Wrinkley Skin on Upper Arms? (photo)

Question

I am a 57yr old 160cm weighing 53 kilos. I have always been fit and this weight my problem is wrinkely skin that has appeared on my upper arms bicep area. I had thermage done which was unsucessful and my money $2,800.00 refunded. Is brachioplasty my only other option also would being prescribed & using Retin-A Tretinoc acid help?

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Morpheus 8 is a non-invasive skin and soft tissue tightening treatment that is consistently amazing in our patients. We use the Morpheus to exact fractional induced RF into the skin or tissue in order to tighten collagen and stimulate contraction of the tissue. For acne scars, it is quite useful to build collagen in patients who have atrophic scars but is not very productive for ice-pick scars which require TCA Cross. For tissue tightening, Morpheus is ideal for the face and neck and we often combine it with CO2 laser or Ultherapy to further enhance results. Chemical peels and skin resurfacing should be done at least 5 to 7 days after, but can be performed earlier, depending on treatment severity. Avoid exfoliating skin treatments before Morpheus and expect a period of 2-4 weeks for skin contraction to set in.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

Adam Sawyer, MSc, FEBOPRAS, FRCS(Plast) · Answer

Although photo shows only a small section of you arms, I can see the static excess skin present.  I suspect a medial brachioplasty will be the best option in terms of outcome.  Non-surgical methods are likely to lead to disappointment in my experience.

Chaitali Nangrani, MD · Answer

Wrinkly upper arm responds well to venus freeze and threads (PDO). This is a hard area to correct usually, depending on the amount of loose skin, surgery maybe needed.

Parviz Goshtasby, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello summerlee1, thanks for your question and photos. The treatment of loose skin/ cellulite is a difficult one. This condition, whether it is on the upper arms, thighs, or buttock region, is due to a combination of soft tissue/fatty deflation with concomitant sun damage, loss of elastin in the skin with aging, and irreversible dermal damage. Although a number of new lasers come out every year purporting to be the latest and greatest treatment for these, I have found little to modest improvement from these that often require multiple treatments. Currently, the best solution for more significant amounts of loose skin is a body-contouring surgery, in your case a brachioplasty or arm lift procedure. There are several versions of this depending on the amount of your laxity, with the spectrum of incisions beginning just in the axilla/ arm pit area, and the most aggressive requiring an incision all the way down your inner arm. Without getting a better picture or a full examination, it is difficult to assess to what extent you will need. If you are interested in further treatment, I would recommend a thorough consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area. Hope that helps! - Dr.92660.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question and pictures. It is difficult to give you good advice based on the photographs provided but some general thoughts may be helpful to you. Arm lifting surgery is generally the most effective way of dealing with loose skin of the upper arm. However, this procedure is only effective if the area of skin involved is the lower part of the upper arm ( what some patients will call their “bat wings”). In other words, this the area of “wrinkly skin” involves other areas of the arms (for example overlying the biceps), then arm lifting surgery will not be effective.

	 Personally, I would suggest that you  probably avoid  nonsurgical modalities as well (including medications and lasers).  You will likely be disappointed with the results…

	 I hope this helps.

Thomas P. McHugh, MD · Answer

For this very problem and that skin just above the knees I have been using the Cellulaze laser with great success. For my practice, this has been a short out-patient treatment. Lymphatic drainage done right after the procedure has also helped. Good luck!

Wrinkley Skin on Upper Arms? (photo)

Answers (6)

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