What makes someone a good candidate for an arm lift? (photos)

Hello, thank you for your questions regarding if you are a good candidate for an arm lift  and what constitutes being a good candidate for an arm lift.  Arm lifts or brachioplasties are performed to achieve smaller arms. Some patients have only excess upper arm fat and excellent skin tone (Type 1).   These patients do best with just VASER arm liposuction. Other patients have excess upper arm skin and fat (Type 2). If you have excess upper arm skin, you will require excision of this upper arm skin. If your upper skin is localized in the upper 1/3 of the arm (next to the armpit), you may only need a limited incision arm lift or brachioplasty.    If you have excess upper arm skin and fat throughout the middle 1/3 and the lower 1/3 of the upper arm, then you may require an incision from the armpit to the elbow.    Based on your pictures, I think you are a good candidate for an arm lift.   Basically, I would propose 2 options for you. First option: I would suggest you could just have VASER arm liposuction and evaluate your arm results. It is possible that with VASER arm liposuction alone, that your upper arm skin will contract  and you would achieve nice, tight arms. Second option:  if you want a more definitive arm surgery,  then I would suggest combined VASER arm liposuction and an incision from the armpit to the elbow. You should get better, more reliable arm results with the second surgical arm lift option. Thank you for your questions regarding your arm lift.  If you have any more questions regarding an arm lift, VASER arm liposuction, brachioplasty, or arm reduction, please contact my office. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen.    

A brachioplasty or arm list if a surgical procedure that removes both excess skin and excess fat between the elbow and axilla (armpit). This area can be loose and floppy either after major weight loss, or from a genetic predisposition for fat in this area. Unfortunately, there is no exercise you can do to tone up this area and minimally invasive treatments and liposuction do nothing to treat excess skin. To be a candidate for an arm lift you basically need to have excess skin from the elbow to the axilla. Whether or not you have excess fat is not essential. If there is excess fat this would be removed along with the skin. If someone plans to lose weight it would be best to do so before an arm lift so things can be made as tight as possible. If someone loses a lot of weight after an arm lift, the skin will most likely sag again and they will be disappointed with the final outcome. As long as you are at a stable weight that you are happy with, then from your pictures I see no reason that you wouldn’t be a good candidate. Make sure the surgeon that you talk to is a board certified plastic surgeon experienced in cosmetic surgery after weight loss, and you will get the best advice possible.

Young thin people with good skin and localized lipodystrophy are good candidates for liposuction alone.I tend to perform lipo of upper arm, shoulder, and posterior arm with the minimally invasive BodyTite every week.  I do think that the combination produces the best results In appropriate candidates who do not present with flabby and overstretched skin. If you have loose skin, an arm lift to remove that excess skin is usually a better alternative than liposuction.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA