Our annual Most Worth It list recognizes the most-loved aesthetic procedures—from noninvasive tweaks to the gold standard in surgery—as chosen by RealSelf community members like you. This story highlights one or more of the 44 Most Worth It honorees for 2022; you can see the full list and learn more about patients’ favorite procedures here.
Chelsea is a 28-year-old woman living in Phoenix who, after significant weight loss, underwent brachioplasty (aka an arm lift) two years ago, in combination with a tummy tuck, and says it gave her newfound confidence. This is her story, as told to Gabby Shacknai, edited for length and clarity.
Just over two years ago, when I was 26, I was finishing what had been a four-and-a-half-year weight-loss and fitness journey. At my heaviest, I was 224 pounds, and even before losing weight, my biggest concern was, What if I have all this loose skin? What am I going to do about it? Sure enough, after losing more than 100 pounds, I really didn’t know what to do with all my extra skin. I was a hairstylist at the time, and it was hard to shampoo a client with excess skin kind of hanging in their face. I was confident in who I was, but it was still an insecurity.
I had actually met [Gilbert, Arizona–based] Dr. Josh Olson, my plastic surgeon, at an open house a few years earlier, at the beginning of my weight-loss journey. At that time, I didn’t have plastic surgery on my mind, but after following Dr. Olson and different plastic surgeons for years, I realized that I needed to have [the excess sagging skin] taken care of. Before I even hit my 100-pound mark, I was sure about what I would need to do after.
Related: Thinking About Arm Liposuction? You Might Need This Procedure Too
My arm lift surgery
I knew my arm lift surgery was going to be extensive. I was really tired of holding on to all that extra arm skin and wanted to get rid of it, to see all the muscle I’d built. I had a lot of loose skin in my bra line, so some surgeons would have done a complete back lift, but because I had been doing heavy lifting with weights and working as a hairstylist, I didn’t have any loose skin across my back. The only way to get rid of the bra-area fat deposits would be to extend the upper arm lift a lot further down, which is exactly what we did. Most people’s [incisions] go to the armpit, but mine were elbow to underarm and down the side.
I had extra skin on my stomach too, so I knew that I wanted to have both an arm lift and a tummy tuck done, and, during my initial consultation, I talked to Dr. Olson about whether I should do the surgical procedures separately or at the same time. I have a very high pain tolerance, and I felt okay doing both at the same time, to get them out of the way, as did Dr. Olson.
My arm lift recovery and results
My healing process could have been a little bit easier if I’d done the tummy tuck and arm lift procedures separately, since I couldn’t really move my arms or use my core, but I didn’t really have a hard time at all. Four days after surgery, I was out and about, looking at houses with my parents. Nine days later, I was driving. I took pain medication for about a day and a half, but after that, I decided to go a more natural route and used essential oils and vitamin supplements. Overall, I didn’t feel like the pain was that bad. I did take the full four weeks off from hairstyling and strenuous activities so my sutures wouldn’t open, but the whole last week, I was antsy to get back to work.
I’ve been extremely happy. I have zero regrets, and I’m super thankful for my results every day. Everybody feels differently, but I think my scars [came out] great, and most people don’t notice them. The placement of the arm lift scar is underneath the arm, where a shirt seam would be, so that was helpful too. A little over a year ago, I went to Disneyland and took a picture with my niece where we had our hands in the air—and even though it was only about a year out from my surgery, I looked at my arms and realized I could hardly even see the scar. I actually circled it and put it on my Instagram, and people said they would never know it was there unless I said something. I still make sure that I put a ton of sunscreen on my scars, because they’re only two years old and I don’t want them to burn, especially living in Arizona. But living in this climate and being in a swimsuit all summer, I definitely felt way more confident after the surgery.
Through losing weight, I really found a love of weightlifting, and the surgery just made it so much easier to lift weights and not have the extra skin on my arms. I ended up getting my personal-training certification and started a small health-coaching program, so I do a little bit of health coaching on the side, and my arm lift definitely played a role in being able to do that. You know, the scale doesn’t tell the whole story, and pictures and measurements are key, so with that skin out of the way, it’s nice to actually be able to see the progress I make in the gym as I build muscle. Having these skin removal cosmetic surgeries has allowed me to be more confident in who I am, especially in my profession, as I do help other people.
I’ve been super open from the very beginning of my journey. After I lost all my weight, I did a complete photo shoot, in leggings and a sports bra, showing all the loose skin. Years ago, there was this big stigma around plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, but I was so confident in my decision and knew I was doing it for myself, and I really didn’t care what people thought. I think being transparent about it can help others and open their eyes if they’re having the same issues and concerns. It’s not vain to want to remove excess skin so that you can fully enjoy life.
