Brachioplasty (Arm Lift) in San Francisco

If you have sagging of the upper arms, it usually means there is extra fat or that the skin has stretched out, or perhaps both. If the skin is not too loose, you might get a good improvement with removal of only fat, which can be done with liposuction. If there is extra skin but only a moderate amount, we might be able to get enough shrinkage by using SmartLipo, which is a laser that can produce gradual shrinkage of the skin by heating it. But if the skin is badly stretched out, surgical removal of the excess gives the best result.

An arm lift removes both extra fat and extra skin. While we cannot make your skin young again, by removing the excess and tailoring what remains, it is possible to make a sleeker tighter arm. Although one can make a bit of skin tightening by leaving a scar near the armpit only, the best shaping and tightening can be done if one leaves a stocking seam scar that goes all the way from armpit to elbow. Dr. Cedars typically recommends placing this scar slightly on the front side of the arm, just up from what is the bottom edge when the arm is held straight out to the side.

All of the operations mentioned above can, for most people, be done in the office with local anesthesia and very light sedation from pills. Just as a broken bone heals best when held still in a cast, soft-tissue wounds do best when snugged in place with, in this case, a firm elastic sleeve. Most people take mild narcotic pills for 2-4 days.

Although it takes 6 weeks for the scars to gain full strength and most of a year for most scars to fade fully, people usually return to office work after a week or 10 days. If you are a regular exerciser, we will work with you to help minimize your getting de-conditioned.