How long before my wedding should I have an arm Brachioplasty so the scars can minimally heal for appearance sake?

Question

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

The longer you wait the better. To allow for adequate healing and arm scar maturation, I would have your arm lift surgery or brachioplasty done approximately 2 to 3 months before your wedding. After a brachioplasty your arm lift,  you should allow yourself at least 2 to 3 weeks to heal.  After this, there will be an additional 2 to 3 weeks of arm swelling.  I would strongly encourage wearing arm compression garments from your armpits to the elbow for 4 to 6 weeks.  This will minimize arm swelling or edema. The arm garment will accelerate healing from your arm lift or arm reduction surgery. In addition, the compression garment will help to flatten your arm lift scar. Once the arm lift incision has healed, I would suggest also a silicone-based cream to minimize our arm lift scars. Good luck. And congratulations!

Michael A. Epstein, MD, FACS · Answer

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Without seeing you, it's difficult to know the extent of your Brachioplasty, but I would recommend patients to have the surgery 6 to 8 months before their big day. This way, they will have plenty of time for the swelling to diminish, and their scars will have time to heal. I encourage you to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon who can examine your arms, answer your questions, and advise you accordingly. Wishing you the best!

Joshua Cooper, MD, FACS · Answer

After a couple weeks you'll be "healed" from the brachioplasty operation, but it takes months for all of the swelling to go down.  And, you won't see your final scar results for about one year. If you are expecting your arm scars to look presentable, and you'd like most of the swelling to have gone away, then you probably will want to wait 3 months or so before your wedding. Best of luck to you!

Earl Stephenson, Jr., MD, DDS, MBA · Answer

I would recommend that you have your brachioplasty surgery or year before the wedding. This gives the score the most optimal times to heal and be less noticeable.Earl Stephenson Jr MD DDS FACS

Lisa J. Peters, MD · Answer

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! A brachioplasty can do a wonderful job of reshaping the arms, but I caution all of my patients that the scars from this procedure can be relatively unattractive and more difficult to hide than on other parts of the body.  A scar will take 1-2 years to mature, so I recommend having your surgery a year or more prior to your wedding.  Despite the scar, many patients will feel that the improvement in shape is well worth it for them.  I was recently interviewed on the news for a story about women having plastic surgery before their weddings and they also interviewed my patient, who happened to have her brachioplasty about 11 months prior to her wedding.  You may find the video on my website including her story helpful as you plan for your surgery and wedding. Best wishes!

Eric Desman, MD · Answer

Generally speaking, I would recommend waiting about 9 months before the wedding to allow for optimal scar healing and fading. Everyone heals differently and their scars fade differently. You may be able to get away with 6 months, but you can't count on that. Congratulations and good luck.

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD · Answer

Ample time is best when considering any elective plastic surgery procedure.  In most cases you should be fine by 3 months but if you develop a complication your wedding plans could be adversely effected.

Scott Wells, MD · Answer

Depending upon whether brachioplasty is proformed as a full, linear brachioplasty from elbow to armpit or a mini brachioplasty, the time frame would be different.  For a full, linear brachioplasty, I would suggest allowing minimum two months and preferably three to six months before a wedding in order to ensure maximal healing of the scars.  Very often at about six weeks after the day of surgery, a laser can be done to help mature the scars and this can speed the recovery significantly.

Sumanth Pagadala, MD (retired) · Answer

Hi and thank you for your question. First, congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I would suggest having your surgery at least 6 months prior to your wedding to allow for healing. I would advise you to consult a Board Certified PS who is proficient in brachioplasty. Good luck

Ronald V. DeMars, MD (Retired) · Answer

The longer the better, but it depends on what your dress looks like. If your arms are covered, it doesn't matter but if the upper arms are esposed it can be  6 months or more before you would want them seen at a wedding. It also depends on what type of skin you have and how previous scars have healed. Get a consultation with a surgeon for that discussion.

How long before my wedding should I have an arm Brachioplasty so the scars can minimally heal for appearance sake?

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Answers (10)

More Arm Lift Questions

What's really the best fix for batwing arms without surgery?

Should I be unhappy with my arm lift? (Photo)

What are the chances of bloot clots/deep vein thrombosis from brachioplasty?

How long does it take to recover from an arm lift? (Photo)

Could I have nerve damage after arm lift surgery?

Skin puckering 2 years after arm lift surgery (photos)

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WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS