Lipo Surgery Vs. Arm Lift Surgery

Arm lift (Brachioplasty) surgery has never been a very popular cosmetic procedure despite the fact that most women, over age 50, suffer from hypotrophic sagging of the tissues in the upper arm. Many have fatty problems in the area as well. The problem is the cost and the scar. Sometimes the problem can be corrected with a smaller scar in the axillary (armpit) area but more often a larger scar, running down the length of the inner upper arm, is required. This is simply unacceptable to most patients. Most would rather put up with a sagging arm than the unsightly scar.

Many patients have fatty problems in the arm as well. The posterior (backside) of the arm tends to accumulate fat, as we age, and increase in weight, especially in women. Men may think they look more masculine with larger arms but most women do not like the look of large arms, especially if they sag.

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An alternative is Tumescent Liposculpture or Smart Lipo. This patient had a combination of excess fat and loose skin of her upper arm. She sought help from a Plastic Surgeon, who recommended arm lift surgery, but she did not want to deal with the large scar and the $9000 price tag was also more than she wished to spend.

We treated her at the O'Neil Skin and Lipo Medical Center with a combination of Smart Lipo laser to tighten the sagging skin, and Tumescent Liposculpture to remove the excess fat. As you can imagine, she was very happy with her results and referred several of her friends to our Lipo Center.

Tumescent Liposculpture and Smart Lipo require only small puncture wounds which leave a scar. The procedure is performed with local anesthesia and intravenous sedation. In contrast, most arm lift surgeries require general anesthesia. The cost of the procedure is 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of an arm lift surgery.

The results of this procedure should not be considered to be equal in skin tightening to a surgical arm lift. A patient can expect to improve the sagging about 10 years worth of sagging or to expect their arm tightness to be about what it was a decade earlier. The fat removal with Tumescent Liposculpture is usually superior to arm lift surgery.

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This patient had a combination of Tumescent Liposculpture and Smart Lipo laser. Her procedure, at the O'Neil Skin and Lipo Medical Center, was performed with local anesthesia and a light IV sedation. She elected to have her back, waist and hips treated as well. Later, she returned to have her abdomen, inner and outer thighs sculpted as well. She feels she looks much better and more confident in her appearance.