How much should I expect out of an arm lift?

I'm over two years out from my VSG and I have maintained a steady weight for a LONG time.  I'm not as thin as I had hoped, but I know that I can lift healthy and happy at my current weight, so I've been starting the process of plastic surgery.

 

I have lost weight pretty unevenly.  My upper body is very small, while my arms and lower body keep their "heftiness."  The thing that holds me back the most, emotionally and physically, are my arms.  They have lost a lot of weight, yet despite exercise they remain somewhat heavy.  They have a lot of loose skin, yet still too much fat.  It's like the fat is attached to the loose skin in such a way that no arm exercises can improve it.  I am a music teacher and percussionist, so 95% of my professional life involve waiving my arms around... which is pretty embarrassing!  I feel like at any moment, I might take off in flight.

To really illustrate what I mean, I have a video of a recent performance I gave... I am wearing a strapless gown, and the arm problem is extremely visible.  There are places where I see arms moving around in a circular fashion... it's not pleasant.  If it'd help, I can share the video, just ask... Despite that wonderfully attractive performance, the music went very well, and my boyfriend (now fiance) proposed to me on stage at the end!  Good to know he doesn't care too much about my bat wings ;)

Anyway, I'm looking into have a breast lift and arm lift hopefully before my wedding which is almost certainly scheduled to happen 2 years from now.   I have always dreamed of being married in a strapless gown, without having to feel so incredibly self conscious about my arms.

My question is how much should I expect out of an arm lift surgery?  I know I wont likely have tiny little stick arms, with them being as full as they are now... but I would like the best possible results to get them as scaled down as possible.  At LEAST to have them in proportion with the rest of me.  Is it even likely that I will get anything out of having my arms worked on?  Like I said, my arms are NOT just empty flaps of skin.  There is a lot of loose skin present, but there is plenty of fat in there as well.

Any help anyone could offer is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Tegan

I completely understand!!  My arms bug me the most, too.  Right now I won't wear any shirts with shorter than 3/4 length sleeves.  I am having my brachioplasty one week from today (my first round of plastics) and I am beyond excited!!  My excess skin there is just skin, so I can't help you with your questions about the fat in your arms.  I'm sure someone will chime in.

Laura

I had my pre-op appointment today.  Right now my arms are about 12" around at the biggest point.  When I went for my first consult over the summer, my doctor made notes that he might have to do some lipo on them.  I've lost 30 pounds since then.  He mentioned yesterday that there is nothing left to suction, it's just skin.  I will have my daughter take some "before" pics and post them on my profile later today.

Laura

What I would think, and I am not really sure. Maybe, the dr could do lipo first, let that heal and then go back in and do the arm lift. Or do these together, with a lot of excess fat, I am sure lipo is the way to go. Good Luck...go for a few consults and see what each doctor suggests!

This is a tough question.  Without seeing your arms, it's impossible to determine what you can expect......

You will have scars.  As long as you get started early the scars should fade but they don't disappear.  If you have a lot of fat, you may require two procedures (lipo and brachioplasty).  I had my arms revised.  A revision typically is done six months after the original surgery. 

Your best advice will come from a plastic surgeon.  Even today, after my work, I'm not sure I would dare wear a strapless gown.  I go sleeveless from time to time.  Send me a link and I'll take a look. 

Good luck with everything and congratulations on your engagement.

I went ahead and found a pic off my profile which (I think) shows a pretty good representation of my arm "situation" !

Here's the link http://www.obesityhelp.com/myoh/photos/504142/Summer-2009/af ter2-jpg/

Yes, I think you should have the surgery.  And, make sure you take off that last 20 pounds or so before the surgery - your results will be a lot better.   I have photos on my profile of my arms after surgery. 

Again, not seeing them makes it more difficult to visualize how much needs to be removed.  But, I can tell you that I just had a brachio 10 days ago, and I'm a lot older than you.  I never reached MY ideal wt. either but my arms were particularly bad and very heavy.  My circumference was 21.5" at their widest!!  ETA:  They are now measuring 16.5" with swelling.  Dr. Agha here in Newport Beach, Ca. did them and as of right now I am SO HAPPY I can't begin to tell you!  He removed 5-1/2 POUNDS !! of skin, tissue and fat, combining lipo and surgical removal, of course.  They look just great and they are still swollen, even.  There is just such a difference.  Now, based on MY personal preference, he applied the incision right at the BOTTOM of each arm so that when my arms are extended out or up (like "Popeye" often posed) you can see NO incision.  Many doctor's have their own preferences and sometimes that's based on one's anatomy, too.  Normally, he makes the more "common" incision, which is much higher up the arm (say, 1/2 to 2/3 down from the top) so that the incision is still visible from the front).  I LOVE the look and felt he took off plenty, as I was hoping.  I plan to shortly post pics but will send you personal ones through email if you're in a hurry.  IMPO you'd certainly want to have a PS that specializes in formerly obese patients as that's becoming almost a sub-specialty in itself, dealing with all that excess skin, etc. and the contours.

Wow, I hope I can have results as great as yours!  When I first started the process of losing weight, my arms were about 17 inches around.  Today, they are around 15, yet significantly less full.  It's like as fat was lost, it just sort of thinned out, as opposed to going away in any sort of "orderly" fashion.

They are so heavy!  You would imagine that your muscle underneath would be huge and buldging from lifting that weight all around...!  But no, it never works like that, does it?  If that were the case, I'd have amazingly toned thighs and butt too! 

Here's a link to a a picture which really "shows off" my arms.  http://www.obesityhelp.com/myoh/photos/504142/Summer-2009/af ter2-jpg/

 I would say that the most aggrivating thing is that the skin/fat droops in two separate folds on each arm.  It doesn't hang evenly unless I hold my arms out to the side.  It looks like a have a strange deformity!  Embarrassing...!  But I think this picture demonstrates well how my arms have lost weight disproportionately to the rest of my body.  I am not a tiny person - I know I've got curves and "baby-birthin'" hips/thighs, but I still don't feel like those arms fit on my frame.

I would like to donate some of this skin and fat to people *****ally need it, because I have more than enough.  I wish I could donate it to stem-cell research or burn victims or something ;)

First Congrats on everything!  You have had alot going on.  I have lost 180 pounds and I carried a lot in my back and arms.  Even with loosing so much my doctor recommended doing 2 procedures. Once being lipo and then the actually surgery.

He explained that he could do the actual lift but that he doesn't think he would get the best result.

Monday I had extensive Lipo of my back flanks, abs and sides as well as my arms and Breast Lift.  Next we will do the lift in the arms.

What ever decision you decide get a couple opinions from doctors in your area and then make the decision that will be serve you!  Good luck in whatever you decide!!