Bracioplasty - Houston, TX

i did the arms 4 months ago on May 1st. i would absolutely do the arms again. my PS took 2lbs of fat and skin off each arm. and now they are shapely and muscular looking. the scar goes from armpit to elbow but i can deal with that. the scars are still very sensitive to the touch, but it does not stop me from getting things done. now i am waiting for the scars to turn white

I don't have any bunching. My drains were in my armpits and I begged him after 3 days to take them out. So he did with the promise that I would keep my arms elevated and I did. Maybe that's why I still have so much swelling...hummm...but after 4 monthsI would think that should be gone. I bet the bunching will relax and resolve over time.

That's what my PS said, but I'm thinking it will eventually need a small re cut...no biggie... I have heard it's common for people to have a redo surgery to get the results they want...I would not want that but a small fix would be okay

Wow! Your scars are turning white fast! Its been over a year and mine are still pink about 1/2 way down. The nerve damage is the worst for me. It is still very tender to the touch, even after all this time. Did your PS say if anything could be done about the banding?

How are you now? Are your arms still painful? Did you have lipo and drains?

i am fine now. i did have lipo and drains. i begged him to take the drains out after 3 days (they were very painful in my armpits) so he did with my promise to keep my arms elevated as much as possible. The scar line is still very tender, due to the nerves i think, and sometimes i can feel tightness after i work out but other than that im perfectly happy!

I go back to my PS in the morning, hoping that he tells me for almost 11 weeks PO that I am right on schedule as far as the healing. I still have some nerve damage pain, some swelling in my upper right arm, some days are better than others and the right is worse than the left. I did not have any lipo and my PS does not use drains. I am going to ask him about the banding...hoping to get copies of my pictures from him to post soon.

please let me know what he says about the banding. i go back to my PS in august. we can compare notes...lol

mrs.impatient, well, PS says my scars are more light pink than white, I guess it's the lighting in my bathroom/bedroom but hubby says pale pink :) PS said the banding will eventually even out, reminding me again about "mother nature taking her time and she wants perfection" and doing some light massaging in that area might help too. I asked about my numbness and he said that nerves repair themselves only about a millimeter a week - mine must be starting from the shoulder down - at that rate it'll be a while but he said that I could be just sitting there one day and all of sudden I won't have the numbness anymore. I'm healing great for just having it May 1st...I think my new middle name needs to be "patience" :)

lol...LoveToShop...thats why my name is Mrs. Impatient! that is interesting to hear about the nerves. my surgery was 14 months ago. As a matter of fact it was on MAY 1, 2013. i just noticed your date is the same 1 year later! i am still VERY sensitive. several PS on here have said to give the banding issue some time, but in my mind 14 months is a long time. i will let you know what my PS says about it too. i go at the end of august. how exciting we have the same anniversary!

mrs....so now I'm having a complication with my right arm. I had a small lump right above the elbow, PS said there was bleeding internally in the arm during my surgery so it could be a small hematoma. Tues out of the blue that area grew and my arm hurt very bad so I kept the compression sleeve on when I went for my 45 min walk, slept in it and when I got up Wednesday , yikes...the area is swollen, the little lump has grown, my arm is red and a bit warm to the touch. I kept it elevated all Tues and Wed night, felt better today, Thurs, but it is still red and swollen...PS is closed until Monday. Would you wait until Monday or should I call the on-call number?

so sorry to hear about this. But No...please do not wait! Call the on call # ASAP! i dont want to scare you, but this is serious. you do not want to throw a clot or it can kill you. Keep me posted please. Lifting up prayers for you that everything will be fine

Have you tried massage. I had severe senitivity after having a thigh lift. I mean so sensitive that I couldn't stand anything to touch my thighs. I started having lymphatic massage and after a few sessions I could tell a real difference in my sensitivity. After a few more sessions it was gone. The massage also aided in reducing swelling and reduction in scar tissue. I was skeptical about trying lymphatic massage when my ps suggested it, but now I'm sold. I'll never have plastic surgery again without using lymphatic massage to aide in my recovery. A word of warning... Lymphatic massage does hurt, if it's done correctly. Remember... Hurt during the massage, feel better later. Happy recovery

I didn't have the lymphatic massage for my thigh lift because it was in the groin. That could of been very interesting I suppose...LOL But I did have it after the arm liftand lipo and it hurt like hell. But you are right, it did help with the swelling and desensitizing. After the 3rd time it was a 'feel good' kinda hurt

Agree with you totally, "it hurts like hell"! I had a vertical and medial thigh lift with liposuction. Very hard painful recovery, but soooooo worth it to me. No more flappy thighs. My shorts don't ride up anymore when I walk. So much cooler in the summer. My surgeon does amazing work!

I haven't heard of the massage before. I may look into it. PS did tell me that I should wait a full year and if I still have the banding at my elbow area he suggested a new treatment using laser liposuction. He is now retired but referred me to a doctor trying out something called Venus? Have you heard of this?

I have not heard of Venus, but I will do some research. It has been 16 months and the banding is still present on both my arms. I have decided to leave it for now because I'm afraid if i get lipo iI will bring the sagginess back. Everything we do big or small could leave a undesirable result And i am happy with the size and shape. Truthfully no one has even noticed it but me. We women tend to pick ourselves apart

You are so right. My friend at work has tried to get me to give up the 3/4 sleeve shirts but I see the banding and fullness still around my elbow and can't do it - the scars are the least of my thoughts when it comes to exposing my arms. I have been wearing one of my compression garments the last couple of days thinking maybe that would help with some of the banding...I am still extremely happy with my results - I just bought a cute leather jacket that I would never have gotten my arms into 5 months ago...

OMGosh...I guess we are a lot alike in this journey. I wear 3/4 sleeves too. Mainly to conceal the scars from the sun. I've noticed at my elbows going up the thin thin white line so slowly but surely it will be unnoticeable. Let's face it, if I have to have this scar forever then I'm gonna protect it. And truthfully I am just more comfortable in 3/4 sleeves - even in TX. Call me crazy...LOL...I wouldn't worry with the compressions at this point because at 16 months out I don't think they are much help. I was told if you wear them too much it could actually make the banding worse so I dont bother. It is nice though to get cute tops that actually fit without the flab showing. I finally feel normal!

I have the most fun now looking for tops and jackets without first checking out the sleeves. Thanks for the advice on the compression sleeves, I think I wear them more for comfort than anything else. My left arm feels almost normal but I still have a lot of nerves to come back in the right one.

My doctor said he could lipo but I'm afraid to do that because my arms are nice and tight. And then other doctors say give it more time. So idk...smh

My arms loosened a lot, as in too much, I am hoping when my new surgeon does the fix at the bottom of each arm about 3 inches that it will be enough to also address the sag....