your procedure.

General anesthesia is a pharmaceutical that will numb your entire body and keep you asleep throughout the procedure. Twilight anesthesia is a form of medication that will numb you without putting you to sleep. The form of anesthesia you will receive depends on such factors as your heart health, your lung health, and whether you will also receive other procedures at the same time.

What Happens Once I’m Prepared for Surgery? 

Once you’re prepared for your arm lift, sometimes referred to as brachioplasty, we will make strategically placed incisions using the guides we drew out during the preparation. Through these incisions, we can excise a small amount of fat. However, you will need to receive liposuction in addition to your brachioplasty if you have a significant amount of excess fat in your upper arm region.

Once we have excised as much fat as we can, we will remove any excess skin you have in your upper arm region. Then, we will tighten or reposition the upper arm muscles as necessary to help you achieve a more sculpted definition. After your upper arm muscles have been taken care of, we will tighten your remaining loose skin. Next, we will suture the incisions closed. After that, we will observe you to ensure you are fully awake, and review your recovery instructions.

How Does Liposuction Work? 

Liposuction works by suctioning excess subcutaneous fat cells out of the body. This can be accomplished by inserting a cannula with a suction device attached to the end through the incisions that we made to perform your brachioplasty. If you have a significant amount of excess fat in other regions of your body, separate incisions must be made in those areas.

Just keep in mind that brachioplasty takes between three and four hours to complete without liposuction. If you add upper arm lipo, your procedure may take an extra hour or two to complete. If you need other lifts, like a thigh lift or tummy tuck, you can expect your procedures to take over five hours to finish. Also, you should keep in mind that you will need to be observed for one to three hours if you opt for general anesthesia.

Am I a Good Candidate for Brachioplasty? 

To determine whether you are a good candidate for brachioplasty, you need to attend an initial evaluation with one of our aesthetic experts. We need to make sure you are currently healthy enough to undergo this procedure. Also, we need to review your health history thoroughly to ensure your heart and lungs are healthy enough for general anesthesia.

In addition, we need to verify that an arm lift is the appropriate procedure to achieve your aesthetic goals. For instance, you may want to improve the appearance of your upper arms. However, if your cosmetic concerns are caused by a significant amount of excess fat rather than excess skin, only liposuction will be able to help you achieve your desired aesthetic.

Am I a Good Candidate for Liposuction? 

Again, your health, aesthetic goals, and current aesthetic must be evaluated to verify that liposuction is appropriate for you. As a general rule of thumb, you will qualify for liposuction if your BMI classifies your weight as normal or overweight for your height. Also, generally, we look for lipo candidates to have at least an inch of pinchable fat. However, it is possible for liposuction to be effective in small areas, like the underarms, with less than an inch of fat.

There are several reasons why lipo candidates should not be obese. For instance, obese individuals are far more likely to have heart, lung, or vein problems. Also, they tend to have so much excess fat in their areas of concern that the efficacy of the procedure is diminished.

Schedule Your Initial Evaluation Today

To find out whether an arm lift can improve your self-confidence and quality of life, you need to come in for an initial evaluation. If you’re a good fit, we’ll advise you on how to prepare for your procedure. You don’t have to have parts of your body that you’re insecure about, so don’t delay. Contact us at Northstate Plastic Surgery Associates in Chico, CA to learn more.