How can I reduce sun damaged/wrinkly skin on the front of my arms near my biceps?

Thank you for your question regarding sun-damaged, upper arm skin. The sun’s radiation damages the skin. Among other things, the sun’s radiation damages the elastic fibers in the skin. This reduces the ability of the skin to recoil. This leads to loose, wrinkled skin. Almost all skin that is exposed to the sun can become wrinkled. Sun damaged, wrinkly skin on the front of the arm is common. Since you have excess arm skin, the only way to effectively remove this arm skin is to have an arm lift / arm reduction / brachioplasty. If you just have excess arm fat limited to the upper arm, you may only require an incision in the armpit. This type of arm lift / brachioplasty is called a crescent brachioplasty. If you have slightly more excessive arm skin, you may require a slight extension of the crescent brachioplasty. With this slight extension, the incision then changes from a crescent brachioplasty to a modified T brachioplasty. If you have a significant amount of excess skin throughout the upper arm, you may require a full brachioplasty. This type of arm reduction incision does not involve a crescent incision in the armpit. This type of brachioplasty or arm reduction involves an incision from the armpit to the elbow. Most arm lifts / arm reductions / brachioplasties take two to three hours to perform. Most arm lifts are performed under general anesthesia. Typically, patients are able to return to work one or two weeks after their arm lift.I hope this answers your question regarding arm lifts / arm reductions / brachioplasties. Good luck! If you have any more questions regarding the crescent, modified T, or full arm lift or brachioplasty, please not hesitate to contact my office.

Thank you for your question. With age and/or weight changes, the upper arms can hold a lot of excess fatty tissue and develop skin laxity. An arm lift procedure helps to contour the upper arms by reducing excess skin and fat. The incisions can be hidden in the armpit for those with a moderate degree of laxity or along the vertical length of the upper and inner arm for those with more skin excess. The results are extremely satisfying.  You may also want to consider a skin care regimen or laser procedure if you if you want to address thinning of the skin.  I would recommend that you visit with a board certified plastic surgeon in your area to discuss your options in more detail.

Thanks for your excellent question! It's quite impossible to really give anything other than general recommendations without any pictures from which to base recommendations. Generally speaking, depending on the extent of the damage and specific concerns there are a number of options for treatment/prevention, most of which are non-surgical.  If the problem is pigment & wrinkles, it may be some laser treatments and topical creams that will do the trick.  If it's skin laxity then skin tightening through laser or radiofrequency treatments may be the best choice.  There are both surgical and non-surgical options for that--non-surgical are best for minimal to moderate laxity and surgical for moderate to severe.  If the skin laxity is quite significant, an arm lift may be the best choice.  Of course, prevention is best so use of a daily SPF and avoidance of direct sun exposure during peak hours is key (an NO TANNING BEDS).  The only way to get a genuine recommendation of best treatment options is to schedule an in person consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon so they can assess your skin and concerns.  Good luck!