What About Those Arms?

If we were to take a poll about what cosmetic procedures people hear about most often, they would probably say breast augmentation, rhinoplasty and liposuction. There might be a couple of others thrown in there, but those would likely be at the top of most people’s list.

But what about all the other procedures that get left in the dust? We came across some interesting statistics reported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for 2012. We were actually able to see how big of a surge there has been when it comes to the arm lift, formally known as brachioplasty. This little left behind procedure is actually making some very noticeable gains from year to year and rightfully so. It’s no secret people take notice of nice looking arms and who doesn’t want to look good in their tanks, t-shirts, dresses, and bathing suits?

Take a look at the info-graphic below published recently

Arm lift procedures have increased a whopping 4,378% since 2000. There were a documented total of 15, 457 arm lift surgeries in 2012. That number may not seem impressive, but just the mere growth is enough to show that more and more people are learning that there is an option for improving unwanted saggy arms. While the arm lift will always pale in comparison to a cosmetic surgery like breast augmentation, which roughly 286,000 women had last year, there is still a lot more that can be done to educate men and women about the procedure.

At Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery the arm lift is one of the specialties of both Dr. Nichter and Dr. Horowitz. Both surgeons have been performing this procedure for over 20 years. The arm lift surgery is typically performed under general anesthesia in an outpatient surgical center. In some instances a patient may be a candidate to have it performed under local anesthesia in an office setting. This varies from patient to patient and is based on an evaluation by either of our board-certified plastic surgeons. The arm lift typically consists of both fat removal (liposuction) and skin removal between the under arm and the elbow. Different techniques are available and tailored to your needs. For example, in some cases just liposuction is needed, and in others a short scar technique with incision in your armpit or a more traditional lift removing redundant skin (for “batwing” problems). To determine if you are a good candidate for this surgery make an appointment with us to find out (put in link). The good news is that an arm lift procedure effectively reduces excess skin and fat, as well as provides better shape and contouring of the under arm area. Although there will be a scar resulting from the surgery, most patients feel the trade off of reducing the unwanted volume and sagging skin is worth it.