BICEP IMPLANTS

Pros

• The implants can be custom-fitted to your proportions and goals.
• Bicep augmentation with implants comes with an easier recovery than many implant procedures, with only a few days of downtime before you can resume normal activities.
• The implants are much more stable than the implants used in breast augmentation, so they don’t require replacement (unless there’s a problem like infection).
• The scars are usually within the armpit, where they’re barely visible and easily hidden.
• Common post-op recovery side effects (like bruising, swelling, and a tightness in the upper arms) tend to be modest in most cases, according to Dr. Stanton.

Cons

• You'll have to wait six weeks after your surgery until exercise is allowed.
• As with any implant-associated surgery, there are risks of infection, bleeding, swelling, scar tissue, pain, implant shifting, and nerve damage (which is extremely rare). 
• When this surgery is performed for aesthetic rather than reconstructive reasons, it’s not covered by health insurance.

Your cost for bicep implants will depend on the experience level of your surgeon, their practice location, and their anesthesia and facility fees.

Bicep implantation for an injury or congenital defect may be covered by your health insurance, depending on your plan.

“As with any body implants, it’s possible to develop infection, asymmetry, or implant shift,” says Dr. Stanton. “On the other hand, because the implants are made of medical-grade, semisolid silicone rubber instead of gel or liquid, there’s virtually no risk of leak or rupture, hence they are considered permanent.

You’ll be met on the day of your bicep augmentation procedure by a nurse, an anesthesiologist, and your surgeon. The surgery can be done with local anesthesia with twilight sedation, but it's usually performed with general anesthesia. In this case, you’ll have an IV put in and be completely asleep by the time surgery begins. 

In the operating room or surgical center, your surgeon will create a small incision in the axilla (the armpit) and form a small pocket under the fascia of your bicep muscle. If necessary, your surgeon will custom-carve the soft, solid silicone rubber implant with surgical scissors to better customize the fit, before inserting it into the pocket. Then your surgeon will close the incision with dissolvable sutures and repeat the process on your other arm. 

The full surgical procedure usually takes one to two hours. Once the anesthesia has worn off, you’ll be able to head home. Just make sure you have a responsible adult friend or family member there to escort you home (not an Uber or Lyft driver), since you’ll be too groggy to navigate solo.

You’ll leave with surgical dressings and possibly elastic compression bandages around either arm. They’ll help to limit swelling and arm movements, as well as ensuring that the implants are properly positioned while you heal.

The recovery timeline is relatively quick: 

• Within a few days, you can return to most normal activities. 
• In one to two weeks, you’ll return to your doctor to have your surgical dressings removed. At this point, you can go back to gentle physical activity or physical therapy. 
• Within two to four weeks, you can stop wearing the compression bandages.
• In six weeks, you  should be able to return to the gym for light workouts.

Bicep implants are considered permanent. They’re expected to last for decades or more, barring any trauma or complications. However, you can have them removed if you choose.

If thin arms are your primary concern, one alternative to implant-based bicep augmentation surgery is fat transfer, which one study found to have satisfactory results. However, Dr. Stanton cautions that the final results are not as predictable, reliable, or voluminous as you’d get with an implant, which create a sculpted look with more muscular definition. As with other fat transfer procedures, it may also require several procedures to achieve the desired outcome. 

Another option to build muscle mass and definition is Emsculpt, which was recently FDA-approved to treat biceps and triceps. Emsculpt uses high-intensity focused electromagnetic energy (HIFEM) to deliver electromagnetic pulses that create “supramaximal” muscle contractions. A half-hour Emsculpt session produces almost 20,000 muscle contractions, which build strength and tone. You’ll need four initial sessions for optimal results, and you’ll need to maintain them with regular strength training and annual follow-up procedures. “However, Emsculpt cannot create anywhere near the muscle mass that can be achieved with implants,” says Dr. Stanton.