Brachioplasty Gallery

An early, 6-week follow-up on a woman in her mid-40s who is bothered by the appearance of her arms after pregnancy, as well as significant weight loss.  She is 5’1” and her maximum weight was 230 lb.  She has lost 50 lbs with Wegovy. These are sometimes called “bat wings.”

A woman in her mid-70s who is bothered by “bat wings” with loose skin on her arms.  She has not had significant weight loss, and this is more age-related loss of elasticity.  She doesn’t like having the skin “flopping” and has worked out continuously for the last few years without any change in her arms.  In addition to working out at the gym, she walks 3 miles, 6 days a week.  She had a breast reduction with us 30 years ago.  She is shown before and again, just 6 weeks after bilateral Brachioplasty with the posterior incision approach.  The scars are typically at their worst at 6 weeks and will fade and improve over the next 3 years.  She is already thrilled with her improvement.

A 4 ½  month follow-up on a woman in her mid to late 60s after bilateral brachioplasty.  She had lost weight in the past with a gastric bypass.

She is shown with my current preference in most patients for a posterior incision.  The scars will continue to fade and improve over the first three years after surgery.  I find the contour of the arms to be better than placing the incision on the inner aspect of the arm.

A woman in her mid 60’s  with significant weight loss who is bothered by the loose skin of her arms, sometimes called a “bat wing” deformity

She is shown before and again, just 6 weeks after bilateral brachioplasty using a posterior approach.  The posterior approach leaves a scar on the back of the arm, rather than in the bicipital groove of the anterior arm, and, in my hands, gives a much better contour.  Scars are typically at their thickest at 6 weeks and then will fade and improve for the next three years.  Her result may not be representative in that her scar already is looking pretty good at only 6 weeks.

A nurse and mother of 2 in her early 40’s who had a gastric bypass and lost 126 lbs. She is shown 13 months after mastopexy/brachioplasty and 5 months after Fleur de Lis abdominoplasty with the creation of a new umbilicus. She is thrilled with her new contour. Scars will typically continue to fade and improve for 3 years.
A posterior incision was used for the brachioplasty which gives a better contour of the arms in exchange for a posterior scar placement.

A woman in early 40’s who has lost 130 lbs with a gastric bypass, reducing her weight from 280 lbs to 152 lbs She is 5’ 3 ½” tall. She is bothered by looseness of the upper arm skin and back skin. She is shown just before and again, just 4 months after a bilateral “L” brachioplasty ( “arm lift)” done at the same time as a bra-line back lift. A posterior arm incision placement was chosen. Scars from a brachioplasty will typically get redder and thicker for 6 weeks and then slowly improve over the following 3 years. At must 4 months her scars are starting to fade. She is thrilled and told me about being thilled to be able to wear a sleeveless dress to a wedding recently and being able to dance without loose skin on her arms shaking and jiggling.

A young 82 yo in good health who is bothered by the wrinkled appearance of her upper arms. After discussing the options of a brachioplasty with a medial incision vs a posterior incision she elected for the posterior incision. The posterior incision , although visible from behind tends to give a tighter result with less recurrence of stretching. The scars typically continue to fade and improve for 3 years. The updated ‘after’ photos are from a 15-month followup.

A woman in her mid to later 50’s who is troubled by excess skin of her upper arms after losing 150 lbs following a gastric bypass. She is currently 5’6″ and 156lbs. She is shown before and again, 4 1/2 months after a bilateral brachioplasty ( “upper arm lift”). In her case she and I chose to place the scar at the groove below the biceps muscle on the inner arm. With a brachioplasty I tell my patients that they are trading a visible and potentially unfavorable scar on the surface of the arm to obtain a better contour. Her photos show that this scar is not visible with her arms at her side from the front or rear. Although her scars will typically continue to fade and improve for 2 years or longer after surgery, she is already thrilled with her new contour and the ability to wear more fitted shirts. The loose skin that she has elsewhere in her body after her weight loss is not as bothersome for her because she is able to hide it with her clothing.

A woman in her early 60’s who has lost 65 lbs after at lap band procedure and is bothered by the appearance of her arms. She is shown before and again, 1 year after a bilateral brachioplasty. She had a posterior scar placement combined with power assisted liposuction of each arm. The posterior incision seems to allow for better tightening of the upper arm skin in patients with significant weight loss, but is visible from behind. The brachioplasty scars typically will continue to improve for 3 years. She is pleased with her early result, and can wear more clothing styles now.

A woman in her early 60’s who has lost 83 lbs with diet and exercise. She is nearly 5 feet tall and is 136 lbs. She had bilateral mastopexy/augmentation (breast lift with implants) with the placement of 300 cc smooth round moderate profile plus silicone gel implants placed in a partial subpectoral (below the muscle) position.She is shown 8 1/2 months after bilateral brachioplasty (“arm lift”) and bilateral mastopexy (breast lift), and then 3 months after extended abdominoplasty. Although scars will continue to improve for up to 2 years, she is already thrilled with her early improvement. The brachioplasty trades a visible scar on the arm for a better contour. I prefer to place the scar on the inside of the arm, where tailors typically put the seam of a suit coat sleeve, as it is not visible with the arms at the side. Some surgeons prefer to place the scar at the back of the arm. The extended abdominoplasty extends the incision around the sides and as far back as we can go without turning the patient over during the abdominoplasty. It gives a better correction of the sides than with a standard abdominoplasty, but is less surgery ( and expense) and an easier recovery than a lower body lift. A posterior excision can be done as a second procedure if the patient wants additional tightening to complete a lower body lift in stages, but many patients, including this one do not need or want this.