Arm Lift

Offered at our convenient location in San Antonio, TX

An arm lift, or brachioplasty, is the perfect solution for loose skin and a lack of shapeliness in the upper arms. It is a cosmetic surgery that addresses the effects of weight loss or age, making the arms appear tighter and more contoured by removing excess skin and fat.

Here at Alluring Aesthetics, we offer first-class arm lift procedures that can make your arms appear toned and fit. Dr. Wendie Grunberg leads our practice in San Antonio, with Dr. Edward Gronet, where we strive to provide life-changing cosmetic results for our patients. For more information, call (210) 704-5390 or contact us online.

About Arm Lifts

Arm lifts are a type of cosmetic surgery that enhance the aesthetics of the upper arm. The procedure involves removing excess skin, fat and tissue in order to tighten the structure of the arm. It is a great solution for tightening and contouring the arm in a way that can be difficult or impossible through diet and exercise. There are three types of arm lift- the mini, the full, and the extended.

Mini Arm Lift

The mini arm lift involves a small circular incision beneath the armpit. It is ideal for patients with mild amounts of sagging skin and excess fat on their arms. Because of the nature of the incision, this technique leaves negligible scarring.

Full Arm Lift

The full arm lift involves two incisions made from the armpit to the elbow. A surgeon makes one of the incisions below the armpit, and one further back on the arm. This technique is best for patients with moderate levels of sagging skin and excess fat on their arms. The incisions leave a small scar on the inside of the arm.

Extended Arm Lift

The extended arm lift involves the same incisions as the full arm lift, with one of the incisions extending out towards the middle of the chest, typically at the level of the bottom of the breast. This technique is suited for patients with severe sagging skin and excess fat on their arms, armpit and chest area. A surgeon often employs liposuction to remove the excess fat during this procedure. The incisions leave visible scarring on the chest.

Benefits of an Arm Lift

An arm lift can make your arms appear more toned and defined. Contouring the arms with an arm lift has been shown to improve satisfaction, function, and quality of life. (1) This treatment addresses conditions that can make the flesh of your upper arms appear loose and undefined, including:

  • Increased skin laxity due to aging
  • Excess skin after dramatic weight loss
  • Genetic conditions that cause sagging skin
  • Lymphedema, or localized swelling

This treatment is a great solution if diet and exercise have failed to tone and contour your upper arms as much as you’d like. This can happen because there is no way to get rid of excess skin without medical intervention. No matter how much fat you burn, the excess skin will remain and continue making your arms appear loose and undefined. With an arm lift, you can achieve the tight and toned upper arms that you desire. The newfound definition will remain as long as you can maintain a steady weight.

Who is a Candidate for an Arm Lift?

If you’re unhappy with the skin around your arms, whether you see it sagging, or it’s not as contoured as you’d like it to be, an arm lift might be right for you.

To be an ideal candidate for this procedure, you should be capable of maintaining a steady weight before and after your procedure. This is encouraged so that your skin can remain satisfactorily tight. If you lose weight, your skin will likely become loose and sag again. If you gain weight, it will stretch your skin, undoing the effects of the procedure and subjecting you to sagging skin if you lose weight in the future. For these reasons, you should not receive an arm lift unless you are at a healthy weight that you are comfortable with and capable of maintaining.

You should be in relatively good health if you want to have an arm lift so that you may heal safely and recover quickly. You should also be realistic about what an arm lift can do for your overall appearance. It is important that you can take time off in order to recover, as downtime is necessary while your arms heal.

Personal Consultation

At your personal consultation, we will provide you with everything you need to know about your arm lift. We will review your medical history and assess your current health to see if cosmetic surgery is right for you at this time. We will assess the condition of your upper arms and discuss your goals with you so that we can plan a treatment that is best for you. At Alluring Aesthetics, we care about patient satisfaction, and we want you to feel comfortable with and confident in what we can do for you. To schedule your personal consultation, call (210) 704-5390 or fill out this form.

Preparation

We will provide you with personalized instructions on how best to prepare for your arm lift surgery. It is important that you follow these instructions closely so that you may have a safe surgery and a swift recovery. Based on your medical evaluation, we may ask you to stop or start taking certain medications. If you smoke, you should stop before your surgery, as smoking has been found to be a cause for complications in arm lift procedures. (2) You should avoid taking aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs during the week leading up to your surgery, in order to avoid excess bleeding.

Arm Lift Procedure

Arm lift surgery is typically performed as an outpatient procedure, meaning that you can go home the day of your treatment. You should arrange for a ride to and from your surgery site, as you will not be able to drive yourself home.

Your procedure will begin after we administer general anesthesia. Local anesthesia is a possible option for arm lift surgery. You can discuss this with us beforehand at your personal consultation. During your procedure, your surgeon will make an incision along the back of the arm or in the armpit in order to minimize the appearance of scarring. It is with this incision that the excess skin is removed. Your surgeon will also work through this incision in order to remove excess fat and tissue, as well as reinforce the structural tissue within your arm. They will close the incisions and your procedure will be complete.

Arm lifts can take up to three hours, depending on which technique your surgeon is utilizing. After your procedure we will monitor your vitals and wait until it is safe for you to go home. You should arrange for a trusted friend or family member to accompany you during the first night after your treatment.

Recovery

After your arm lift surgery, you should wait a few days before you return to everyday activity. Monitor your incisions and pay attention to how you feel before you return to work. You should be able to resume strenuous activity after three or four weeks.

You may experience some swelling and tightness in your area of treatment for a few days after your procedure. We recommend that you eat plenty of foods that are high in protein to facilitate your healing. We will provide you with specific instructions on how to recover properly, including instructions for bathing and prescriptions for pain relief. If you follow these instructions closely, your recovery should be successful.

Results

When the surgery is over, you’ll find yourself with tighter, more toned arms, meaning that all the hard work you do in the gym will be much more visible. The results of your treatment will be fully visible as soon as your swelling has gone down.

The results of an arm lift surgery will be effectively permanent as long as you can maintain a healthy lifestyle and a steady weight. The effects of aging on skin laxity are inevitable, so you might experience more sagging skin down the road. However, the tightening effect of an arm lift is preventative, and it should be many years before you see any natural loosening in your skin.

Corresponding & Complementary Procedures

Here at Alluring Aesthetics, we offer treatments that can correspond with and complement an arm lift procedure.

BodyTite

Body Tite is a non-surgical body contouring treatment. For this procedure, a surgeon applies radiofrequency waves to the patient in order to eliminate fat and tighten the skin. The radiofrequency waves burn fat and stimulate collagen production, which works to rejuvenate the skin. Combined with the results of your arm lift, you could receive BodyTite treatment to perfect the appearance of your arms, along with any other part of your body that needs tightening and contouring!

Thigh Lift

Thigh Lifts are similar to arm lifts but for the inner and outer thighs- they address excess fat and sagging, loose skin in the thigh area. If you need contouring and tightness in your arms and your legs, a thigh lift could be a welcome addition to your cosmetic to-do list.

To see what else we’re up to at Alluring Aesthetics, please see our blog.

How Much Do Arm Lifts Cost in San Antonio?

Your arm lift procedure will be customized to your unique specifications. Therefore, you will receive pricing information after your personal consultation. To find out how much arm lifts cost at Alluring Aesthetics, call (210) 704-5390 or visit our contact page. 

FAQ

What is an arm lift?

Arm lifts are cosmetic surgeries that treat excess skin and loose tissue on the arms. They are performed by a surgeon who makes incisions below the armpits and removes excess skin, fat and tissue in order to tighten and contour the upper arms. 

Do arm lifts leave scars?

Arm lifts do leave scars, though their severity and noticeability depend on the surgical technique. The scars are typically hidden beneath the armpit or on the inside of the arm. For intensive arm lifts, there are sometimes scars left on the chest that extend out from under the armpit. 

Are arm lifts permanent?

As long as the patient remains at a steady weight, the effects of an arm lift should remain for many years. However, increasing skin laxity is inevitable with age and there may be a point when skin begins to sag again. 

References

  1. Nagrath N, Winters R. Brachioplasty. PubMed. Published 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK585115/ 
  2. Di Pietro V, Colicchia GM, Cervelli V, Gentile P. Arm Contouring After Massive Weight Loss: Liposuction-Assisted Brachioplasty Versus Standard Technique. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery. 2018;11(2):73-78. doi:https://doi.org/10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_102_17