POSTED UNDER Arm Lift Reviews
Minimal Incision Arm-Lift & Arm Lipo at AGE 53- with Daniel Shapiro
UPDATED FROM freedomh20
1 year post
It's NOW 1 Year Post since my Minimal Incision Arm-Lift and SOON turning 55 Years old....
WORTH IT$7,739
Hello my lovely arm-lift ladies! I’m now a little more than 1 year post from when my minimal incision arm-lift was done, late September of 2015.
Wow...it’s been a busy 6 months since my last post and overall I’m slowly making progress in restoring my skin texture and overall arm-shape. I’ll start with:
MOBILITY/ACTIVITY:
Mobility after the 6-month mark should not of a concern and it sure wasn’t for me as I began full training 4.5 months after surgery.
ARMPIT SCARS:
My right arm scar has faded so much it’s barely visible, however, there’s still a purple mark on my left arm-pit (where there’s quite a bit of tension). Overall, my incisions (scars) healed nice and tight and on either arm the scar has NOT widened.
SKIN QUALITY:
I’m going to post quite a few pictures to do a comparison for everyone to see and I want to be honest about my result!
I tried my best to duplicate the same standing & arm positions for my before surgery & after surgery pictures.
Remember on my last post I said, QUOTE: “At about week 10 or 2.5 months (once the swelling subsided) I noticed that my arms began to get lumpy. I also noticed that there was a tremendous amount of scar tissue that was forming”.
I’m going to post that 2.5month post picture and put it beside my 1 year post picture. Big difference…and YES your ARMS can and could get worse before they look better!
Believe it or not the back of my right arm is STILL slightly numb! I feel it’s still not completely 100% healed.
I often wonder why my skin took on such a crepey texture following that disastrous arm-lipo I did almost 9 years ago. Here’s the top 3 things that I felt lead to my crepey, thin, loose and flaccid, sagging, arm skin following my original lipo procedure.
#1. Loss of muscle to my shoulders, biceps and triceps
#2. Quick & Sudden Fat loss (lipo)
#3. Damaged Fascia as a result of the liposuction
So…the best ways to remedy loose crepey skin? I did the following:
#1. I began a muscle building program for the whole arm including: shoulders (to help pull the arm-skin up, biceps to help fill my arm and triceps to help give tightness to the arm.
#2. Thermage and minimal-incision arm lift (to tighten & remove excess skin)
#3. Start working the fascia to improve circulation and skin appearance.
OVERALL:
After 1 year I’ve certainly seen a huge improvement and very glad I did the minimal-incision arm-lift. I’d say I’m still at a 75% improvement . I think my elbows are less wrinkly and skin texture is nicer. However, I feel that over the next 6-12months I’ll continue to see some more improvements as I continue to soften and iron out my fascia.
I don’t think the fraxel did much of anything, except leave stupid strips on my arms…ugh (but pretty much faded) and the Thermage helped a tiny bit.
So…browse through the pictures and let me know your thoughts? Can you see a difference? I feel I do…one thing is for sure, you must be pro-active in improving your own body after any type of surgery as surgery its self is not the whole cure to crepey arm skin.
So that's it ladies...have a great Christmas and Happy New Year…I’ll do another post Spring of 2017 to show you how much I've improved my arms through muscle building and fasica & scar tissue treatments.
Wow...it’s been a busy 6 months since my last post and overall I’m slowly making progress in restoring my skin texture and overall arm-shape. I’ll start with:
MOBILITY/ACTIVITY:
Mobility after the 6-month mark should not of a concern and it sure wasn’t for me as I began full training 4.5 months after surgery.
ARMPIT SCARS:
My right arm scar has faded so much it’s barely visible, however, there’s still a purple mark on my left arm-pit (where there’s quite a bit of tension). Overall, my incisions (scars) healed nice and tight and on either arm the scar has NOT widened.
SKIN QUALITY:
I’m going to post quite a few pictures to do a comparison for everyone to see and I want to be honest about my result!
I tried my best to duplicate the same standing & arm positions for my before surgery & after surgery pictures.
Remember on my last post I said, QUOTE: “At about week 10 or 2.5 months (once the swelling subsided) I noticed that my arms began to get lumpy. I also noticed that there was a tremendous amount of scar tissue that was forming”.
I’m going to post that 2.5month post picture and put it beside my 1 year post picture. Big difference…and YES your ARMS can and could get worse before they look better!
Believe it or not the back of my right arm is STILL slightly numb! I feel it’s still not completely 100% healed.
I often wonder why my skin took on such a crepey texture following that disastrous arm-lipo I did almost 9 years ago. Here’s the top 3 things that I felt lead to my crepey, thin, loose and flaccid, sagging, arm skin following my original lipo procedure.
#1. Loss of muscle to my shoulders, biceps and triceps
#2. Quick & Sudden Fat loss (lipo)
#3. Damaged Fascia as a result of the liposuction
So…the best ways to remedy loose crepey skin? I did the following:
#1. I began a muscle building program for the whole arm including: shoulders (to help pull the arm-skin up, biceps to help fill my arm and triceps to help give tightness to the arm.
#2. Thermage and minimal-incision arm lift (to tighten & remove excess skin)
#3. Start working the fascia to improve circulation and skin appearance.
OVERALL:
After 1 year I’ve certainly seen a huge improvement and very glad I did the minimal-incision arm-lift. I’d say I’m still at a 75% improvement . I think my elbows are less wrinkly and skin texture is nicer. However, I feel that over the next 6-12months I’ll continue to see some more improvements as I continue to soften and iron out my fascia.
I don’t think the fraxel did much of anything, except leave stupid strips on my arms…ugh (but pretty much faded) and the Thermage helped a tiny bit.
So…browse through the pictures and let me know your thoughts? Can you see a difference? I feel I do…one thing is for sure, you must be pro-active in improving your own body after any type of surgery as surgery its self is not the whole cure to crepey arm skin.
So that's it ladies...have a great Christmas and Happy New Year…I’ll do another post Spring of 2017 to show you how much I've improved my arms through muscle building and fasica & scar tissue treatments.
freedomh20's provider
Replies (5)
November 12, 2016
Thank you so much for your update! As you know, there isn't much on here about mini arm lifts and even less that is encouraging. My doc felt the same, not worth it. But he offered an option I hadn't seen...a short scar arm lift. It's the same as a regular one but the cascara only comes down my arm maybe 3 inches, with another 3 or 4 in the armpit. I am too squeamish to look, but I posted photos I had the nurse take .
November 12, 2016
Yes, Miss pinkredlisa I agree with you, that there's not much on RS regarding the minimal incision arm-lift. Plus there's a certain criteria that has to be met when selecting the Minimal Arm-Lift. I had minimal skin to pull up and of course almost zero fat remained after the lipo....so not much fat to deal with. I considered the short arm-lift...but my surgeon felt it wouldn't be of benefit, the arm-pit scar would do just as well. Then there's the crescent arm-lift...I think that lift would be between the Minimal Incision lift and what you had done. And then...there's the FULL arm-lift where the incision goes down the entire arm.
And once again...when I researched the short scar arm-lift and crescent lift ...NO REVIEWS.
And once again...when I researched the short scar arm-lift and crescent lift ...NO REVIEWS.
November 14, 2016
I posted a review, waiting for it to be approved, I guess, cuz I can't find it
November 14, 2016
Major diffence ur arms look way better and ur scars r great well done ur in great shape
Replies (5)
April 30, 2016
Super helpful, wonderful result! Very interesting that at 7 months you still have numbness and healing. Though it's not surprising considering the level of trauma, there seems to be a bit of a disconnect with healing expectations, esp from lipo. Thanks again. And congrats!
April 30, 2016
Thanks Ms. ClassicCurves. Apparently Dr.Shapiro had quite a difficult time lifting the skin from my right arm, as there was tons of old scar tissue that was creating some of my previous issues of lumpiness from the previous lipo that was done 8 years ago. Yes. Healing does take a long time...
May 2, 2016
I am so appreciative of all your comments. This is teresa from Miami Florida . I am 61 going on 62 and I have been wanting to do the arm lift for so long. I have had similar issues as you, but also lost some weight and my arms ( that were always heavy) sag more. I read all your posts and you look great and I commend you for your hard work both in research and in doing your post recovery workouts. Unfortunately I can't go forward in the next three months as my husband is now recuperating from surgery and my mom is 93 and I care for her too....so as you can see I have my hands (and arms
May 3, 2016
I am having arm lift tomorrow. You said you used Arnica; did you put it over the scar or where you had bruising? One last thing; the silicone tape for how long did you use it and did you see any improvement? Thank you
May 4, 2016
Good luck bwywxbw with your arm-lift! You must be soooo excited!
Yes, I only put the Arnica on the bruises and I used the silicon tape for about 3 weeks...
Please keep us posted on your results :))
Yes, I only put the Arnica on the bruises and I used the silicon tape for about 3 weeks...
Please keep us posted on your results :))
May 5, 2016
Hi freedomh20 i am so happy for u ur arms look great what a great result .I have to post my 7 month pics soon my scars r fading well best wishes
May 6, 2016
Great to hear from you Ms. 22irish! Looking forward in seeing your review! Hope all has been well with you.
May 25, 2016
Hi- I went for a mini consult today w my PS. He said i do need a lift but that the lumpy wavy dents in the front will not be fixed with a full brachio. I should have fat injected into the dents. Your thoughts???
May 27, 2016
Hmmm...MissV, that's a tough one. I think that your skin elasticity has to be super tight (strong) to undergo fat transfer. If you have good skin elasticity, then I'd consider it.
June 24, 2016
I want to thank you very much for all that you did : informing us of the procedure, how it was going, step by step, and I'm very encouraged to doing it after I saw your pix and video! thanks again!!
UPDATED FROM freedomh20
7 months post
7 Months Post Results of Minimal Incision Arm-Lift by Dr. Shapiro!
Life has been so busy...and I've been meaning to get this post up on the 6 month mark...but I see I'm now 7 Months post, yikes...so here goes:
MOBILITY:
My full mobility of my arms began to return just after Christmas. I was able to hang from a chinning bar by the end of January bearing all my body weight on the incisions. My full work-outs were in full swing by February 1st (4.5 Months Post)
ARMPIT SCARS:
As you can see in my photo's the arm-pit scars stayed VERY tight and thin. The purple color is now beginning to fade more and more. There are only spots on my left arm-pit where it's a bit red on the scar in places. I'm hoping by mid summer the scars will be absolutely white. I'm extremely HAPPY with the incisions Dr. Shapiro did!
SPITTING STITCHES:
That annoying Spitting Stitch resolved it-self by the end of February (6 Months Post) before everything felt smooth & soft.
CONTROL GARMENT:
I wore my Control Garment right up until January! So a full 12 weeks...I was trying to wear it until February, but I felt that my skin was no longer benefiting from the compression, as the garment began to feel baggy and loose on my arms.
ACTIVITY:
My full GYM activity returned to normal as of February 1st (4.5months Post). This included lifting heavy load overhead, hanging from a chinning bar, etc;
SLEEPING:
I was fully sleeping on all sides, arms up overhead by 3 months post (mid to late December)
SKIN QUALITY:
My skin is slowly getting smoother & tighter. When I reviewed my operative report Dr. Shapiro removed 125cc of FAT from each arm. I realize this was a very small amount of fat, but non the less I was very concerned. The back of my right arm remained very numb and is JUST now returning back to a normal sensation. At about week 10 or 2.5 months post (once the swelling subsided) I noticed that my arms began to get lumpy. I also noticed that there was a tremendous amount of scar tissue that was forming. However, I wasn't worried about it, as I just am now seeing that the scar tissue is beginning to soften and my arms are beginning to smooth out...whew!
OVERALL:
Well. I'd say after 7 months since my arm-lift these are the TOP 3 changes I received:
#1. 75% Improved Upper Skin Texture!
#2. 50% Smoother Upper Arms with less lumps & bumps!
#3 Upper Arms are more defined & contoured
With all that said...I noticed that my elbows remained wrinkly. Soooo on Tuesday, April the 26th I underwent:
Thermage to my Elbows and Arms and full Fraxel 1927 to both arms! I'm only 4 days post from those two procedures...and I just can't wait to see the outcome in a few months time! My skin responds very well to thermage and I'm hoping I'll get a good result from the fraxel as far as: reduction in age spots & increased skin tightness. I also feel that training hard in the GYM, eating good nutrition and letting mother nature do her healing is a big part of good recovery from this surgery. I feel this surgery would not benefit a lady, if she had heavy upper arms. My overall measurements of my arms remained unchanged...the reason I decided to do this surgery was to smooth out & tighten my upper arm skin. This surgery does NOT give you a 100% improvement...you'll still have less than perfect arms but I was only expecting 50% improvement and that's what I got plus a little more :) OVERALL I'm very happy with my result thus far and expect that my full result will be seen between 10 to 12 months time.
Hope these pictures and information helps you to decide if this surgery is right for you...I'll do my next up-date at 12 months post :)
Have a fabulous summer ladies and don't forget to wear your sunscreen on your entire body :)))
MOBILITY:
My full mobility of my arms began to return just after Christmas. I was able to hang from a chinning bar by the end of January bearing all my body weight on the incisions. My full work-outs were in full swing by February 1st (4.5 Months Post)
ARMPIT SCARS:
As you can see in my photo's the arm-pit scars stayed VERY tight and thin. The purple color is now beginning to fade more and more. There are only spots on my left arm-pit where it's a bit red on the scar in places. I'm hoping by mid summer the scars will be absolutely white. I'm extremely HAPPY with the incisions Dr. Shapiro did!
SPITTING STITCHES:
That annoying Spitting Stitch resolved it-self by the end of February (6 Months Post) before everything felt smooth & soft.
CONTROL GARMENT:
I wore my Control Garment right up until January! So a full 12 weeks...I was trying to wear it until February, but I felt that my skin was no longer benefiting from the compression, as the garment began to feel baggy and loose on my arms.
ACTIVITY:
My full GYM activity returned to normal as of February 1st (4.5months Post). This included lifting heavy load overhead, hanging from a chinning bar, etc;
SLEEPING:
I was fully sleeping on all sides, arms up overhead by 3 months post (mid to late December)
SKIN QUALITY:
My skin is slowly getting smoother & tighter. When I reviewed my operative report Dr. Shapiro removed 125cc of FAT from each arm. I realize this was a very small amount of fat, but non the less I was very concerned. The back of my right arm remained very numb and is JUST now returning back to a normal sensation. At about week 10 or 2.5 months post (once the swelling subsided) I noticed that my arms began to get lumpy. I also noticed that there was a tremendous amount of scar tissue that was forming. However, I wasn't worried about it, as I just am now seeing that the scar tissue is beginning to soften and my arms are beginning to smooth out...whew!
OVERALL:
Well. I'd say after 7 months since my arm-lift these are the TOP 3 changes I received:
#1. 75% Improved Upper Skin Texture!
#2. 50% Smoother Upper Arms with less lumps & bumps!
#3 Upper Arms are more defined & contoured
With all that said...I noticed that my elbows remained wrinkly. Soooo on Tuesday, April the 26th I underwent:
Thermage to my Elbows and Arms and full Fraxel 1927 to both arms! I'm only 4 days post from those two procedures...and I just can't wait to see the outcome in a few months time! My skin responds very well to thermage and I'm hoping I'll get a good result from the fraxel as far as: reduction in age spots & increased skin tightness. I also feel that training hard in the GYM, eating good nutrition and letting mother nature do her healing is a big part of good recovery from this surgery. I feel this surgery would not benefit a lady, if she had heavy upper arms. My overall measurements of my arms remained unchanged...the reason I decided to do this surgery was to smooth out & tighten my upper arm skin. This surgery does NOT give you a 100% improvement...you'll still have less than perfect arms but I was only expecting 50% improvement and that's what I got plus a little more :) OVERALL I'm very happy with my result thus far and expect that my full result will be seen between 10 to 12 months time.
Hope these pictures and information helps you to decide if this surgery is right for you...I'll do my next up-date at 12 months post :)
Have a fabulous summer ladies and don't forget to wear your sunscreen on your entire body :)))
Replies (4)
April 30, 2016
Hi Ive been following you and your result is amazing. I too was over lipo'd and have the same issue. Do you live near Dr Shapiro or did you travel for him?. Im in NY and this distance is an issue for me.
April 30, 2016
Thank You MissV. Yes, it's been quite a journey for me. No, I live quite far from Dr.Shapiro plus I'm from Canada. I admit it was stressful traveling such a distance...but in hind-sight I'm so over the moon that I did it. Absolutely hated my disfigured, over lipoed arms!! They look... just normal now:)
May 1, 2016
Im still in lipo hell. My arms are just like yours were. After so much pain, physically and emotionally Im terrified. You are my hero! I REALLY want to thank you for supporting me and posting your transformation. My arms may require a long incision. Remember the nightmare, and be so grateful to be on the other side of this. Your hard work and pain has paid off big time.
Signed,
Officially envious!
Signed,
Officially envious!
April 30, 2016
How did you decide on the Fraxel and Thermage? I have looked into it a "little" bit but haven't really seen any results not from doctors. Was it painful? Expensive (I know that's relative..) How long did it take? Is it a "one and done" treatment? And finally, what are your hopes/expectations for this arm treatment? Thanks, and congrats on a beautiful result!
April 30, 2016
Hi Ms ClassicCurves, I've had Thermage done on my arms before with somewhat a good result...however, first time for Fraxel. My decision to do both procedures at once was to correct two separate issues. #1. I have some sun spots on my underarms, and forearms that I wanted taken care of. Fraxel also helps to tighten skin. #2. The Thermage was used to primarily tighten my elbow skin. Both procedures done together give a favorable result (hopefully). Believe it or not...Thermage should be done every few years. And I believe Fraxel is repeated when needed...both procedures combined cost $2,000 Canadian. Yes, the Thermage is painful...fraxel was not. Took us 3 hours. I did 1200 pulses per arm. My hopes & expectations are: No age spots on my arms with tighter and smoother elbows. I should see a marked improvement in 3 to 4 months time. I had before pictures taken...I go in for my after pictures the end of August:)
April 30, 2016
Thank you for providing such detail, your reviews are a valuable service to this community. I look forward to your progress.
May 1, 2016
Hello Ms. FreedomH2O!! I was beyond thrilled to see that your results have held up and your arms look AMAZING!!! I know you work out and you can see the definition in your arms. I was looking at your old pictures and WOW!! Big difference! :)
I definitely want to get the lift done now. I want to thank you from all my heart. If RealSelf gave out awards & prizes, you would definitely get my vote as having THE best reviews!!! :) your reviews are so helpful, educational and thorough!! Thank you for that.
You don't know how happy you've made me knowing there's hope for my arms.
I only want to lift the skin, I don't feel I need more lipo as my skin sagged because of the lipo and a simple tuck under the arm should do it. Can I ask if you saw results past 1/3 down your arm? Did Dr. Shapiro lipo below the armpit near the side ? How long do you think one would need to take off from work? I know everyone heals different just curios if a week is plenty for an office type job.
I definitely want to get the lift done now. I want to thank you from all my heart. If RealSelf gave out awards & prizes, you would definitely get my vote as having THE best reviews!!! :) your reviews are so helpful, educational and thorough!! Thank you for that.
You don't know how happy you've made me knowing there's hope for my arms.
I only want to lift the skin, I don't feel I need more lipo as my skin sagged because of the lipo and a simple tuck under the arm should do it. Can I ask if you saw results past 1/3 down your arm? Did Dr. Shapiro lipo below the armpit near the side ? How long do you think one would need to take off from work? I know everyone heals different just curios if a week is plenty for an office type job.
May 1, 2016
Well..thank you Ms.Hlifee89! I think you'd be over-joyed with the mini-arm-lift:))) If you just want the skin lifted...then this surgery is for you.
Awe...I'm so happy that my review has helped you. Remember wayyyy back when we both couldn't find a darn thing on Minimal Incision Arm-Lifts? No reviews (and the few reviews there were available, were so vague), and hardly ANYTHING on the net...ugh. That's what inspired me to to give as much info as possible on this procedure.
Ya...I got a really tight lift on the upper part of my arms (to about the biceps). My elbows are a bit wrinkly (but I'm just being picky because my upper arms are now so smooth & tight)...that's why I just had thermage & fraxel done, to see if those areas can be a bit smoother & tighter.
If you look at my photo's on Day 12 (bruising) ...Dr.Shapiro lipo'd up around the back of my arm-pits, triceps and above my elbows. He did a lovely & careful job...
Yes. One week is fine as far as time off from work goes. Just keep your elbows glued down to your sides...get a step stool at home to step on to reach up for cups & bowels.
Keep me posted:)))
Awe...I'm so happy that my review has helped you. Remember wayyyy back when we both couldn't find a darn thing on Minimal Incision Arm-Lifts? No reviews (and the few reviews there were available, were so vague), and hardly ANYTHING on the net...ugh. That's what inspired me to to give as much info as possible on this procedure.
Ya...I got a really tight lift on the upper part of my arms (to about the biceps). My elbows are a bit wrinkly (but I'm just being picky because my upper arms are now so smooth & tight)...that's why I just had thermage & fraxel done, to see if those areas can be a bit smoother & tighter.
If you look at my photo's on Day 12 (bruising) ...Dr.Shapiro lipo'd up around the back of my arm-pits, triceps and above my elbows. He did a lovely & careful job...
Yes. One week is fine as far as time off from work goes. Just keep your elbows glued down to your sides...get a step stool at home to step on to reach up for cups & bowels.
Keep me posted:)))
May 3, 2016
Hello Ms. FreedomH20.. I'm so thrilled for you and so hopeful for myself. I do remember way back when and you've come a long way! :)) and I am still unclear why there isn't more about this option on the web. It is clearly doable and possible to get nice results for the right candidate.
You look absolutely amazing and I see no flaws at all! I hope you get the results you're seeking with the thermage & frazel. I think your elbows look fine. :)
I'm thinking of making a visit in Fall to see Dr. Shapiro. I'll definitely keep you posted!
Btw, are you still pleased with your facial fat graft results?
You look absolutely amazing and I see no flaws at all! I hope you get the results you're seeking with the thermage & frazel. I think your elbows look fine. :)
I'm thinking of making a visit in Fall to see Dr. Shapiro. I'll definitely keep you posted!
Btw, are you still pleased with your facial fat graft results?
May 3, 2016
When I was searching mini arm lifts last night I came across this Plsstic Surgeon in New York who does elbow lifts. According to the PS, it seems to be a relatively quick 30 min procedure. She also does arm lifts under local anesthesia. I added the link in case you were interested. http://drmichellezweifler.com/plastic-surgery/
May 4, 2016
Yes, Ms. Hlifeee89, absolutely LOVE my face fat transfer! I'll be doing an up-date very soon on that Review as well.
Let me know what you think of Dr.Shapiro...if or when you see him.
Let me know what you think of Dr.Shapiro...if or when you see him.
May 4, 2016
Thanks for the link! Very interesting...to bad there's not any reviews on this surgery?
November 23, 2018
Where can we see your results? Thank you:)
December 21, 2018
Willowslove, I followed freedomh20 from the beginning. She is the reason I had my the mini arm lift last week...There were pictures with her updates. For some reason when the site changed the look, her pictures disappeared... I will be posting updates and pics of my progress. Today is day 8 for me and I like how my arms look so far.
Yes, my upper right arm is still slightly numb...it'll take awhile for you to heal, as everything is still pretty raw and fresh.
I feel that laser treatments are fantastic if your surgeon is offering it at no cost...but your scars will fade to white between 7-12 months post on it's own.
After 1 year post, I still have one dark spot on my scar (where there's more tension). I'd assume this will fade over the next 6 months. Mother nature has a way of mending its self...bit by bit :))