Arm Lifts

Extra loose skin of the upper arms is a common problem and can be a source of embarrassment to women. They may not be able to go sleeveless, even during the summer. If the degree of skin laxity is mild, I recommend liposuction alone. However, if there is a lot of loose skin, it may be best to proceed directly to a skin excision procedure, called brachioplasties.

Patients sometimes ask if it is possible to keep the incision contained up in the axillae ("arm pits"). They even show me by pinching the skin of the armpit area to demonstrate. The problem with this mini-lift is that the degree of improvement is limited to just the uppermost part of the arm. For most women, this is not enough.

This problem is similar to excess skin of the inner thighs, which has been traditionally treated in the past with the disappointing inner thigh lift procedure, using an incision limited to the groin crease, but is now more commonly treated with a longitudinal incision down the inner thigh which produces a much better tightening effect.