31 Y/o, No Kids, Having Arm Lift and Tummy Tuck Following Weight Loss - Chadds Ford, PA

Meant to add these- looking at pre-surgery pictures reminded me of how different my arms are now. The angles aren't exactly the same here, but still enough to show how much smoother my upper arms are now!

It's funny how for the first month or so after surgery it seems like you'll never stop thinking about it and obsessing over it, and then you just kind of go back to life and forget it happened! Which is a good thing I guess. I went to Vegas 2 weekends ago and I didn't wear my arm bandages at all while I was there other than on the flights, and have worn them pretty sporadically since. The doctor originally said to wear them for 8 weeks, then said to just try to keep compression on my arms and stomach as much of the time as possible for better results, but no real timeframe. It's been a long time since it has seemed like wrapping my arms really added anything, and they don't swell, so I'm mostly going bare from here on out.

It was a little strange to get used to having my arms exposed in sundresses and bathing suits knowing that the scars are visible near the elbow, but it didn't bother me. I'd take the scars in a heartbeat over the extra skin! I put bio oil on the scars twice a day, but will ask my doctor at my next appointment if he thinks strips or something else might be useful.

I started running again a few weeks ago and that has felt totally fine- at first I was wrapping my arms or wearing short sleeves, but I've gotten used to going bare. It feels a little funny at first to have my arms moving a lot but not painful at all. I also started back to some lifting/strength stuff last week, and played softball last weekend, and everything felt shockingly OK. I'm definitely taking it easy though and not pushing myself too hard!

I was a little more unsure about the arm lift than I was about the tummy tuck but I would recommend both procedures a million times over. Totally worth it, and it has made me lean more in favor of getting a thigh lift at some point in the near future.

I'm very happy with my arms and the way the incisions/scars are healing, and my doctor said I can start putting bio-oil on the incisions to help the scars fade. He said to keep the arm wraps on for another few weeks but I can wear them loosely just to protect the incision rather than needing them for compression.

I'm including updated pics and also including pics from an underneath angle that really shows the incisions better. You can't say it from most angles when I'm standing, but the other day I had the bandage wraps off and my sister legit shrieked when she saw part of the scar. This is partly because she's an [RS bleep] (and I don't think they even look that bad but whatever) but I guess I also didn't realize that the incisions haven't really been exposed that much so other people kind of forget they're there. All the same, I'm glad you can't really see much of them unless I have my arms turned a certain way.

Also, I had a small blister kind of thing at the top of my left arm incision that I think might have been leftover from when I popped the incision open and it was still kind of tender and raw and would sometimes feel pinched by the arm bandages. I was starting to worry it would never get better but that has totally seemed to heal itself for the most part. So, I'm feeling very good about things and excited to be past the worst of it! Also, things are much better on the tummy tuck front so I feel great about everything overall.