Does an arm lift remove stretch marks?

An arm lift is an effective treatment for stretch marks in many patients.  Your surgeon will be able to simulate the expected results during your consultation to give you the best understanding of your options.

Thank you for your question regarding whether your arm lift, arm reduction, or brachioplasty removes stretchmarks. Like a tummy tuck, an arm lift can remove stretch marks if the stretch marks are in the area of resection. If you have arm stretch marks not in the area resection, these arm stretch marks will remain. Therefore, just like a tummy tuck, if the stretch marks are within the boundaries of the skin, they will be excised. The stretch marks are permanently removed. However, like a tummy tuck, I would not change the position of the scar to remove stretch marks. I would focus on the results; if the stretch marks are included, then all the better. I hope this helps to answer your question.
I specialize in arm lifts. I hope that I have answered your questions regarding the arm reduction. If you have any more questions regarding the arm lift, arm reduction, brachioplasty or arm crease fat grafting, please contact my office. Since a brachioplasty or arm lift surgery is a difficult procedure, please seek an experienced, board certified plastic surgeon with significant experience performing these types of arm lifts. Do your research. Make sure your chosen plastic surgeon has performed at least 100 arm lifts. Make sure they have the before and after pictures to prove it. Carefully examine their before and after pictures and check their reviews on RealSelf.  Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. (“Verified” Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, International College of Surgery, and American Board of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and ​member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)

                  It’s
not unusual for patients with loose saggy upper arm skin to also have stretch
marks. Under these circumstances, excision of excess skin not only removes the
loose skin, but also removes the stretch marks. Unfortunately, when stretch
marks aren’t associated with loose skin, excision only trades stretch marks for
scars. For this reason, stretch marks are probably not an appropriate
indication for an arm lift procedure.

                  Consultation
with a board certified plastic surgeon is appropriate if you have concerns
about stretch marks. This surgeon should be able to make an appropriate
recommendation. 

An arm lift can remove stretch marks from the arm if they are in the area where the redundant skin is to be removed. But if removing stretch marks is your major concern, you will not be happy with the trade off. In order to get a good result, an arm lift has an incision from the armpit to the elbow which is much more visible than stretch marks. However, if you are in need of an arm lift due to redundant skin and fat and are aware of the incision line, then yes another benefit can be the removal of stretch marks.

Stretch marks of the upper arms usually indicate that difficulty weight loss has occurred and loose skin has resulted. An arm lift or brachioplasty would be the best treatment for this problem.Brachioplasty or arm lift surgery is one of the most frequently requested body contouring procedures performed today. The demand for this procedure has increased more than 800% since 1997. This is the greatest percent change of any of the commonly performed cosmetic surgical procedures Much of the increase in popularity is due to the growing number of patients who undergo massive weight loss. In performing this procedure an incision is made on the inside of the arm extending from the elbow into the armpit. Sometimes it is necessary to extend the incision further into the armpit and sometimes past it. Utilizing this incision excess skin is removed and the wound is closed. It is very important to position the scar properly so that it is concealed as much as possible. A well-placed incision should result in a scar that is only visible when the arms are raised. This operation is normally performed as an outpatient. It is very important for the surgeon to discuss the resultant scar thoroughly with the patient preoperatively. Very commonly this scar takes a longer time to undergo the full healing and maturation process. Maturation refers to the process whereby the scar becomes less apparent. Brachioplasty scars commonly take up to 2 years to fully mature. Immediately after the operation compressive Ace wraps are placed from the fingers up to the armpit. These can normally be removed within 24-48 hours postoperatively. Elastic compression sleeves commonly worn by athletes can be purchased relatively inexpensively at any sporting good store. Many patients wear these for up for up to 2 weeks postoperatively. No vigorous activity or strenuous activity is recommended for 3 weeks postoperatively. Complications following a well planned and well executed brachioplasty are uncommon. They may include however wound infection or wound breakdown. Is very important to follow the directions of your surgeon postoperatively to ensure the best result.

There are many causes for flabby arms. Incisions can be very small or large depending on location of fat. If one has flabby arms, the best indicator of the treatment would be the elasticity of the skin.  If the skin has good elasticity, then Liposuction alone may be the answer.  If not, then an arm lift to resect the excess skin is best.  However, the best indication for an arm lift, and the most gratifying are those who have lost a lot of weight.  The skin is usually flabby and overstretched.  It is simple and effective to remove the skin that has been stretched past its capacity.  No Liposuction, or other noninvasive modalitiy will help the skin become more firm around the arms.  The length and type of the incision will vary depending upon the location and the amount of fat in the arms.  The cost will also vary by geographic locale.  Most will run anywhere from $3500-$7000.  I would advise you to visit with a board certified plastic surgeon to have treatment recommendations specific to your concerns.

 Arm  lifting surgery involves removal of loose skin and adipose tissue of the upper arms. Stretched marked skin that falls along the lower part of the arms may be removed during this procedure. Stretch marks that involve skin of the upper part of the arm or shoulders will not be removed.

The arm lifting procedure is a great procedure to remove excess skin and adipose tissue of the upper arms. However, this procedure carries a major drawback: difficult scarring that may require scar revision (more so, in my experience, then other procedures).

I have tried placement of the resulting scars in the bicipital  groove (between the biceps and triceps muscles)  as well as a long the inferior–lower aspect of the upper arm. I have found higher patient satisfaction with the latter approach. If the excision can be planned such that the scar falls along the frontal aspect of the lower arm, then the scar may be visible only when the patient raises his/her arms.

As with many plastic surgical procedures, the planning of the incisions and resulting scar line is critical. However, even with attention to detail, the resulting scars may not be ideal and revisionary surgery is  often necessary to improve the appearance (for example, the width) of the scars.

Thank you for the question–I hope this helps.

A brachioplasty, or arm lift operation will certainly remove stretch marks in a similar way that they are removed during a tummy tuck.  It all depends on where the stretch marks are, and whether they are included in the skin excision pattern on the inside of the arms.

Brachioplasty will remove the wrinkles if they are in the surgical field. The real goal is , like a tummy tuck, to remove the excess skin.  The three worse things about the procedure is 1st the scar , 2nd the scar and 3rd the scar. Hard to hide  the incision it is  very visable because of the location ( inner arm between the bicep and tricep). Just depends on if you want to exchange the skin for a scar. Look at pre and post photos before having it done.

An arm lift is intended to remove loose skin and fat from the upper arm. If stretch marks are present in the removed skin, they disappear, but stretch marks are not the real indication fror the procedure.