Many people are self-conscious about the presence of excessive fat and/or redundant skin in the iupper arms. Dr Antoniadis performs the brachioplasty procedure, also known as 'arm reduction' at his Melbourne, Victoria practice to help restore youthful, toned contours to the arms and to give patients greater self-confidence in their appearance. A surprisingly large number of massive weight loss patients, despite having other areas of major concern, request brachioplasty as the initial procedure, because their highest priority is to be able to wear short-sleeved tops and expose their arms, while the lower body, which can be more easily hidden in clothes, can be dealt with at a later date.

Brachioplasty Candidates
Brachioplasty candidates include individuals who are bothered by loose skin hanging below their arms and who are embarrassed to wear short sleeves. This excess tissue can be caused by the normal ageing process or following weight loss. Another group suited to brachioplasty tend to be overweight. In addition to skin and fat hanging down from their arms, their arms are often large especially on the back up near the shoulder, and there is usually an unsightly fatty bulge on the back of the arm just above the elbow. This group are treated by surgical excision plus liposuction. Individuals interested in brachioplasty may also be good candidates for the thigh lift, buttock lift or full lower bodylift.

The Brachioplasty Procedure
Brachioplasty patients and their surgeons alike would like to restrict the scar to the armpit, leaving a trim, more youthful arm and a small hidden scar. The unfortunate reality is that only the smallest amount of arm skin can be removed in this way. Nearly all candidates for brachioplasty have skin/fat excess all the way down to the elbow and often beyond, and the only effective way to treat this is by making the incision all the way down the inner aspect of the arm to the elbow.  

If the skin excess extends past the armpit and onto the chest wall then the excision is extended to incorporate this. Excess fat in the arms is treated by liposuction . A suction drain is used for 24 hrs and compression applied if liposuction has been performed. The patient is discharged on the second post-operative day.

After Brachioplasty
Dr.Antoniadis will provide you with detailed instructions to follow during the recovery period so that healing will take place as quickly and smoothly as possible. These instructions include keeping the arms elevated on pillows for the first few nights after the surgery, and limiting arm movements for the first week. Unlike the scar in the tummy tuck procedure, the brachioplasty scar is not in a favourable anatomical location and tends to be red for several months (even up to 6 - 12 months post-op). Thereafter the scar settles down nicely. Sometimes the scar becomes tight, producing discomfort on stretching the arm above the head. In this situation a scar revision is performed. The procedure may need to be revised after 12 - 24 months due to recurrence of skin laxity due to continued aging and due to the natural relaxation of the tissues.