Upper Arm Lift – Brachioplasty

Loose inner arm skin, called “bat wings” by many, is a very common complaint. Both younger patients who have lost weight and patients with aging skin can be very distressed by the appearance of loose hanging arm skin. An arm lift or “brachioplasty” eliminates the hanging portion and makes the arm smooth and tight. Patients often tell me after surgery that they used to suffer all summer in long-sleeved shirts but now they are comfortable wearing sleeveless shirts.

Brachioplasty involves removal of excess skin through an incision that’s hidden on the undersurface of the arm. Sometimes it is combined with liposuction of the circumferential arm to create a slimming effect along with tightening of the skin. For some patients, skin excess is localized to the proximal arm (near the arm pit) and an axillary brachioplasty is a good option. This procedure hides the scar in the axilla (arm pit) and there are no visible scars on the arm.

Arm contouring procedures can be performed in our on-site operating room and patients can go home the same day. MD anesthesiologists administer general anesthesia and a long-acting local anesthetic is used in the surgical site so that patients are very comfortable when they wake up in the recovery area. After surgery, we provide patients with compression sleeves to reduce swelling in the first few weeks. Most patients get back to their usual daily activities very quickly but exercise is restricted to walking only in the first weeks with gradual return to full activity level.