With spring and summer around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about wearing tops with short sleeves—or no sleeves. If you have arms that jiggle, this notion probably makes you shudder. And if you came by your jiggly arms through major weight loss, there may not be a lot that you can do about it; you can perform barbell curls 24/7 and still not be able to regain the muscle tone you have lost in your upper arms. Aging takes its toll on the arms too, especially aging accompanied by previous major weight loss. And sometimes genes for flabby upper arms can cause even younger people and those who have never had appreciable weight fluctuations to despair when the time comes to review their spring/summer wardrobes.
The good news is that plastic surgeons know exactly how to counteract this problem. The arm lift (or Brachioplasty) is one of the more popular procedures for the simple reason that there are a lot of people out there who are not happy with their arms. It also helps that the procedure is short (one to two hours, generally) and can be done on an outpatient basis. However, it is important to stress that there are some people for whom barbell curls can be helpful, and they are not the ones who should be considering lifts. A consultation with specialists can help you to determine whether you need a plastic surgeon or a personal trainer.
The arm lift requires surgeons to make incisions on the inside of the arm, so that they can then rid the arm of excess skin and fat. The fat can sometimes be extracted through liposuction. If the excess skin is fairly minimal and located near the arm pit, the incision area can often be limited to the arm pit, where scarring is not an issue. The length of the incision depends on the extent of the problem. For some weight loss patients, it may be necessary for the tissue to be removed through an incision that runs from the arm pit to near the elbow, perhaps six inches in length. This scar will not be noticeable on the outside of the arm, but it may be noticeable for some months when the arms are raised. In extreme cases, the incision may need to extend to a part of the chest as well. As you can see, there are many variations.
So, save your long-sleeved shirts for winter. Whether the answer for you is more days at the gym or a little surgical magic, the fact is, there is an answer. Once you say goodbye to jiggly arms, saying hello to summer—and tank tops and bathing suits—will be a joy.