Would I be a suitable candidate for a crescent arm lift? (Photo)

Question

Hi, I was wanting to know if I would be suitable for a crescent arm lift. I has a weight loss surgery in 2013 with a loss of 42 kg. I have probably gained 10kg over the years. I have no strech marks . I am nearly 54. I have gold cover private health would I be covered? What is an estimated out-of-pocket fee would it be. I do not like the fat or skin in my armpit. I had lipo and it made the loose skin worse as it should not have been done as he did it twice( that is a whole other story) Thank you

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi,

Thank you for your question about whether you'd be a suitable candidate for a Crescent arm lift, and for providing your history and pictures. Because your arms have already undergone liposuction twice, I would certainly not suggest arm liposuction again.

What you have is excess skin and fat on the arm from the middle third to the upper third. You need an arm reduction. I do not think you would be a good candidate for the Crescent arm lift, as you have too much arm skin. Instead, I would suggest a modified arm reduction. The incision would start at the armpit and extend partially down the inner arm. This will give you a much better result than the Crescent arm lift.

In regards to the excess skin and fat in the armpit, I would suggest a vertical incision from your armpit down the side of your chest towards the top of your bra strap line to remove the excess skin and fat you are grabbing in the second picture. This procedure is called a modified vertical torsoplasty.

Therefore, I would recommend combining a modified arm reduction (brachioplasty) with a modified vertical torsoplasty. These procedures can be performed together under general anesthesia on an outpatient basis with a board-certified anesthesiologist. No drains are involved, and the procedure takes approximately 4 to 5 hours to perform.

I hope my explanation has answered your questions about whether you are a suitable candidate for a crescent arm lift. Good luck.

Sincerely,

Dr. J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS, FICS

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

Based on your photos and description of your concerns limiting the incision just to the axilla would not give you adequate improvement.  An exam is needed to determine how long of an incision would be necessary to get you great results.  I've included a video on the procedure that I hope you find helpful.

Miguel Mota, MD · Answer

Interesting question. The short answer is no. The crescent arm lift only works on a small amount of patients that have small amount of excess skin on the portion of their arm that is closest to the arm pit. This is not your case. Your problem area is actually the armpit and bellow it. 
In cases like yours, I like to do a short arm lift but then extend the scar across the armpit, and then down towards the bra fat area. This is the only way to get rid of all the skin and fat they you are actually grabbing in your photo. So your arm scar would actually be very small, but it would extend down to address the tissue that you are grabbing!

Dr. Miguel Mota

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

Instead of the arm tuck with the long scars, I would recommend liposuction with radiofrequency skin tightening like Renuvion to improve your arms with small incisions.

Would I be a suitable candidate for a crescent arm lift? (Photo)

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Would I be a suitable candidate for a crescent arm lift? (Photo)

Answers (4)

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