Revision for Bad Brachioplasty?

asked 2 years ago by djp630 in Orange County, CA
Latest answer by Steven Turkeltaub, MD
Question viewed 915 times
Tags: age 45-54, results

Hello, I am a 45 yr old woman. I have never been very heavy. I have/had large arms since I was a little girl. I have/had excess fat & slightly sagging skin on the upper part of my arms & would not wear sleeveless tops. I went to 2 plastic surgeons seeking the limited incision barchioplasty. Both professed to be able to do the proceedure, however, that was not the case... I was left with no armpit, no/worse results & now have scars in addition. I am very depressed.I need help & refrence in CA 2 revise them. Please help

11 answers to Revision for Bad Brachioplasty?

A limited scar brachioplasty leading to a poor outcome: revision may be possible

Without pictures to better delineate your situation, it appears that you required a "standard" arm lift and instead got a limited incision approach which was not the appropriate option. Unfortunately as a consequence, the result is quite suboptimal. Scar revision and recontouring can be performed the outcome of which would depend on multiple factors including the extent of the deformity that you presently have. I would suggest that you contact a reputable board certified... more

Steven Turkeltaub, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

Brachioplasty revision

Revision brachioplasty sometimes can be offered but you have to wait at least 6 months or longer for the tissues and scars to heal and soften.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Revisonary brachioplasty

Brachioplasty is not a technically difficult operation, but getting good quality brachioplasty scars is a challenge for any surgeon. For this reason, there is a fair amount of collective experience revising brachioplasty procedures. It may be that you had the 'wrong' operation for the arm problem that you had- a limited incision brachioplasty is not a great operation for most patients. Seek out a good plastic surgeon in your area for some expert advice.

Scott Sattler, MD
Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

Arm Lift scar revision

Scar revision for brachioplasty is an excellent choice and can be performed to reduce the scarring and deformity after your surgery.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Revising a poor outcome in brachioplasty

Limited incision brachioplasty is designed for a very specific subset of patients. You might not have been an ideal candidate for this procedure. Furthermore, disappearing armpit can result from improper planning and performance of limited brachioplasty. Good news is that almost always this type of sub-optimal outcome can be at least partially corrected with well planned and executed procedure. I perform many brachioplasties, both limited and full, and... more

Boris M. Ackerman, MD
Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon

Brachioplasty scars: Full vs. Limited Arm Lift

Limited incision brachioplasty is great for a minor amount of very high excess arm skin and when pushed to try to take the place of a full brachioplasty it can lead to wide scars, pulling of the armpit and poor contour to the arm. This could be easily converted to a full brachioplasty with scar rotation into the armpit with a z-plasty. You should consult with your board certified plastic surgeon to correct this and someone who does both techniques to correct it. I hope this helps... more

Andrew P. Trussler, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Advertising Cosmetic Surgery

Dr. Harlan Pollock have summerised advertising of cosmetic surgery very well. He put his thoughts as follows: PROMISES With a minimum of risk and little or no downtime, a variety of procedures, products, manipulations, etc. promise a dramatic improvement in ones appearance. PITFALLS • Generally the terms "non-invasive" and "minimally invasive" are designed more for marketing than therapeutic value. Certainly these are far more inviting terms than "surgery"... more

Samir Shureih, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Bad brachioplasty.

Surgical maturity is not letting the patient dictate the type of operation you needed. Sounds like you really needed a full brachioplasty not a short scar. Your choice of surgeon was based upon what you wanted, not what you needed. Sorry, From MIAMI Dr. B

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Correcting Bad Arm Lift / Brachioplasty Scars

I agree with my colleagues. People frequently demand a mini procedure when the "full' procedure was the clear cut answer. Correction of the problem becomes hard to nearly impossible. Without pictures, I cannot comment more on your situation. But I join my colleagues in recommending you see a few of our colleagues (www.PlasticSurgery.org) and see what they recommend.

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Revision Brachioplasty

I would agree with Dr. Rand's comments in regards to limited or minimal invasive management of massive weight loss outcomes. These are highly attractive options with less than ideal results. We all understand the desire for a short or minimal scar and if we had a wand that could achieve these results, we would use it. I would seek referrals from local bariatric surgeons or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons or Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Limited incision cosmetic surgery

Unfortunately, there are very few instances where "limited incision" plastic surgery is great. Usually, there are enough tissue excesses that a limited excision won't do the job and can leave deformities. Patients however are easily "sold" on these operations, often by doctors who aren't even real plastic surgeons in the first place. I'd go to some Am Board of Plastic Surgery certified surgeons and ask them what can now be done to improve the situation. Good luck... more