Brachioplasty. How long after the surgery should I keep my arms elevated?

Hello, Thank you for your question regarding how long you should keep your arms elevated after an arm lift or brachioplasty.  Arm elevation is important to decrease arm edema or swelling.  Since the upper arm is tightened, fluid gets trapped in the lower arm (forearms) and hands.  Generally, I suggest arm elevation for two weeks after an arm lift or brachioplasty. During this time, your hands, forearms, and upper arms will be bandaged with an Ace bandage. The Ace bandage will also aid in eliminating fluid and swelling.  Your elbows should be straight with your hands elevated above your heart.  Your upper arm or elbows should be on one or two pillows.  However, if there is still swelling two weeks after your arm lift or brachioplasty, you will need to continue arm elevation.  Once the arm lift incision is completely healed, I would suggest arm compression garments for 6 to 8 weeks. This will also help to minimize fluid accumulation and also help to flatten the scar.  If you have any other questions regarding the arm lift or brachioplasty, please contact my office.  Sincerely, Dr. Katzen 

You should elevate your arms for at least one week minimum but be flexible and consider doing it for 2-4 weeks depending on the level of swelling and healing. 

Every surgeon will have their own "recipe for success" when it comes to arm lift surgery. I can only tell you what works for me!Arm elevation is recommended for about 1 week in my office. I like to wrap patients for 2 to 3 weeks just with ace wraps because it is more comfortable and leads to less swelling of the hands. After 3 weeks, I recommend Embrace Scar Defense and and a compression stalking.As I mentioned, I'm very happy with this protocol, but more importantly, so are my patients. Please view the photo gallery below of the arm lift technique (posterior approach) I prefer to use on most patients.

Swelling is a normal response to brachioplasty and other procedures. This process usually peaks somewhere between 36 and 48 hours post-op. During this time, elevation of the arms helps to limit the amount of post-op swelling which in turn speeds up the rest of the recovery. After the first few days, once the swelling has come down from its peak, elevation is less important but still helpful.

Thank you for the question.  In my practice, I asked patients to keep their arms elevated above the level of their hearts as much as possible, for two weeks after surgery.  Elevation along with the use of specifically designed garments help control swelling.   I hope this, and the attached link/video helps. Best wishes.

Thank you so much for your question! Each plastic surgeon may have a different approach in terms of their recommendations post surgery. I do not require my patients to keep their arms elevated at all. I do ask that they wear a compression sleeve all of the time so that the swelling can be controlled.