Vaser lipo or arm lift?

Question

I'm a 25 year old female and I've always been slightly overweight but my arms are not in proportion with the rest of my body and simply stick out like a sore thumb. The size of my arms in comparison to my forearm and shoulder is abnormal. I met with a surgeon who recommended vaser lipo or brachioplasty however I don't want excess skin post lipo or a scar post the arm lift. How can I tighten the skin If I go ahead with lipo? I'm really confused and would appreciate any advice. Thanks

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello,Thank you for your question regarding VASER arm liposuction versus an arm lift.  Thanks for your history and pictures. Based on your weight history, and pictures, I would definitely suggest a full arm lift.

If you elected to have VASER arm liposuction, either not enough fat will be removed or too much fat will be removed and then you will have hanging skin.  You need a full arm lift.

Your arm lift would involved arm fat removal with liposuction and arm skin removal by excision.  To minimize your brachioplasty scar, I would suggest arm compression garments for six to eight weeks.  Also, I would suggest silicone scar cream and silicone strips for six months.  If the scar is still not optimal, I would suggest a Fraxel laser.  However, less than 1% of my arm lift patients have laser scar treatment because the arm scar usually heals so well.

You stated “I don't want excess skin post lipo or a scar post the arm lift”.  Unfortunately, you cannot have it both ways. You either have VASER arm liposuction and resulting hanging skin or have an arm lift with the resulting scar.  Sorry.

Thank you for your questions about an arm lift, brachioplasty, and VASER arm liposuction. Again, I would go with an arm lift.     If you have any other questions pertaining to an arm lift, brachioplasty, or VASER arm liposuction, please contact my office.

Sincerely,Dr. J. Timothy Katzen

Amir Sadr, MD, MSc (Plast), FEBOPRAS · Answer

Dear Missy_25
Thanks for your question. In order to best answer your question, one needs to have more information such as your current BMI and also if you are planning to lose more weight or you are happy with your current weight. 
If you lose more weight, you might end up needing brachioplasty to remove the excess skin. If your weight is stable and you do not wish to have the scars of brachioplasty then VASER/ Liposuction can help debulking the area of the arm which you find carrying excessive fat. 
You can combine VASER/LIposuction with Renuvion which is an energy device to improve the skin tightening. Renuvion uses plasma energy to generate heat and cause some scar tissue formation and contracture of connective tissue bands under skin and tighten the skin. 
The result of Renuvion is not visible immediately after surgery and you need 3-4 months for it to come. In my experience , I managed to reduce the circumference of arm with this method about 2-3 cm. Of course you need to have a physical examination to make sure you are a suitable candidate for this type of surgery or not.

Jaime Perez, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. Both procedures you mention in your post are definite solutions that could be used to help. I personally recommend the brachioplasty for the best results, although I am not sure your full expectations could be met. In most procedures, a scar will be left that will slowly fade with time. Your surgeon recommends vaser lipo as your other option, although I disagree based on your questions above because the tightening of the skin with only a lipo procedure is very difficult. Because of the nature of these surgeries and how personal each one is, it may be beneficial to get a second in-person diagnosis from a board certified plastic surgeon before going forward with a decision. Best wishes!

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