Arm Lift

An arm lift, also known as Brachioplasty, is a surgical procedure to reduce excess sagging skin or fat pockets in the upper arm region and define the shape of the upper arm by tightening the drooping skin and underlying fat muscles. Brachioplasty or arm lift is ideal for people with a flap of muscles hanging and taking a batwing-like appearance because a workout or exercise cannot correct this condition. The arm lift procedure is done in an operation theater under general anesthesia. The entire surgery is usually two to three hours long. After that, the patient needs to wear a compression garment to help control swelling.

Yes Doctor’s Plastic Surgery Procedure Arm Lift

What is an Arm Lift?

Brachioplasty, more commonly known as an arm lift, is a cosmetic surgical procedure done to eliminate excess skin and muscle laxity from the top of the arm. This procedure consists of tightening and smoothing the tissue, as well as removing extra fat, in order to make the upper arms look more toned and defined. Aging and genetics play a major role in creating wrinkles and skin laxity. This can cause the top of the arm to look saggy, which can be an uncomfortable experience when wearing certain clothes and give off a disheveled appearance. An arm lift procedure that is done by an experienced surgeon can provide amazing results.

Because an arm lift is a highly complex body-sculpting procedure, plastic surgeons take a patient’s desired outcomes and medical history into account while guaranteeing the patient’s safety. 

Your doctor will do your preoperative assessment several weeks before your arm lift. They’ll ensure you’re ready for surgery by looking at your existing and past medical records. It is also a great time to ask your doctor for your queries or concerns about the arm lift. 

They’ll start by checking for any underlying medical conditions that could pose risks to your health and stop results from being ideal. 

Your preoperative evaluation might include the following: 

  • lab work 

  • chest X-ray 

  • an ECG 

  • a prescription for preoperative medication 

  • modifying the dose of existing medications 

Patients can take preparatory steps weeks and months before an arm lift surgery to make the procedure as effective and safe as possible. Quitting smoking can help avoid postoperative complications because smoking hinders wound healing and increases the risk of infection.

Patients must also stop taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen, almost two weeks before the procedure.  

On the surgery day, the doctor starts by marking the arm where they plan to make incisions. Out of several ways of performing an arm lift, the most common method involves incisions on the inside or back of the patient's arms. The incisions are closed with dissolvable sutures or removable stitches that can be removed two weeks following the procedure

Other ways to perform an arm lift surgery include an armpit incision that consists of tearing muscles from the top of the elbow to the armpit. 

If the patient has extra fat pockets, healing will take extra time, or the arm will not fully heal. In that case, the doctor will perform an arm lift and liposuction simultaneously, making the surgery 3 hours long. 

After surgery, patients will need someone to drive them home from the operation room and stay with them overnight to ensure they don't have any tribulation. 

Types of Arm Lifts

  • Which Arm Lift is Right for You?

    The arm lift, scientifically called Brachioplasty, is a surgical procedure to contour or reshape upper arms. The arm lift surgery aims to remove fat pockets from the arm muscles and reduce batwing-like tissues that droop downwards. It also defines the upper arm's shape by tightening the underlying supportive tissues.  

    Old age or genetic factors cause arm muscles to get lax or gain weight. Upper arm muscles are hard to tone because they usually don't respond well to exercise or diet. It leaves people with low self-esteem and a negative body image. In that case, an arm lift is considered a favorable option. There is more than one type of arm lift surgery that leaves people wondering which option to choose.  

    Before an arm lift procedure, doctors check your current and past medical record and, based on its results, customize an arm lift procedure for you. Five different procedures are used for arm lifts. Each procedure has its pros and cons. Finding the right type for you will be vital to achieving the best results.

  • Liposuction only

    Long scars resulting from the traditional arm lift procedure can be problematic and embarrassing, particularly in darker skin individuals. Luckily, this more extensive procedure is done quickly with limited scar length with modern liposuction. After the advent of liposuction, more extensive surgery is needed only for a few extreme cases.

    Liposuction is an ideal procedure for patients with good skin elasticity, little excess skin, and a small amount of fat. It requires a small incision and a short recovery time.

  • Extended arm lift

    Some individuals may have extra skin hanging from their arms and chest. Extended Brachioplasty is the ideal procedure for this predicament. It uses the same technique as the standard Brachioplasty, which involves extending from the elbow to the armpit. But the incision for the extended Brachioplasty goes beneath the arm and onto the chest wall to permit the excision of additional skin on the chest. During the operation, the doctor eliminates fatty tissue and flaccid skin beneath the arm and resolves problems associated with areas on the sides of the body.

  • Traditional arm lift

    Traditional arm lift involves removing excess skin from underneath the upper arm. It involves a long scar that extends from the underarm towards the elbow. In case of excess fats, the doctor performs an arm lift and liposuction simultaneously. 

    This method is suitable for those with lots of excess skin they want to remove. The downside to this procedure is the long, visible scar that runs down the upper arm. However, if you choose to undertake this traditional arm lift method, in that case, your surgeon will advise you on ways that help the scar become less visible with time.

  • CoolSculpting

    CoolSculpting for the upper arm is a procedure that reduces fats without going under the blade or needle. It doesn't involve anesthesia, either. CoolSculpting works on the principle of cooling subcutaneous fats (a layer of fat just beneath the skin) to a precise temperature so that the fat deposits get cool enough, destroyed, and absorbed by the body. Natural functions of the body then remove those absorbed fats.

    CoolSculpting is ideal for candidates who already have attained their desired weight but cannot destroy the stubborn fats under the arms as these fats are hard to shed.

    Most patients can resume their routine activities virtually immediately after CoolSculpting with mild and short-lived side effects, including redness, swelling, tenderness, or bruising.

  • Hidden arm lift

    Minimal incision Brachioplasty, otherwise known as a hidden arm lift, is an ideal procedure for those who are hesitant to get an arm lift due to the long scar. This type of arm lift is suitable for people who have moderate amounts of fat and loose skin. The surgical incision made in the creases under the arm is not easily visible. Additionally, liposuction is often used in conjunction with the hidden arm lift to help tighten the skin and create a more toned and attractive look.

Why an Arm Lift?

An arm lift, also called Brachioplasty, is a procedure to reduce excess fats and sagging skin from underneath the upper arm. People often consider an arm lift surgery to correct a condition called 'batwing muscles.' The arm lift procedure also helps shape deflated muscles by tightening the supportive tissues that contribute to the upper arm's proper shape and definition. 

Several reasons can cause skin laxity and fat pockets in the upper arms' underlying muscles. Old age and several genetic factors are the top reasons. An arm lift is considered a holy grail among people with drooping and sagging upper arms because this area is hard to shape with exercise.  

Healthy habits, especially weightlifting, and bodybuilding, help tone the upper arm muscles. However, they cannot help tighten the sagging skin. After an arm lift, these healthy habits and exercises can help maintain results for several years. 


It's imperative to have a thorough consultation with your surgeon before the procedure. The surgical procedure is highly individualized, depending on the patient's medical record. There are several arm lift surgeries, depending on the patient's individual needs and the method of fat removal. After your medical assessment, the doctor will suggest what arm lift method suits you. 

Arm lift is right for you for the following reasons:


  • Reshapes arm
  • Reduces fat and skin
  • Prevents infections
  • Eliminates problems with hygiene
  • Improves self esteem

What Conditions Are The Arm Lift a Solution to?

An arm lift, clinically known as Brachioplasty, is a cosmetic procedure to improve the tone and definition of your upper arms by reducing excess sag in the underlying drooping muscles. Exercise and diet cannot reduce excess fat in upper arm muscles. Hence an arm lift solves that problem by removing stubborn fat pockets, tightening the extra sag, and smoothing the arm skin. Women of every age group consider Brachioplasty a confident-boosting procedure. The arm lift is an individualized procedure varying from person to person depending on their medical history, the existing condition of muscles, and their desired outcomes. Therefore, there are several methods to perform an arm lift surgery. Depending on your medical assessment, doctors suggest the most suitable arm lift surgery. The arm lift is an ideal procedure for people having excess sag in the underlying muscles of the upper arms, stubborn fat pockets, embarrassed to show their arms, or batwing muscles—a tell-tale sign of aging. People who smoke are not good candidates for Brachioplasty. Those on long-term steroids due to an illness or a history of connective tissue disorders should also not consider Brachioplasty, as the procedure involves many incisions. These patients typically have a record of poor tissue quality and difficulty healing. A Brachioplasty (arm lift) procedure addresses the following concerns:

  • Loose skin

    Women of all ages opt for the arm lift, but it's more common in older ladies. Because old age brings unique challenges like wrinkles, sagging tissues, and muscle laxity. Brachioplasty can reverse the signs of aging by tightening batwing-like arm muscles and giving them proper definition and shape. We cannot stop the aging clock, but we can rewind it with an arm lift.
  • Remove fat deposits

    A lot of individuals possess an abundance of fat in the region between their elbow and armpit. It is often difficult to get rid of such fat as upper arms are not easy to shape through dieting or physical activity. Therefore, arm lift surgery is utilized to reduce fat and skin, as well as to restore the attractive appearance of the space between the elbow and armpit. This treatment leads to a noteworthy decrease in superfluous skin and fat.

Steps to getting your procedure

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Step 1

Research

Step 2

Matching with a doctor

Step 3

Getting financing

Step 4

Booking a consultation

Why Yes Doctor for Arm Lift

In today's inflation and out-of-the-pocket costs, it's important for patient financing companies to offer flexible, convenient, and patient-friendly payment plans.

Yes Doctor offers the Buy Now, Pay Later—a payment solution to split the purchase cost into multiple easy installments to enable patients to pay their medical bills over time rather than all at once and lets them continue moving forward with their healthcare.  Interest as low as 0% makes the process pocket-friendly right when it's needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

The decision comes down to multiple factors like the benefits you want to reap, possible downsides, and the cost of the procedure. Whether or not the outcomes are worthwhile also depends on how experienced the surgeon performing your arm lift is. If a board-certified plastic surgeon operates, in that case, the scar is almost mostly camouflaged, but this is not always the case. Sometimes despite the surgeon's years of experience, a noticeable and swollen scar is left due to the patient's poor medical record. However, the survey has shown a satisfaction rate of 93%, making the arm lift surgery worth the cost, pain, and incisions.
Pain and discomfort primarily depend on the type of arm lift you choose. However, the procedure is carried out by injecting long-acting local anesthesia making arm lift painless. As the effect of anesthesia subsides, mild discomfort is expected that can be alleviated by taking painkillers and medicines prescribed by your healthcare provider. Following all postoperative guidelines can substantially minimize pain and discomfort.
The arm lift is a life-changing experience because it offers long-lasting and semi-permanent results. You can enjoy well-defined contours of your upper arm for many years as long as you maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. However, as we age, skin sagging and drooping are natural. You can ensure long-lasting results by discussing your desired outcomes, type of surgery, and medical history with your doctor ahead of time.
The biggest concern of this procedure is an extensive scar that is sometimes hard to conceal. In a hidden arm lift, scars are minimal and can be covered easily with short-sleeved shirts. In traditional arm lifts, the scar runs along the entire upper arm. It is hidden inside the skin crease making it less visible and getting camouflaged with time. But sometimes, the scar is noticeable due to poor healing and inexperienced surgeons, causing a negative self-image and embarrassment for patients.