Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)

Upper arm lift surgery (brachioplasty) is used to remove and tighten loose or sagging skin of the upper arm areas, which is commonly caused by weight loss. The fold of hanging skin and fat is sometimes called a “bat wing deformity” and must be dealt with via surgical excision in an outpatient general anesthetic operation. Many patients are hopeful that the excess tissue can be removed via liposuction, but the actual amount of fat present in patients with this problem may be minimal, and liposuction only empties out the skin more. Of course, if you have good skin tone and only experience loss of definition because of modest excess fatty tissue in the upper arms, ultrasonic liposuction may be able to firm, contour, and produce slimmer, more well-defined upper arms for you.

For patients with a mild amount of loose skin, the scar caused by arm lift surgery may be a poor tradeoff for a tighter upper arm. This is because the thinness and healing characteristics of the upper arm area in some individuals leave them with thick, wide, hypertrophic, or cord-like scars that are ugly and visible when any kind of short-sleeve clothing is worn. The scar can be placed as inconspicuously as possible on the inner part of the upper arm so that it is hidden when the arm is at your side, but when the arm is raised, the scar will be visible.

Brachioplasty (upper arm lift)

1 of 5 Cases

Before (after 150 lb. wt. loss)

After (1 year post-op)

Before (after liposuction 11 years prior)

After (6 weeks post-op)

Right arm Before (after 100+ pound weight loss)

Right arm After (3 months post-op)

Before (left arm)

After (Left arm, 5 months post-op)

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Brachioplasty (upper arm lift) 220

This woman lost over 150 pounds via diet and exercise at age 30, and maintained her new weight for nearly two years, after which she underwent tummy tuck and full breast lift at Minneapolis Plastic Surgery. She continued to do well at her stable weight, and returned to MPS 6 years later for brachioplasty (upper arm lift) to remove the loose, hanging, excess upper arm skin that prevented certain clothing choices. She underwent an outpatient TIVA general anesthetic operation and had nearly ½ pound of excess skin and fat removed from each upper arm.

Brachioplasty (upper arm lift) 221

This woman was 48 years old when she first presented to Minneapolis Plastic Surgery for liposuction of her upper arms. She was so pleased with this surgery that she returned to MPS two years later for ultrasonic liposuction of the abdomen, flanks, and hips. This outcome was also excellent, and 18 months later she underwent facelift and forehead lift, followed by abdominoplasty 2 years later (age 53). During all of these years her weight remained stable at 138 pounds, with only genetics and age as the cause for her skin laxity. At age 57 she underwent revision of a previous breast reconstruction (performed elsewhere at age 36) here at MPS, followed by bilateral brachioplasty and upper back excision at age 59, also at Minneapolis Plastic Surgery’s accredited (AAAASF) office surgical facility, where she has had all of her operations since the late 1990’s. She continues to be a happy, energetic patient who has been thrilled by her surgeries, and recently underwent a second facelift at age 65.

Brachioplasty (upper arm lift) 225

This woman was 31 years old when she underwent gastric bypass surgery, following which she lost over 100 lbs. She was stable at that weight for nearly 4 years, and came to Minneapolis Plastic Surgery for (outpatient) lower body lift at age 34. She did splendidly, and her weight remained stable for another 6+ years when she returned to MPS for brachioplasty and full breast lift at the same outpatient operation, performed in our nationally accredited (AAAASF) office surgical facility under TIVA general anesthesia. She did so well that exactly one week later she underwent outpatient ultrasonic liposuction of the circumferential thighs, and vertical abdominal skin excision, also at MPS.

Brachioplasty (upper arm lift) 231

This woman was 50 years old when she underwent gastric bypass surgery, after which she lost over 100 lbs. and kept her weight stable for 3 ½ years prior to coming to Minneapolis Plastic Surgery for outpatient circumferential beltlift (lower body lift) at age 54. She did so well that, 2 months later, she underwent brachioplasty at MPS in our AAAASF accredited on site surgical facility under TIVA general anesthesia. Her entire operation took just under 3 hours, and her recovery just under 1 hour. 2 months after brachioplasty she underwent breast augmentation, and 7 months after that underwent medial thigh lift surgery, all at MPS.

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Individual results may vary.

Many patients with a larger amount of excess upper arm skin refuse to wear clothing that reveals the arm at all, but if a visible scar causes the same hesitancy, this surgery may not be for you. Conversely, if you cannot fit into certain kinds of sleeves or clothing because of the hanging skin and can accept visible and sometimes unsightly upper arm scars, arm lift surgery can give you a slim and shapely upper arm that can fit comfortably in whatever clothing choices you prefer.

While not every patient ends up with a thick or ugly scar, as many as half of patients do develop bad scars despite the plastic surgeon’s skill and diligence in suture technique, and this must be taken into account when considering this operation. Although scar-reducing remedies such as Scar Recovery Gel, Mederma™, ScarGuard™, silicone sheet scar pads, and some laser techniques exist to help improve the appearance of troublesome scars such as these, arm lift scars are indeed permanent, and no surgeon or surgical technique in existence can remove or eliminate them completely.

Brachioplasty takes about one and a half hours per arm in the operating room. Most of the time, we utilize dissolving sutures below the surface of the skin to avoid crosshatch or “railroad track” scars. Arm lift surgery can be performed as an outpatient operation at our nationally-accredited (AAAASF) Minneapolis, Minnesota surgical center. After surgery, patients are fitted with a snug upper body garment that provides gentle compression to assist in re-absorption of any surgical swelling. A surgical drain may be placed beneath each incision to reduce the accumulation of fluid under the skin flaps and assist in healing; each one is usually removed in several days when drainage is less than an ounce per 24 hours. Gentle arm movement is encouraged immediately; exercise and lifting can be resumed in two to three weeks.

Complications are rare and minimal, but scarring can take months to mature and may be more visible than anticipated. Proper scar placement can limit visibility when the arms are at your side; however, scars are visible when the arms are raised. Still, for those individuals with the desire and willingness to accept the scars in order to achieve a sleeker and more defined upper arm shape, arm lift (brachioplasty) is the only procedure of choice. Energy-based options cannot tighten the skin smoothly like brachioplasty can, since none of these options actually remove the loose, hanging skin.

Brachioplasty Costs

Costs for brachioplasty depend somewhat on the amount of excess skin to be removed, and the extent of skin tightening and incision closure. Total costs, including professional fee, anesthesia, operating room, and post-operative care are around $12000. Exact costs are always given at the time of complimentary consultation with our ABPS-certified plastic surgeons, who will personally assess your anatomy, goals, and needs. Financing options are available. Please contact us for a no-obligation consultation and more information.

Because of the high demand for free consultations with our plastic surgeons, our staff will ask for a credit card number in order to schedule a consultation; there is no charge whatsoever for appointments that are kept–you will be charged $100 only if you fail to keep a scheduled appointment, or fail to cancel at least 48 hours in advance of your appointment time–for Monday appointments, you must cancel no later than noon on the previous Thursday; for Tuesday appointments, you must cancel no later than noon on the previous Friday.