What is Arm and Thigh Lift or Brachioplasty?

A Brachioplasty is a surgical procedure to remove loose skin and excess fat deposits on the upper arm.

Often times this is the result of weight fluctuations in a patient’s life or due to significant weight loss after a gastric bypass or weight reduction surgery. If there is redundant, loose skin of the upper arm, liposuction alone will not help and the correct treatment of this area involves surgical excision or removal of the excess skin.

This can be accomplished through a linear incision along the length of the arm from the elbow to the armpit, or in some cases, just an incision in the armpit alone. The surgery itself takes approximately two to three hours. Patients will wear a compressive garment for several weeks after the procedure and the recovery involves three to five days off of work.

Who can benefit?

Massive weight loss patients

Patients who have a significant amount of weight after a bariatric surgery procedure such as gastric sleeve surgery. Often, a post-bariatric surgery patient’s skin does not have enough elasticity to snap back into place after the fat tissue that stretched it out is lost; therefore, they are left with sagging skin throughout the body, especially in the upper arms.

Aging can cause a lot of changes to the body and skin. Over time, the skin becomes more slack and fragile. Sagging skin causes wrinkles and bulges in the upper arms that can be seen even through clothing. When the excess skin is removed and tightened during arm lift surgery, patients can achieve a reduction in the signs of aging in their upper arms.

Undefined arms

The underarm area is not easy to target, and many people who have problems toning and shaping this area may only be able to do so with surgery. Arm lift surgery can tone and tighten, providing more definition and better-contoured upper arms.