Arm & Thigh Lift

Upper arm lifts

Upper arm lifts, or brachioplasty. Of course, individuals who have had weight loss surgery are not the only patients who request or can benefit from upper arm lift surgery. For some people, sagging skin associated with aging is the culprit; others are unable to get rid of flabby upper arms through exercise. An upper arm lift creates a smoother look to the upper arm, increases the tightness of the skin, reduces the appearance of fat, and creates a more youthful appearance. Upper arm lifts can also address flab or folds in the skin on the side of the chest near the armpit.

Surgery to perform an upper arm lift typically takes about two hours and can be conducted under light anaesthetic. In some cases, the upper arm lift can be accomplished using only liposuction and won't require any incisions to be made. More intense upper arm lift surgery will use an incision placed in the crease of the armpit or down the inside of the arm. These incisions will be used to lift the skin, tighten the arms, remove excess fat and tighten arm ligaments. Following the upper arm lift procedure, the skin is sutured shut and a pressure garment or elastic bandage is applied to promote healthy healing.

Patients will have limited use of their arms immediately following an upper arm lift, but doctors discourage heavy lifting or even fully extending the arms for the first week or two after surgery. Upper arm lift patients will return a day or two after the procedure, and then usually again within two weeks for the removal of the sutures. During the first days and weeks after an upper arm lift procedure, patients may be required to follow a special regimen of light exercise and stretching to prevent the loss of range of motion of the arms.

Upper arm lifts, especially in combination with liposuction, can produce dramatic results in the contour of the arm. The scars resulting from an upper arm lift are not considered "mature" until a year, or even two, after the surgery, and typically are not dramatic or even readily noticeable. Some individuals choose to have a scar revision after their upper arm lift surgery, in order to further reduce the appearance of scarring. Read More

Thigh Lift

Patients who would like tighter, more youthful looking thighs may benefit from a surgical procedure such known as a thigh lift. In many cases, patients have experienced a large weight loss, resulting in a "saggy" appearance to the skin-a thigh lift can help patients achieve the look they had in mind when they decided to lose weight. A surgical thigh lift removes skin that has lost its elasticity, improving the overall appearance of the thigh area, although often focusing specifically on the inner thigh.

Thigh lifts require general anaesthesia, and can be combined with other related procedures, such as tummy tucks and liposuction. A thigh lift surgery alone usually takes around two hours to complete. The incision used to perform a thigh lift is placed in the groin area beneath the bikini line. A crescent of skin is removed from the groin, then the tissues below the incision are loosened and the "thigh lift" takes place as the skin is pulled up and the incision sutured shut. Deep stitches are used in the thigh lift to secure the skin to ligament and bone, preventing sagging as the incisions heal. Drains are placed in the incisions to prevent excess fluids after the thigh lift surgery, and are usually removed within a few days.

Following a surgical thigh lift, most patients experience minimal pain that is easily controlled with medication. Any swelling is usually gone within two or three weeks and there is rarely bruising associated with thigh lift surgery. Patients should expect to be off from work for around a week, although most individuals are able to get up and move around within a few days of the thigh lift. The sutures will come out within a week to ten days, and the results of the thigh lift are almost immediately available.