Would ThermiTight help with loose skin on my upper arms?

Question

What is best for the loose skin on my upper arms. I don't need an arm lift. What is the difference between ThermiTight and PRF?

Sabrina Fabi, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question, but without photos, it is difficult to make any type of treatment recommendation. If the problem is primarily loose skin, ThermiTight is an excellent option for firming up the upper arm contour without leaving substantial scarring behind. If you also have isolated fat deposits in the area, CoolSculpting or liposculpture might need to be added to your treatment plan to produce an optimal outcome. I encourage you to schedule an in-person consultation with a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist with extensive experience in non-surgical body contouring for a full assessment and customized treatment plan.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Morpheus 8 is a non-invasive skin and soft tissue tightening treatment that is consistently amazing in our patients. We use the Morpheus to exact fractional induced RF into the skin or tissue in order to tighten collagen and stimulate contraction of the tissue. For acne scars, it is quite useful to build collagen in patients who have atrophic scars but is not very productive for ice-pick scars which require TCA Cross. For tissue tightening, Morpheus is ideal for the face and neck and we often combine it with CO2 laser or Ultherapy to further enhance results. Chemical peels and skin resurfacing should be done at least 5 to 7 days after, but can be performed earlier, depending on treatment severity. Avoid exfoliating skin treatments before Morpheus and expect a period of 2-4 weeks for skin contraction to set in.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

William Groff, DO · Answer

To know for sure, I would need a few photos or see you in person in my office. I can tell you that ThermiTight can be very effective in treating mild to moderate skin laxity on the upper arms. This area tends to start sagging early due to collagen loss and gravity. An in-person consult would let me know if skin tightening would give you satisfying results or if you would need to add a bit of liposuction to put the finishing touches on your new contour. I recommend scheduling a meeting with a doctor who is board certified and has expertise in body contouring and skin tightening for a full assessment.

Douglas Wu, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, it is difficult to provide treatment recommendations without at least a photo of the area. I can tell you that ThermiTight is an excellent option for addressing mild skin laxity. If the loose skin is not too severe, you might be a very good candidate for this procedure. I encourage you to schedule a consultation with a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist that can give you a comprehensive evaluation and customize a treatment program to meet both your needs and goals.

Elisa A. Burgess, MD · Answer

In my practice, we have long focused on surgical outcomes and brachioplasty is a great surgery for people that have a lot of excess, hanging upper arm skin. Most of these people have had massive weight loss. The downside is that it comes with a visible scar when wearing short sleeves but the pts with massive weight loss usually don't mind this. But for most pts they have some loose skin with aging. In our practice, we focus on ThermiTight which is radiofrequency for heating and improving the skin quality. It is minimally invasive and pts can have some swelling or bruising afterward but it is really well tolerated. Most pts just chat with us during the procedure after the numbing medicine has been placed. I strongly recommend to my pts that they follow up with ThermiSmooth treatments (which is non invasive radiofrequency) that feels like a warm stone massage for further circumferential improvement. It usually takes 6-9 months to start seeing results. They are not as dramatic as surgery but can be really nice and without the scar.

Kimberly Butterwick, MD · Answer

If you have very minimal upper-arm sagging, ThermiTight could make a nice difference. ThermiTight is a radiofrequency probe that is inserted under the skin to heat the fibers that connect the skin to deeper tissues. It also heats the dermis of the skin to produce new collagen and thereby tighten arms. I’m not sure what you mean by “PRF” but perhaps radiofrequency on top of the skin, like Thermage. I think ThermiTight is a bit more aggressive treatment but both work to some degree. Ulthera uses sound waves to heat the skin and fibers and is sometimes a good option as well. However, if your sagging is severe you probably won’t be satisfied with the results of any of these. That’s why we sometimes combine tightening with fillers for the arms, like diluted Sculptra or Radiesse. Please find a board-certified dermatologist to evaluate the quality of your skin and degree of sagging to determine if you’d benefit from radiofrequency skin tightening with ThermiTight.

Robert Frank, MD · Answer

I'm a fan of less surgery and fewer scars so I would try ThermiTight and see if you're happy with the result. The cost/benefit is in your favor since a brachioplasty tends to leave less desirable scars that would be hard to conceal. ThermiTight and a good triceps workout routine might be all you need to feel better. Good luck.

Nikesh K. Patel, MD · Answer

ThermiTight is a great non-surgical treatment used to tighten mild to moderately lax skin on many areas of the body. During a ThermiTight treatment, radio frequency energy is sent to precise locations of the underlying dermal structure which results in constriction of tissue and increased collagen production to create a smoother, flatter surface and results that are both immediate and ongoing. Treatments typically take about an hour, depending on the size of the area being treated, with very little downtime so you can get right back to your normal routine.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question, ThermiTight will definitely improve loose skin in that area, keep in mind that non surgical options give only mild improvement compared to surgical lifting. Skin tightening can be done with a combination of vanquish, venus legacy, exilis, celllutone/Zwave. However for best results, an arm lifting procedure can be combined with a high definition procedure at the same time. I recommend a hi definition procedure like VASER liposuction. I use VASER HI DEF with ThermRF and fat grafting to get the most fat removal, skin tightening, contour and definition. This combination will give you the most toned result. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a hi definition physique expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Michael A. Zadeh, MD, FACS · Answer

ThermiTight can help improve the loose skin on the arms. It is important to have realistic expectations as no non-surgical treatment will provide surgical arm lift type results. You will need an in-person consultation and evaluation with an experienced physician provider to determine whether the treatment is appropriate for you. Best wishes.