Arm lift
Lift the tissues,
enhance the definition
There are many elements that influence the aspect of your arms: skin quality and skin tone, fat distribution, muscle volume, and even the way your arms are positioned. If your arm is hanging down, you may be fully content with the way it looks. But when you hold it up, you may be bothered by the loose aspect of your arm and the floppiness of the skin. There are multiple treatments that I can offer to improve both the skin quality and tightness of your arm. Which technique is the best for you, depends on your wishes and expectations, as well as the anatomical structures and tissues that need to be treated.
The essentials
An arm lift is a procedure to improve your arm definition, enhance the contour and reduce the skin excess if needed.
Several surgical options are possible, some with incisions and some without: radio-frequency skin tightening - liposuction with radio-frequency - liposuction with limited skin excision - liposuction with extended skin excision.
The best results are achieved when both the skin and fat are tackled by targeted fat reduction and advanced skin tightening. If sufficient skin retraction can not be achieved, skin excision is needed.
To determine the best treatment, I analyse several aspects of your arms: skin quality and tone, skin and fat excess, the zone of skin excess, and the skin-fat ratio.
Not every arm lift requires an incision. The combination of liposuction with radio-frequency skin tightening often gives amazing results without the need for visible scars.
Consider a downtime of 1 week with easy dressings. Avoid physical activity for 6 weeks.
Respect the recovery time well and you will profit from the transformation for the rest of your life.
How can we achieve a good arm lift ?
The goal of an arm lift is quite straight forward: turn a loose, flaccid upper arm without definition into a more toned, well-defined arm with tighter skin. However, there are numerous techniques described to perform an arm lift. And experience has taught me that a lot of patients really hate the potential scars that they will have. The truth is, not every arm lift requires an incision and if an incision is required, several patterns are possible. In addition, not every incision needs to be visible. The technique to get a more defined and better looking arm really depends on a thorough clinical investigation, during which I analyse several factors:
How is the skin quality and skin tone ?
Is there a lot of fat excess ?
What is the amount of skin excess and where is it located ?
What is the ratio between fat and skin ?
Is the problem only situated in the upper arm or also the lateral chest ?
What are your expectations and surgical goals ?
Depending on these factors, I can then make a well-informed judgement as to which treatment will give you the best result. In some cases, you will have a choice (depending on your expectations), in other cases there may be only one good option. Depending on the aspect of your arms, we may go for:
A radio-frequency treatment (coming soon): if you have moderate skin laxity without any fat excess, a treatment with radio-frequency will help you tighten the skin and get a better definition. There are no scars, there is no anaesthesia needed, and you have minimal downtime. If the indication is there, this is truly a winner.
A liposuction in combination with radio-frequency: if you have moderate skin laxity with some fat excess, this combination will reduce both the fat as well as tighten the skin. The operation can be performed under local anaesthesia with 2 small incisions, which are basically invisible. By combining both the advantages of the liposuction and the strength of radio-frequency, I can give you the optimal treatment if you just have a little bit of loose skin and want to avoid a scar.
Liposuction + limited skin excision in the armpit: if you have a bit too much skin laxity high in the upper arm, radio-frequency may not give you the results you are hoping for. The liposuction will reduce the fat excess and give some skin contraction, but too loose skin at the armpit will need to be excised. The scar is limited to 4-5cm and is well hidden in the armpit. Depending on the amount of skin laxity, I may have to add a short vertical incision as well.
Liposuction + skin excision of the upper arm: if you have too much loose skin between the armpit and the elbow, I have to judge the quality and tone. Especially after weight loss, the skin usually has become very lax. Excising the excess skin may then be the only option to have a well-defined, better looking arm. The scar is hidden in the inside of the arm and is limited to the upper arm. I never go below the elbow, as this may render the scar too visible.
The use of radio-frequency has really changed my practice and is an excellent innovative technique to treat an upper arm. In an area like the upper arm, it can avoid a scar in a lot of patients. There are of course exceptions (as mentioned above) where surgical excision is the only option. The operative plan is therefore very specific to the aspect of your arms. I apply a very patient-tailored approach for this type of surgery as everybody has a different anatomy and different expectations as well. During the consultation, I will explain to you the procedure in more detail, with pictures and photographs, as well as which scars to expect (if any) and the post-operative care that will be needed. In case of surgery, you can expect a down time of 1 week with light dressings.
The design of the skin incision is very much dependent on the clinical aspect of the arm. By analysing both the skin and fat excess, we can make a clear decision which treatment is the best for you and which combination of liposuction, skin tightening and skin excision (if needed) will give you the best results.
What are the benefits of an arm lift?
Getting toned, more defined arms is easier said than done. Exercising regularly will help of course, and I do advise to keep arm training as a part of your weekly training schedule to maintain a certain muscle tone. But once that skin starts hanging, there is not much you can do besides getting some sort of surgical treatment. As I said before, it truly depends on the analysis of your skin, fat, and overall aspect of the arms to determine what would be the best treatment for you, and if there is some skin excision to perform or not. Regardless of the technique, I aim to achieve the following benefits in every patient:
Reduction of the loose hanging skin as much as possible, which can be done through multiple techniques and with the least amount of incisions as needed
Reduction of the fatty excess to achieve slimmer, better looking arms
More toned arms that look good in every position that you them
Good looking arms in any clothing that you wear
Improved definition of your arms to give them a more aethletic look, depending on your wishes
Long-lasting, natural results
A boost in self-confidence
Are you a good candidate for an arm lift ?
There are several techniques, both invasive and minimally invasive, to achieve more toned, better looking arms. This makes it possible for a lot of patients to be good candidates for an arm lift. It therefor depends a lot on your wishes and expectations in order to decide if an arm lift is indicated for you. In general, you are a good candidate for an arm lift if:
You do not like the way your upper arms look when you hold them up (when you wave to someone, for example)
You do not like the fullness of your upper arms and would love to have slimmer arms that look beautiful in any type of clothing
You have lost some weight, but your arms now look a bit loose and flaccid
You would like to have a more aesthetic look of your arms, but you are unable to achieve your goals at the gym
You have realistic expectations
If you recognise some of these signs or concerns, I recommend you to plan a consultation in order to see how we can improve your arm aesthetics and bring a positive impact to your life.
