The treatment I tried
Power-assisted liposuction coupled with Renuvion on both arms
My provider
Dr. David Shafer, a double board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City
What is power-assisted arm liposuction?
Power-assisted liposuction is surgical removal of excess fat that uses a cannula attached to a vibrating handpiece. This allows the surgeon to use less manual force, which in turn can decrease trauma and help improve the recovery process. I had this performed on the backs of both my arms.
What is Renuvion?
Renuvion is a minimally invasive, energy-based skin-tightening procedure. “We’ve had ultrasound and laser treatments, but Renuvion is a new technology that uses plasma energy,” explains Dr. Shafer. A small wand is inserted under the skin via tiny incisions; helium gas and radiofrequency waves combine to create plasma energy, which stimulates collagen production and tightens the skin.
Who is a good candidate for arm liposuction and Renuvion?
Good candidates for arm liposuction are those with excess pockets of fat that won’t budge, no matter how they change their diet or exercise routine. Good candidates for Renuvion are those who have mild to moderate skin laxity, says Dr. Shafer, who notes that it has the added benefit of working well almost anywhere on the body. It’s especially effective when paired with liposuction, helping to enhance the overall results.
“Think about how a balloon gets wrinkly when you let the air out of it. The same can happen after liposuction—when you take the fat out, the skin may get loose or wrinkly. Renuvion works well to help tighten the skin,” he explains.
Why I tried arm liposuction and Renuvion
I started paying a lot more attention to my health, fitness, and nutrition over the past few years and after having a baby. It was probably the first time in my life that I’d really wanted to optimize my exercise and diet habits. There were functional, aesthetic, and emotional motivations driving this. I was experiencing a lot of aches and pains that I hoped strength training could alleviate, I wanted to still look and feel youthful as a mom in a changing body, and I was approaching a milestone birthday that gave me a sense of urgency to get into shape sooner rather than later. I started working with a personal trainer, tracked and tweaked my macro intake, bought a pricey Pilates membership—all of the things. And as I started seeing positive results in how I looked and felt, I became even more motivated to keep going. It felt great to feel confident and positive about my body when I tried on clothes and looked in the mirror.
But despite years of working out and the rest of my body toning up, my arm fat never budged. Like many women, I’m genetically predisposed to holding more fat in the arms, which made it uncomfortable for me to wear sleeveless and short sleeve styles. I felt that my frame looked wider and top heavy, the backs of my arms chafed against my sides when I walked, shirts that felt well in the torso were too tight in the arms, and I was always compelled to use the “reshape” function on my arms when editing photos.
I decided to go in for a liposuction consult because I knew that I fit the profile of someone who could see great results from the procedure: I was at my ideal weight, had the kind of lifestyle that would allow me to maintain my results, and I was seeking to spot-reduce and recontour a specific part of my body, which wasn’t possible through diet and exercise alone. I was also concerned about having loose skin afterward, which is why I was intrigued by Renuvion. Loose skin is something that, in general, had become a concern for me after having a baby. I didn’t want taking fat out to end up causing even more loose skin.
What the experience was like
I had the option of either local or general anesthesia, but opted for general, for overall comfort. A month before surgery, I got pre-op clearance from my primary care doctor and had bloodwork done. The week prior, I had an appointment with a nurse who walked me through pre-op instructions and gave me medications to take afterward. I took a shower both the night before and the morning of the surgery, scrubbing head to toe with Hibiclens, an antiseptic cleanser. The day of, I was fitted for a compression garment that I would have to wear afterward and Dr. Shafer marked up the areas where he would be removing fat and using Renuvion—basically the entire underside of my arms, from shoulder to elbow. I met with the anesthesiologist, who explained that they would insert an IV but I wouldn’t be intubated since I’d be breathing on my own the whole time. The last thing I remember was her saying she was giving me some “happy juice”—and I was out. The procedure itself took a little over an hour. .
What my recovery was like
I woke up in the recovery room, feeling a little woozy from the anesthesia. I drank some juice, ate some cookies and crackers, and recovered quickly. I was wearing a compression garment that looked like a little bolero jacket or shrug with hooks in the front. My arms were wet because the surgeon had injected tumescent fluid during the procedure and it was draining out of the four little incisions I had, so a nurse wrapped a towel around them.
I was a little out of it but felt good enough to go pick up lunch afterward. I had full range of motion and nothing hurt, which was probably because the surgeon had injected lidocaine during the procedure. I had also started taking some prescribed medications—gabapentin and Celebrex—starting the day before surgery. I took these twice a day for the week after, and they were extremely effective for managing any pain; I had also filled a prescription for a narcotic but never needed that. I was truly pain-free taking just those two, and I was astounded at how easy the recovery was. When those prescriptions ran out, I started feeling a little bit of pain but nothing that an extra-strength Tylenol couldn’t alleviate. I also always had full range of motion, which surprised me because everything I’d read online said that you often can’t move your arms after arm lipo.
I wore my compression garment 24/7 for the first week, unless I was showering. The night of the surgery, my arms were really bruised, but that dissipated by the next day, likely because there was anti-bruising medication mixed into the tumescent fluid. It felt better to be in the garment because it really helped with the swelling and generally made me feel more comfortable. When I went in for my one-week post-op appointment, Dr. Shafer suggested that I continue wearing it as often as possible but didn’t give me any kind of hard-and-fast rule. I wore it around the clock for two weeks. After two weeks, I felt comfortable going out sleeveless, so I’d wear the garment if I was at home and overnight but not if I was going out.
I’m now five weeks post-op and am no longer wearing the compression garment during the day. The swelling has come down a lot—but my arms are still more swollen at night. My arms still feels tingly and tender. It’s very mild during the day but gets worse at night and wearing the garment almost always alleviates it.
Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised that the recovery has been a lot easier than I expected. Dr. Shafer says it’s helpful to think of recovery in three phases: The first few days, when you may have some pain and soreness; the first few weeks, when most of the swelling will start to go away; and the first few months, when all the swelling dissipates, the skin-tightening effects kick in, and you can see the end result.
My results
While I’m still a ways out from my final result, I did start to see changes at the two week mark. Even when I was wearing my compression garment, I could see that there was no longer the same roundness to the backs of my arms that there used to be. When my arms are extended, there’s less heaviness hanging. And while Dr. Shafer says the skin-tightening effects of Renuvion can take three to six weeks, I already love how smooth and wrinkle-free my skin looks and how nicely it’s contracting.
Liposuction didn’t entirely change what my arms look like; they still have the same shape, they’re just smaller than they used to be. I can already see that when I look in the mirror. I’m also surprised that even though I had only my arms treated, it’s really changed how my body looks overall. I’m less broad on top, and my body just looks more balanced. It’s subtle but really makes a difference. My arms aren’t model thin, but I don’t need them to be. They’re still proportionate but just fit my body better. I won’t see final results for a few more months, but I already love wearing sleeveless tops and feel like I don’t have to hide my arms as much as I used to.
Final verdict
For the right candidate, arm liposuction can be an effective way to target excess stubborn fat. And pairing liposuction with Renuvion to address skin laxity only enhances the overall result. In my experience, the recovery was much easier than anticipated, though it is important to be patient because it will definitely be months, not days, before you see the final result and all the changes.
