Hello, thank you for your question regarding what kind of compression garment you should get after your arm lift, arm reduction, or brachioplasty. Every plastic surgeon does things little bit differently. In my plastic surgery practice, I perform a lot of brachioplasties. The brachioplasty procedure takes approximately three four hours under general Anesthesia. During a brachioplasty, arm liposuction is performed. Then, typically, an incision is made from the armpit to the elbow. Then, an elliptical area of upper arm skin and fat is removed. The incision is closed in many layers with absorbable sutures. I seal the skin with Dermabond or medical grade crazy glue. Dressings are placed and then a compression ACE bandage is placed from your hands to your armpits. Typically, I have my patients use the ACE bandages for about two weeks. Once the incision is moderately healed and a patient is able to pull the arm garments on (not an easy task), the patient is given arm garments. You should plan to wear your arm garments for about 6 to 8 weeks or until the swelling is gone and the scar is flat. I have tried many arm garment brands. The brand I like the best is called Marena. You can find them online. Call them and give them your arm measurements. They should be able to send your arm garment in one or two days. I do not think your arm swelling after your brachioplasty caused this breakdown. Also, I do not think you could have avoided your arm wound breakdown by wearing arm garments earlier. I hope that I have answered your questions about the different types of arm lift garment and wound breakdown after an arm lift. If you have any more questions regarding the arm lift, please contact my office. When searching for an arm lift specialist, please seek an experienced, board certified plastic surgeon with significant expertise in arm reduction surgery. Demand to see many before and after pictures of patients just like yourself on forums like RealSelf and their website. Check out patient reviews of your chosen plastic surgeon on forums like RealSelf. Thank you. Sincerely, J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS, FICS, FASMBS. (Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, and International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and fellow of the American College of Surgery, International College of Surgery, and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery).