What is the Best Non-surgical Treatment for Sagging Underarms?

Thank you for your question. There are a number of radiofrequency and infrared devices that use heat to tighten the deeper dermis. This can create some mild skin contraction and tightening. These options usually require multiple treatments to achieve a satisfactory result and then maintenance treatments. And it also depends on how much tightening you need. You may not be a candidate for this at all. 
Liposuction alone removes fat and if you're young and have good skin tone it may contract. 
Most patients are best served by a brachioplasty or arm lift. This can come in a mini version if the defect is minor. The trade off is the scar but the outcomes are more dramatic. 
See a board certified plastic surgeon for consultation to learn what might be best for you. 

A brachioplasty is probably what you are looking for to achieve significant results. There are really no effective non-surgical treatments for removing significant skin under the arm. Non-invasive procedures like coolsculpting only address the fat that lies under the skin and over the muscle, it does not do anything to improve excess skin. Laser therapy and other skin tightening procedures show extremely minimal results, if there are any results at all. There is a reason why board certified plastic surgeons do not include this procedure in their practice offerings. It would be best to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to review the best options for you.

There are several treatment options out there for sagging underarms but do not involve surgery. The  goal with these treatments is to maximize the results with the minimum of downtime, pain or disability. Unfortunately, as with most things in life the reality is… There is no such thing as a free lunch!
The treatment options can provide some modest improvement in skin sagging and may be used in patients with a minimum of loose skin, but rarely provide dramatic results. Common treatments used are radiofrequency, laser and possibly some injectable agents such as Kybella.
 It goes without saying that the most definitive results come from arm lift surgery. Granted, there is downtime associated with the procedure, for a complete and customize result that is generally the best option.
 As with any surgical or nonsurgical procedure, it's critical that you seek the advice of the surgeon who is certified by the American Board of plastic surgery and has extensive experience in body contouring.
 I wish you the best,
 Dr.  Gabbay.

Thank you for your question regarding treatment for sagging underarms. It is a common problem in older patients and patients who have lost a lot of weight. In my opinion, the best non-surgical treatment for sagging arms would be radio frequency modulation treatment. There is a significant amount of data and studies that show modest improvement of sagging arms. However, radio frequency treatment is in its preliminary phases, and usually, arm lift surgery always yields a better result. If you must treat your arms without surgery, I believe radio frequency modulation is the best way to go. Please seek an experienced board certified, plastic surgeon. If you have any other questions regarding sagging arms or any questions, feel free to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Dr. J. Timothy Katzen

Unfortunately there is no effective non-surgical treatment for sagging arms. Because it is a dynamic area that changes with movement of the shoulder joint, it is difficult to resolve the condition completely.  It is common for me to treat this condition with skin excision, especially in the group of patients that have lost substantial weight.  Below I attached an example of a dramatic improvement in one of my patients with surgical skin excision in that area. Good luck.

Hello and great question. While we all (myself included) wish that there was a great non-invasive way to treat sagging skin; currently there is not. ALL of the non-surgical procedures will, at best, improve the skin sag. The best way to fix sagging skin is to surgically remove it. In many ways this is the same as a Tailor. If you wanted excess clothing garments taken in, you would need to have the seam taken it. In saying that, lets look at the different non-invasive options. But, first I want to just make sure that you understand that the non-surgical market is a “buyer-beware” market. If it sounds to good to be true or if medical grade offices don’t offer the treatment…there is a definite reason for it! Alright, back to the non-invasive options:Lasers: Lasers have the ability to improve skin color, texture, and to a very slight degree tighten skin.
Peels: Peels have the ability to improve skin color, texture, and to a very slight degree tighten skin. But, peels are chemicals and therefore are not typically used to treat large areas.
Dermaroller/Dermapens: These are (relatively) new products that do slightly tighten the skin.
These are the non-surgical mainstays to help tighten the skin. Again, surgical treatment is the definitive way to “treat” or “cure” sagging skin. Non-surgical procedures will improve the sagginess. but it will still be present and noticeable. And remember this is a “buyer-beware” environment with significant “land-mines”.I hope that helps. Best of luck! 

                  It’s
not unusual for patients who suffer from loose upper arm skin, to fear the
scarring that may be associated with brachioplasty. For this reason they often
seek non-surgical alternatives to this procedure. A variety of options have
been utilized including coolsculpting, laser treatments and exercises in an attempt to tighten loose skin. Unfortunately, none of these
alternatives adequately address excess upper arm skin.

                  When
sag is mild, liposuction and coolsculpting may have benefit, but in more severe
cases they have no impact on loose skin. For this reason, brachioplasty is the
only viable alternative for treating severe upper arm skin. If you’re concerned
about this problem, consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who has
experience with this procedure is appropriate. This surgeon should be able to
help formulate a treatment plan to address your concerns. 

Nonsurgical options for toning the arms come in two flavors. Volume reduction options as well as skin typing options. Like in other areas of the body, these options are limited in their ability to provide your desired results. It is really for a smaller subset of patients. For example, Coolsculpting can be used to reduce the volume in your arms. This is a good solution for someone who needs a gentle amount of volume reduction, but has a good overlying amount of elastic skin. Other options such as lasers and Ultherapy can be used to tone the skin itself and tightness. However they are not a substitute for skin reduction surgeries such a short scar arm lifts or general arm lifts.The newest kid on the block is Profound.  It is the only device that is also shown to create elastin in addition to collagen.  You may find that this can further help you reduce the sagginess without undergoing surgery.

I commend you for seeking options other than having surgery, but if it’s sagging skin, then unfortunately your best option is to have a brachioplasty (arm lift). If it is just excess fat you can try to seek the help of a trainer to increase your fitness routine to tighten and sculpt the area. But if is excess skin that is concerning you, then I highly suggest you seeing a board certified plastic surgeon to possibly combine liposuction and an incision on the inside of your arm to remove the fat and tighten that saggy skin.

I have included a link below that may be of interest to you. Best of luck.

The best non surgical treatment is to tone and build the muscles around yur arm. I recommend free weights to strengthen the 3 heads of your deltoid muscle, your biceps, and your triceps muscle.