Plastic surgery of hands and armpits

Recovery period

After plastic surgery of the arms and armpits, the rehabilitation period takes about 2-3 months.

During the first two weeks, there will be swelling, bruising, and tenderness in the surgical area.

To prevent complications, as well as a faster recovery, you must follow the surgeon’s recommendations.

Daily dressings.
Avoid water treatments until the stitches are completely healed.
Avoid visiting baths, steam rooms and solariums for 4-7 weeks.
Wear compression garments.
Avoid physical activity.

Advantages and disadvantages of arm skin tightening (brachioplasty)

pros

• You will look much better in tight-fitting clothes. • You will become more self-confident and increase your self-esteem. • You will be able to wear clothes with short sleeves or without them without any embarrassment.

Minuses

• You will have a noticeable scar along the inside of your upper arm from the armpit to the elbow. • If the degree of skin sagging on your arms is mild, then you should not get a scar due to an arm lift (in this case, an incision for brachioplasty or liposuction will be sufficient). • Your surgeon will not be able to tell you in advance what your scars will look like. Here are the first three pros and cons when considering an arm lift. If you would like more detailed information regarding your specific case, please consult your plastic surgeon.

Arm lift (brachioplasty): before and after photos

Are you a candidate for arm lift surgery?

After losing a lot of weight and starting to exercise vigorously, you may still find excess skin hanging down in the area from your armpits to your elbow, resembling bat wings. You can improve the appearance of your upper arms with various exercises, but the drooping folds will still not go away completely; training will not cope with this problem.

Below are some of the main reasons for needing an arm lift:

• You have lost as much weight as you wanted, but there are still excess folds of skin on the inside of your arms. • You are an older person and the problem of sagging skin is natural due to aging. • Your weight is relatively stable and you are not significantly overweight. • You are a healthy person without any medical contraindications that could cause side effects and increase the risks of surgery. • You don't smoke. • You are determined to start a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition.

If your general health is good and you are willing to undergo surgery and expect realistic results, you are a good candidate for this procedure.

How is an arm lift (brachioplasty) performed?

In general, you should expect the following:

• Your surgeon will make markings on your elbows, arms, and armpits. The location, length, and direction of these incisions will depend on the type of brachioplasty you are scheduled for.

• Based on your surgeon's recommendations, you will be given intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

• The surgeon will make the necessary incisions to remove excess skin and fat.

• The incisions can be completely hidden in the armpits or extended down the inside of the arm in the most inconspicuous places.

• As an additional method, your surgeon may use liposuction to remove excess fat.

• Once the incisions are made, your surgeon will remove excess skin and fat and join all the incisions to create a stronger, smoother outline of the arms.

• Finally, the skin will expand to the new contour of your arms.

• The surgeon will carefully place the stitches to avoid scarring. Hidden self-absorbing sutures can also be used, which will disappear after some time on their own.

• A sterile dressing and compression garment will be used, and drains may also be placed.

The goal of your plastic surgeon and all clinic staff is to achieve the best possible result and make you as comfortable as possible during and after surgery.

What are the options for brachioplasty?

In your specific case, the number of options will depend on your skin and the degree of excess fat and skin in the underarm area. Your surgeon will help you make the right choice based on your anatomy and personal preferences.

Liposuction:

If your skin is elastic enough to shrink after excess fat is removed, liposuction may be an option. If the skin of your hands has poor elasticity, then after removing the fat, the sagging of the tissue will become more pronounced. Liposuction can also be used as an auxiliary method of fat removal during a standard brachioplasty procedure.

Small incision for brachioplasty:

If the excess loose skin is located near the armpit, your surgeon may be able to tighten and tuck the excess skin into the armpit. This method is ideal if there is a free area of skin on the inside of the arm near the armpit that resembles crepe and does not have a large amount of excess fat.

Standard brachioplasty:

If the excess skin on your arms looks like a bat's wing from your armpit to your elbow, your only option is to completely remove this area of loose tissue using a standard brachioplasty technique.

Extended brachioplasty:

An advanced arm lift is similar to a standard brachioplasty, except that an incision is made from the arm down toward the body to remove loose skin and fatty tissue found not only under the arms, but also along the chest. Excess skin in this area is often found in patients who have lost a lot of weight.

What will your scars look like after an arm lift?

The shape of your arm lift scars depends on the initial amount of excess tissue you have and the elasticity of your skin. Even patients who have undergone standard brachioplasty, which leaves the largest scars, are usually satisfied with the results.

Liposuction

Due to the fact that the incisions for liposuction are small, the scars remain almost invisible. Most scars after liposuction disappear completely or become almost invisible after some time.

Small incision for brachioplasty

Most likely, your scars will be hidden in the armpit area.

Standard brachioplasty

Incisions are usually made on the inside of the arms and can extend from the armpit to the elbow.

Extended brachioplasty

The incision for an extended brachioplasty is extended along the arm toward the body to remove loose skin and fatty tissue in the shoulder area.

The incision for an arm lift can extend from the elbow to the armpit, and sometimes towards the body towards the chest.

Contraindications

In addition to the general contraindications characteristic of surgery (diabetes mellitus, infectious and oncological diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, etc.), there are a number of specific ones, namely:

increased sweating in the armpit area;
diseases of the lymph nodes and operations performed on them;
previous mastectomy;
obesity (lift is performed after liposuction);
the patient's planned significant weight loss.

The presence of contraindications is revealed during a conversation with doctors and a preoperative examination of the patient. Mandatory requirements that must be followed include avoiding medications that affect blood clotting and smoking, which slows down the tissue healing process, a few days before surgery.

Possible complications after an arm lift

Fortunately, serious complications following arm lift surgery are uncommon. This operation is the best option for hand rejuvenation and usually takes place without any negative consequences. Any surgical procedure poses some risk. Some of the possible complications after any surgery are:

• Adverse reaction to anesthesia • Hematoma or seroma (collection of blood or fluid under the skin that may later require removal) • Infection and bleeding • Changes in sensation • Scarring • Allergic reactions • Damage to underlying tissue • Unsatisfactory results that may require additional surgery.

You can help minimize certain risks by following your plastic surgeon's advice and instructions both before and after your arm lift surgery.

Tags: plastic surgery

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