What surgeon should I see for axillary fat removal?

Question

I have extra tissue in my armpit area. I'm not comfortable wearing sleeveless tops. I dislike the look of having extra breast tissue. My issue is in both armpits. I would like to have the tissue removed from both right and left axillary

Randal Haworth, MD, FACS · Answer

It is possible to remove the fat from that area. I’ve personally performed those types of surgeries with really satisfying results.

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question regarding who you should see for your axillary fat removal. Without photos, it's hard to give you a proper evaluation. However, I've performed over a thousand arm lifts and reductions and some of those are combined with vertical torsoplasties to get rid of the "side boob" as my patients call it. There are different arm lift incisions that can be made. It really depends on where your excess skin and fat is. If the excess skin is only in your armpit area, you might be able to get away with a crescent arm lift where an incision is made under your armpit in the shape of a crescent moon, and the excess skin of that area is excised. The traditional brachioplasty is an incision from the armpit, down to the elbow. The incision is placed where the inseam of a long sleeve shirt would be. This hides the incision very well. I'll attach my website below where you can see many pictures of my arm lift results. Thank you and best of luck finding a plastic surgeon for your axillary fat removal.

Ryan Rebowe, MD · Answer

A board-certified plastic surgeon should be able to help you fix this issue. It may be that liposuction can help with excess subcutaneous tissue and fat and get you the contour that you want. It is possible that the only thing that would effectively fix this area would be skin excision, which would likely be best performed in conjunction with a back lift or bra line excision.

Sean T. Lille, MD · Answer

It needs to be determined if the tissue in your axilla area is breast tissue or fat. Some plastic surgeons are comfortable addressing either, but some will send you to a general surgeon if it is breast tissue.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Alexisng1,
finding the right Dr. is extremely challenging especially with the number of online platforms and resources available. There a lot of great Dr's available. Make sure he/she is a board-certified plastic surgeon. Definitely check to make sure your choice specializes in the procedure you want and spend the time to read through patient testimonials. There is a number of different sites where you can check for reviews (Realself, yelp, google, etc.).You can always pick up the phone and call around also, find an office you feel comfortable with and set up a few consultations. 
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

The first step is to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon near you.  During this meeting you can discuss your concerns and learn more about the recommended treatments to help you achieve your surgical goals.  Visit the ASPS website to find a surgeon near you.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

You should see a plastic surgery for this. Liposuction, with or without radiofrequency skin tightening, might work well for you. If you have actual breast tissue and not fat, this will need to be excised.

Ahmad H. Ahmadi, MD · Answer

The lumps in the arms can be both made up of fatty tissue to breast tissue. If the lump enlarges during the menstrual cycle, it is most likely breast tissue and must be removed surgically. On the other hand, if it is fatty tissue, then it can be liposuctioned. Good luck to you.

Leland Webb, MD · Answer

I think it is important that you see a physician who can appropriately evaluate you and diagnose you and provide you with surgical options to help you meet your goals. Often this axillary tissue is what it’s called supernumerary breast tissue, which is actually a remnant of breast tissue from development in utero. That being said it can be removed, and if it is breast tissue should be sent to pathology. Your choice as to who removes this breast tissue is predicated on the fact that the surgeon should be comfortable with this area, and hopefully provide you with the most aesthetic scars. This is not an uncommon concern and you probably have some great options ahead of you. We are happy to help in any way we can.

Peter Andolina, DO · Answer

The issue you described is quite common. Many patients have excess axillary tissue and most of the times it is accessory breasty tissue . Removal of this excess tissue is not very complicated or difficult and can typically be don with a small incision that hides well in the axilla. In terms of who to see for this issue, you can try a plastic surgeon, a breast surgeon or a general surgeon. Either one of those specialists should be able to take care of this problem for you. I would do some research into who is around you and reach out to their offices to make sure they perform the procedure in question. You should be able to get this taken care of relatively quickly and without much hastle. Good luck

What surgeon should I see for axillary fat removal?

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