Thank you for your question regarding bilateral brachioplasty. Bilateral means both sides. Therefore, a bilateral brachioplasty is a brachioplasty done to both arms. Almost always, plastic surgeons perform bilateral brachioplasties. It is rare that plastic surgeons perform arm lifts just on one side. A brachioplasty is arm surgery. Usually there are two components to the arm, namely skin and fat. Many patients have just excess arm fat with excellent skin tone. These patients may respond well to arm liposuction. Some patients have excess arm skin. This excess arm skin needs to be surgically excised. Some incisions are placed in the armpit and are called a “crescent brachioplasty”. Some arm lift incisions are placed in the armpit and extend slightly down the upper arm. Because of the shape of the scar, this type of arm lift is called a “modified T brachioplasty”. Some patients require an incision from the armpit to the elbow. In my practice, this is the most common type of brachioplasty I perform. Some patients have excess forearm skin and fat. These types of patients may require an incision from the axilla to the wrist to eliminate excess arm skin and fat. I hope this answers your question regarding bilateral brachioplasty. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen