Risks of Smart Lipo on Arms

asked 2 years ago by FloB in New York
Latest answer by David Shafer, MD
Question viewed 702 times
Tags: arms

I am being discouraged from performing smartlipo on my arms to minimize my bat wings because of fear of injury to my brachial plexus and median vein. Are there cases of injury and how high is the risk?

4 answers to Risks of Smart Lipo on Arms

Smartlipo of the Arms

Smartlipo of the arms is a safe and effective treatment which we perform regularly. If performed correctly, those types of complications are not typical. If your arms are full - the liposuction will be very effective. If you actually have loose skin "wings" then you may want to consider an arm lift or brachioplasty instead. Good luck.

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.ShaferPlasticSurgery.com

Risks of Smartlipo are very small.

The risks of performing Smartlipo on the arms are relatively small -- injury to the brachial plexus and injury to the vein are way down the list of possible complications. The main complications of Smartlipo are: 1) Uneven or asymmetrical results. This is no different than traditional liposuction 2) Fluid collections beneath the skin. I think this is less likely than with traditional liposuction 3) Incomplete resolution of "batwing". Smartlipo is... more

Richard H. Fryer, MD
Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon

Smartlipo in the arms

If your endpoint is correction of the "batwings" in the arms, Smartlipo may not be the optimal choice as the skin laxity may be too much for Smartlipo to correct. This may be better addressed with an armlift, the downside of course, is the long scar that goes tih this. As in any cosmetic procedure, one of the more important issues is identifying the proper procedure for the right procedure. It is best to see a surgeon who does both procedures (Smartlipo and Armlift) to get an... more

J. Vicente P. Poblete, MD
Cleveland Plastic Surgeon