Arm Lift: What You Need to Know

Pros

• Results from this cosmetic surgery are permanent (though new sagging can develop with age or weight gain). 
• A brachioplasty is considered a safe, low-risk procedure.
• Your clothing will fit better and you'll feel more confident going sleeveless once the excess skin and fat are removed. 

Cons

• You will end up with a significant brachioplasty scar along your inner arm, from elbow to armpit (or longer, if skin and fat are also removed from your forearm).
• Arm lift scars fade over time, but they never completely disappear.
• If you see an inexperienced surgeon, you could end up with asymmetrical arms. 
• The initial healing process can take up to six weeks, and it may be two months before you can resume strenuous activity and heavy lifting.

Related: My Arm Lift Made Me More Confident

• Average Cost:
• $9,576

• Range:
• $5,000 - $24,000

The price you pay will depend on your plastic surgeon’s level of experience, their practice location, where your surgery is performed, who administers your anesthesia, and the extent of your procedure (for example, whether it also involves liposuction). 

An arm lift is considered a cosmetic procedure, so it’s not covered by insurance.

You can finance your treatment with CareCredit.

See our complete guide to arm lift costs

An arm lift is an outpatient procedure, but it’s still a major surgery that requires general anesthesia, considerable downtime, and ample pre-op preparation.

In the weeks before your arm lift surgery, your surgeon may ask you to:

• Obtain medical clearance from your primary care doctor
• Have routine blood work
• Adjust your normal medications or add in certain drugs or supplements
• Stop taking anticoagulants, like Coumadin, aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen), and certain herbal supplements known to increase bleeding
• Stop smoking for the pre- and post-op period 
• Abstain from drinking alcohol 
• Fill any prescriptions that you may need during your recovery period
• Find someone to drive you to and from your operation and stay with you for 24-48 hours after surgery
• Prep some healthy, easy-to-reheat meals for your recovery
• Arrange for a ride home from the surgery center, as well as child care, pet care, and help with household chores for a week or two after your arm lift
• Stockpile loose-fitting, button-up shirts (that don’t require you to raise your arms)
• Organize your recovery space so that essentials, like water, protein-rich snacks, reading materials, and extra pillows, are all within reach

Arm lift surgery takes 1–3 hours. It's usually performed under general anesthesia, though less complex arm lifts can be done with local anesthesia and IV sedation. 

“The easiest way to think of this procedure is that we are tailoring the skin of your arm,” says Newport Beach, California, plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew Nykiel. “If you have a shirt that has excess fabric and you want it taken in, then you need to place a seam or a dart to do so.”

• First, your doctor will make an incision along your inner arm, running from your armpit to the elbow.
• Then they’ll remove excess skin and fatty tissue from your upper arm, using a scalpel or cautery tool. “The most important rule of this operation is, don’t take too much skin,” Dr. Erella says. “You want to leave a centimeter extra rather than take a centimeter too much, because that’s when the complication rate goes up and the arm can’t be closed well.”
• Finally, they’ll close the incision with sutures.

You’ll be able to go home that day, once the anesthesia has worn off. You'll be groggy, so make sure you have someone you trust there to take you home and stay with you for the first 24 to 48 hours.

“It usually takes four to six weeks before patients are feeling 100% normal again,” says Tucson, Arizona, plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Maloney. During this time, you’ll need to limit your range of motion and keep your incision sites stable.

Here’s a general snapshot of the typical brachioplasty recovery period.

• The initial post-surgery recovery can be uncomfortable (about a 4 out of 10 on the pain scale), but the discomfort tends to abate after three or four days. “Most patients feel more tightness than pain,” says Dr. Erella. Your surgeon can prescribe pain meds to help you through the toughest stretch. 
• Your arms may be wrapped in Ace bandages or enclosed in compression sleeves (especially if you’ve had arm lipo, too), to keep swelling down and restrict movement. The bandages should be worn for up to 48 hours post-procedure, while you may be instructed to wear compression garments for up to four weeks. Compression sleeves can increase the risk of seroma, says Dr. Janetzke, so be alert to discomfort or unusual swelling.
• You may have surgical drains placed near your incisions to prevent fluid from accumulating as your arms heal. Your doctor will remove the drainage tubes and non-dissolvable stitches at a follow-up appointment about one week post-op. Dissolvable stitches will be reabsorbed by the body, usually within a week or two.
• You won’t be able to lift your arms above your shoulders for at least 14 days, according to Dr. Erella. Some surgeons, including Dr. Janetzke, even recommend letting incisions near the armpit heal for four weeks before raising your arms above the shoulders. “Reaching any higher puts a lot of pressure on the armpit area and could cause incisions to break down.” 
• Doctors generally say you can shower after 24 to 36 hours. Your surgeon will let you know to what degree you can lift your arms. If this makes washing your hair a challenge, Dr. Erella recommends having someone wash your hair for you.
• Brachioplasty incisions take four to eight weeks to heal completely, and you'll also need to avoid strenuous activity and heavy lifting until you're fully healed. If your work is physically demanding—especially if it involves lifting—plan on taking off at least one month, possibly two, to recover fully. 
• Even if you have a desk job, expect to be out of the office for at least two weeks. 
• Your doctor may advise against driving for two weeks. 
• You’ll be able to ease back into exercise once your plastic surgeon has given you the go-ahead.
• Arm lift scars take a full year to mature. Generally, once stitches are out, doctors will encourage patients to start tending to brachioplasty scars with silicone sheets and serums. If arm lift surgery scars are still red and raised after the initial healing period, ask your surgeon about laser treatments that can help to fade and flatten them. 
• If you’re really unhappy with your brachioplasty scars, revision surgery can be another option, though it would carry additional costs and recovery.

You'll be under general anesthesia during the surgical procedure, so you won't feel anything until you wake up.

Before they send you home, your provider's staff will make sure you're not feeling too much discomfort and have a prescription for pain medication, to help you through the first few days.

The initial post-surgery recovery period can be uncomfortable (again, about a 4 out of 10 on the pain scale), but the discomfort tends to abate after three or four days. You can expect your arms to look swollen and feel tight and tender.

Arm lift results can last a decade or more, assuming your weight remains stable. Stay in touch with your surgeon and let them know if you notice any unusual changes. 

Our skin naturally loses elasticity as we age, so talk with your doctor about the effect aging may have on your arms. In some cases, you may want to consider nonsurgical skin-tightening treatments to ensure the longevity of your new look.

This type of cosmetic arm surgery is generally considered to be safe. That said, every surgery comes with its own set of potential risks and complications.

• Published complication rates vary, but the most frequent side effects include swelling, bruising, hematoma, hypertrophic scarring, and minor wound-healing issues.
• One RealSelf member noticed that her incision separated slightly during recovery. That's fairly common, according to doctors on RealSelf. “Unfortunately, the armpit is a difficult area to heal because of frequent motion and high normal bacterial counts from sweating,” Newport Beach, California, plastic surgeon Dr. Larry Nichter explains. Wound separation often resolves on its own, he says, but it can prolong your recovery. 
• Seroma (fluid build-up) is also very common, especially at the elbow, says Dr. Janetzke. That’s why she doesn’t recommend compression sleeves and encourages her patients to keep their arms straight.
• Nerve damage is more rare, though it's possible to have temporary or permanent numbness around your incisions. 
• Patients typically don’t have major complications, such as blood clots.
• Scars in this area typically heal, fade, and flatten more slowly than those on other parts of the body. “Normal scar maturation is 6 to 12 months,” Dr. Erella says. “But in the arm, it takes at least three to six months more for the scar to settle down, simply because anatomically, that’s how the area heals.” 

To mitigate your risk of complications and help ensure that you're a good candidate for arm lift surgery, discuss your full medical history with your prospective surgeon during your consultation.

	Arm Lift surgical	Liposuction surgical	BodyTite surgical	Ultherapy nonsurgical	SkinTyte nonsurgical
Worth It Rating	90%	88%	85%	61%	76%
Average Cost	$9576	$8657	$6815	$2465	Not yet available
Downtime	Up to 2 weeks of downtime	1–2 weeks of downtime	Up to 1 week of downtime	No downtime	No downtime
Anesthesia	General anesthesia	Local or general anesthesia	Local or general anesthesia	No anesthesia	No anesthesia

Liposuction can slim arms by suctioning out excess fat. It can be a good standalone option if you don’t have significant skin laxity, or it can be performed in combination with an arm lift. This surgical procedure is commonly done under local anesthesia and involves a week to 10 days of downtime.

BodyTite liquifies fat and tightens skin with radiofrequency energy. As its slim, steel cannula glides underneath the skin, heating the subdermal tissues, a small circular probe skims the skin’s surface, tracing the cannula’s path to monitor skin temperature and prevent burns and other potential complications.

Providers typically follow BodyTite with lipo, to remove the melted fat. This outpatient procedure can be performed under local anesthesia, requires one week of downtime, and leaves behind tiny puncture marks. 

Nonsurgical skin-tightening treatments can also be a good option, if you’re not looking for dramatic results or you want to avoid arm lift scars and a lengthy recovery period. Energy treatments like Ultherapy or SkinTyte can correct mild to moderate sagging by boosting collagen production. Just keep in mind that these treatments don’t reduce fat, and you’d need a series of sessions over time to see results.