I’m 5 weeks post brachioplasty. Have these two bulges at inner elbow on both arms. Will this go away?

Hi Jessicaj121, Thank you for your question regarding elbow bulges after your brachioplasty. After an arm lift, these elbow bulges can be one of three things. First and most likely, these elbow bulges can be just swelling.  Elbow swelling five weeks after a brachioplasty or arm lift is normal. Swelling around the elbows is even expected after a brachioplasty or arm lift.  Elbow swelling should go away with time. Usually, elbow swelling is gone 6 to 8 weeks after an arm lift.  Arm compression garments will help accelerate the resolution of arm swelling.  Second, this could be an elbow seroma. A seroma is a localized area of fluid collection, namely serous fluid.  Typically, after a brachioplasty (arm lift), seromas can develop around the elbow. Treatment of an arm lift seroma require weekly, in-office, needle aspirations. Needle aspirations may need to be done for one or two weeks.  Third and least likely, you may have excess, residual skin and fat around elbow.  If this is the case, you may require an in-office surgical procedure. The surgical procedure would entail removal of the arm lift dog ears around the elbow. Arm lift dog ear excision can be achieved by extending the arm lift incision onto the forearm or back around the elbow.  I would certainly wait until you are at least eight weeks out from your brachioplasty before contemplating arm lift dog ear revision. Either way, it is imperative you follow up with your local plastic surgeon to have your elbows accurately diagnosed. I hope that I have answered your questions regarding elbow bulges on both arms after an arm lift. If you have any more questions regarding arm lift surgery or results after an arm lift, please contact my office. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. 

Thank you for your question and photos. Swelling following a brachioplasty may take 3 months to resolve. After 3 months if the bulges are still present I would discuss a revision with you surgeon. This can be done under local anesthesia in the office with minimal downtime. Best of luck. 

Hi Jessica! In brachioplasty, this is very common, specially when you have just a few weeks post op. This should resolve in a few months. We recommend waiting for at least 6 months, and if it persist, a revision may be performed.
Best of luck!

The bulges at the inner elbow are not unusual after brachioplasty. It seems that pro-operatively the sagging of your skin and drooping fat pad was quite extensive reaching all the way down over the elbow. Sometimes it can be difficult to create a smooth contour from treated to untreated area of ellbow and forearm. After a tummy tuck we also have this problem. Here the bulges are called 'dog ears'. Very often the surgeon tries to keep the scar as short as possible which can create these bulges. They can shrink to a certain part but may still be visible and well noticeable after the healing process has finished. The bulges can then either be excised under local anaesthesia or the area can be treated with liposuction. I am sure your surgeon will offer you one of these treatments.

Swelling above the elbow is normal after brachiaplasty. It can take several months to resolve. Any residual should be discussed with your plastic surgeon.