The best candidates
The best candidates are patients who have an excess of fatty tissue and skin on the back of their arms, who are in good health, psychologically stable, and who want an improvement in their appearance. With this procedure we can eliminate excess skin and fat from the back of the arms, which is formed as a result of aging or heavy weight loss. If your arms have a hanging look in the area of the triceps and that prevents you from feeling comfortable wearing sleeveless clothing, the arm dermolipectomy may be appropriate for you. In the case that you have small accumulations of fat in the arms and The skin retains a good elasticity and is not successful with diets and exercises, you can solve this problem through liposculpture.
Planning your surgery
In the initial consultation, we will examine your arms, in order to determine what type of treatment will be right for you. It will be important to inform us about smoking habits, as well as if you take some type of medication. Remember that smoking can cause slower healing, thicker and more visible scars, and even a necrosis of the skin around the scar. Therefore, if you smoke, our firm recommendation is that you stop smoking a few weeks before your surgery. If you know that you are prone to keloid scars (excessive scar tissue) let us know. The application of gel or silicone dressings can be effective for its prevention. Have sleeveless or baggy sleeves on hand. Think that your arms will be wrapped in a compression bandage.
Getting ready for your surgery
We will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including certain rules about what to eat, drink, smoke, and what vitamins, iron tablets, and certain medications to take or avoid. If you get a cold or an infection of any kind, especially a skin infection, you will have to postpone your procedure. When making preparations, be sure to arrange for someone to take you home after surgery and to help you for a day or two.
Where will your surgery be done?
The surgery will be performed in the clinic, which has all the necessary medical equipment for your safety and comfort. You should arrive about 30 minutes before the scheduled time, to make the entry procedures, make a complete medical history, and take preoperative photographs. In your room you can change clothes. After the surgery, he will stay in the clinic for two to three hours, until we make sure everything is in order and he can return to his home, where he will continue to rest.
Types of anesthesia
Arm lift surgery can be performed under local or general anesthesia. The technique we use combines a type of local anesthesia with a soft intravenous sedation, by which you will be awake, but relaxed, without feeling pain, and indifferent to surgery and whose effect will be gradually removed in the following hours.
Surgery
The surgery lasts approximately two hours, (less time will be necessary in case it requires a liposculpture). In a typical procedure, an incision is made that runs along the inside of each arm from the elbow to the armpit. This removes excess skin and fat. Finally the wound is closed and a bandage is placed.
After the surgery
After the surgery, you should use a compressive elastic dress permanently, which will help reduce swelling and give your arms the best shape. You may feel some discomfort for a few days, which will be totally controlled by regular analgesic medication, which we will prescribe. You should also take antibiotics for seven days. Points will be removed in 7 to 14 days after the operation. You can return to work a week after the operation, if your job is sedentary. If it is not and forces you to lift weights or have great physical activity, you must wait between two and four more weeks.
Getting back to normal
Very soon you will begin to see the results of this surgery, being able to wear certain clothes with which before the surgery you could feel uncomfortable. We would like to be able to say that this is one of those operations that do not leave scars … but we definitely can not. The resulting scar runs through the skin on the inside of each arm from the elbow to the armpit. It is sought to make it in that location so that it is less visible. In a short time, that pink scar will be transformed into a thin white line. This process can last between 6 and 18 months, depending on its healing characteristics.
Your new look
The arm dermolipectomy or brachioplasty is the surgical procedure that removes excess skin and fat that give a hanging aspect to the back of your arms. With this procedure you will feel happy wearing sleeveless or short-sleeved clothes, which before surgery could be uncomfortable to use. It’s time to remove the sleeveless clothes from the bottom of the closet.