Arm fat - What would be the best and least invasive treatment? (Photos)

Your options largely depend on your goals. If you want the arms to be as tight and toned as possible, and arm lift would be the best option as it is the most effective way to remove the excess skin. If you do not want the scar, then trying a combination of liposuction with Renuvion could provide adequate results. But, you will still likely have some loose skin, but improved.

Body contouring procedures have become increasingly popular and can help men and women recontour their body in adulthood. If you have stubborn areas of fatty accumulation that are more resistant to diet and exercise, you may be a candidate for body sculpting liposuction performed at Kare Plastic Surgery in Santa Monica. Liposuction remains one of the most popular procedures in cosmetic surgery and allows patients to slim and toned their waist line, back, arms, and legs using this minimally invasive and highly coveted procedure.

Among the most common areas to have liposuction performed is the waist line and stomach area. This makes liposuction an excellent alternative to a tummy tuck or mini tummy tuck. If you have had fluctuations in weight, you may benefit by recontouring the waistline and abdomen using liposuction. Patient with excessive skin in the lower abdomen from childbirth or from excessive weight loss may not respond well to liposuction because the extra skin will continue to hang. In these patients, and abdominal plasty procedure is preferred.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Arm concerns like yours are very common, even for people who are fit and active. Some areas, like the upper arms, are simply more resistant due to genetics, skin quality, and how fat is distributed.
Given your description, arm liposuction combined with skin-tightening technology (such as BodyTite, J-Plasma/Renuvion, or VASER) could be a great option. These techniques not only remove stubborn fat but also help retract and firm the skin, which is key for avoiding sagging or a “lumpy” appearance post-lipo.
It’s also great to hear you’re already focused on weight loss and strength training that will only enhance your results if you decide to go the surgical route.
To determine if you’re a good candidate and which method is best, a consultation is essential. Every body is different, and a plastic surgeon will assess factors like skin elasticity, fat thickness, and your personal goals.
Here’s a great transformation from a patient with a similar concern

In general, it is quite difficult to reduce fat in the arms through exercise or non-surgical methods alone.Since you've always struggled with your arms, and with the recent weight gain, it’s likely that the overall volume of your arms has increased.When fat increases in this area, the skin tends to stretch along with it.In your current condition, the most effective way to reduce the fat in your arms would be liposuction.Liposuction physically removes the fat, which helps significantly reduce volume.However, based on what you've described, it also seems like there is noticeable skin laxity.It’s important to note that while liposuction targets excess fat, it does not address loose or stretched skin.If you’re looking to improve both the fat and the sagging skin, we would recommend considering an arm lift in combination with liposuction.

The least invasive treatment would be liposuction. However, depending on your age, your skin may hang requiring a brachioplasty. I recommend you start to wear a compressive garment now and then do liposuction. You will have to wear a compressive garment after liposuction for several months to help the skin recoil.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

You would do so well with arm liposuction and be sure to get it done all around the arm for best results.

Thank you for your question. Congratulations on your weight loss journey! As you have no doubt noticed, the upper arms or thighs can be quite obstinate despite diet and exercise. Body contouring surgery is increasingly popular to address these areas and the procedure of choice will depend on your goals. Liposuction with some form of skin tightening procedure (Renuvion, VASER, etc) are extremely popular and can give great results if the skin quality is good. It may not make the arms completely contoured, but it will definitely improve definition with minimal scarring. A consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon will help you define those goals and give you the optimal result. Good luck on your journey!

From the submitted photos it appears you'd be a candidate for BodyTite. This minimally invasive procedure can be combined with liposuction to remove stubborn fat and tighten the skin. No general anesthesia is needed. I've included a video about this procedure that I hope you find helpful.

Hello dear. In many cases, liposuction is effective in reducing localized fat and improving arm contour. However, if there is excess skin (noticeable sagging), an arm lift may be necessary to achieve a firmer result. You may appear to need a lift more, but it is a more invasive procedure. It would also be ideal to have clear photos or an in-person consultation to assess the degree of sagging and the quality of your skin. You can write to us at 829-554-6062 to send us better photos and a quote.

Some women genetically have fat arms.
This means their fat distribution has more subcutaneous fat on their arms in relationship to other parts of the body.
YouSome women genetically have fat arms.
This means they’re fat distribution has more subcutaneous fat on their arms in relationship to other parts of the body.
You cannot change your fat distribution by weight loss or exercise.
There is only one correct procedure for this and that’s well done Liposuction.
Personally, I do Liposuction on arms in a circumferential manner.
In other words, I Liposuction all the way around the arm.
This is technically difficult and not done by most providers.I need to warn you that arm Liposuction is technically difficult and is a procedure that all too often leaves people looking disfigured or with an undesirable outcome.
Finding the right provider is the absolute most important variable nothing else really matters.
There are no non-surgical treatments that will give you satisfactory outcomes.
Give up right now on any idea of having your arms improved without surgery.
Do not do skin surgery, except the skin that you have and simply reduce the size of your arm with Liposuction.
Skin surgery tends to leave hideous visible scars that are undesirable and not needed in your case.To start with look for plastic surgeons, whose practice is almost exclusively devoted to Liposuction.
Next have in person consultations with those providers.
Make sure you’re consulting with the person who is going to do your operation.Avoid virtual consultations exclusively. Try to find plastic surgeons who specialize exclusively in Liposuction.Next have in person consultations with those providers.
Make sure your consulting with the person who is going to do your operation not a sales person “ patient care coordinator”
This is really important.
Please bring pictures of your arms, preferably taken the same way plastic surgeons take before and after pictures.
Use pictures of yourself as a reference during the consultation, especially when reviewing before and after pictures.
During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures of previous patients who had similar arm characteristics to your own.
This is the best way to understand what you results are likely to look like in the hands of that provider.
Being shown at one or two examples is not sufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider.
Plastic surgeons are going to be reluctant to show you anything but they’re very best outcomes.
This doesn’t mean all the results look that way.
If they can show you 20 or 30 examples of people whose arms look like you and all the results look great then you’re probably in the hands of a provider who may have the experience to deliver quality outcomes on a regular basis, which is what you’re looking for.The goal is to understand what average results look like in the hands of the provider you’re considering.
You also wanna have an idea of how many arm Liposuction cases they’ve done.having done one or two or 10 cases is not sufficient to be good at this procedure.
Sorry for the grammatical run-on here.
This is being dictated using word recognition.
I should warn you that average plastic surgeons will probably not deliver aesthetically desirable outcomes when it comes to arm Liposuction.
This procedure is much more difficult than most people realize and most plastic surgeons aren’t very good at Liposuction in my opinion.
Almost all plastic surgeons will do liposuction and technically it’s not a difficult procedure.
It is, however, difficult to deliver consistent quality results every time without ever leaving someone with a divot or disfigured in some other way.
Many plastic surgeons don’t like doing Liposuction.
To find a sufficiently experienced and talented provider is probably going to require that you meet with a lot of plastic surgeons.
If you’re not sure, then simply slow down and keep scheduling more consultations with providers until you’re absolutely certain you found someone who loves doing arm liposuction and has a track record of delivering high-quality outcomes on a regular basis.
Recognize that you’re gonna be living with this outcome for the rest of your life and if it ends up, leaving you disfigured you’ll have regret every single day.
The impact of not getting this right is really really important.
If the provider can’t show you an impressive collection of arm Liposuction results then you’re not in the hands of the right provider.
Avoid virtual consultations please.
Meet the person who’s going to do your operation in person and recognize it is your duty and your responsibility to vet that provider sufficiently to confirm they have the skills necessary to deliver consistent quality outcomes and not leave you disfigured.
I’m sorry if my communication comes across as a bit harsh and pessimistic.
I am simply tired of seeing people be left disfigured by plastic surgeons who don’t know what they’re doing.
There’s way too much of that when it comes to Liposuction.
That’s not to say that there aren’t lots of plastic surgeons to do great Liposuction to work.
The number of plastic surgeons who approach mastery of this kind of work is however really small.
To find one who is exceptional is going to take some looking.
I wish you the very best of luck and hopefully in the hands of the right provider you’ll have a stellar outcome that you will love for the rest of your life.
It’s your responsibility to vet providers correctly. Most patients have little to no experience consulting with plastic surgeons.
Learning how to choose the right provider takes some skill.
This is why having multiple consultations is a pretty good idea.
The more consultations you have the better you’ll be at the process.
At the same time you’ll be able to find a better provider for your needs.
Take care,
Mats Hagstrom MD