The arms are often among the areas of the body that are stubborn to change. No matter how many hours you spend at the gym or how much you change your diet, your arms don’t seem to improve. If you have excess fat in your arms and wish to achieve slimmer, toned arms, you may consider arm liposuction.
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What is arm liposuction?
An arm lift aims to remove excess fat from the underarm area. Women can often have excess fat on their arms due to weight gain or natural ageing. An arm lift is perfect for those who want more contoured, slender arms and want to remove excess fat.
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Am I a good candidate for arm liposuction?
If you wish to remove excess fat from the lower areas of your arm, you will be considered a good candidate for arm liposuction. However, if you have excess skin, often due to weight loss, arm liposuction may be an unsuitable procedure. Instead, you may opt for an arm lift (brachioplasty), which removes excess skin. If you have mostly excess skin and some excess fat, you can also choose to have liposuction as part of your arm lift. You will also need to have good skin elasticity. If you do not, you may wish to have an arm lift, as arm liposuction can leave excess skin once the fat has been removed. You must be at least 18 years old to have an arm lift. While there is no upper age limit, you should be aware that younger patients may achieve better results due to greater skin laxity.
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It is important to note that arm liposuction is not considered an alternative to a healthy diet and exercise. While liposuction removes fat cells from a specific area of the body, weight gain in areas where liposuction has not been performed can occur if a healthy lifestyle is not maintained after the surgery.
What does arm liposuction involve?
Arm liposuction is usually carried out under a local anaesthetic with sedation. You will be drowsy and relaxed for the procedure, and you will be unable to feel any pain or discomfort. If you do not wish to be awake for the procedure, you may want to elect to have a general anaesthetic.
Arm liposuction will be done using tumescent liposuction. This involves injecting a diluted solution into the arms, which makes the area swell and firm, a condition known as tumescence. This numbs the area and helps with liposuction. Unlike other methods, tumescent liposuction does not use heat, so there is less damage to the internal and external areas of the body.
Small incisions are then made, generally one near the elbow and one near the armpit. The surgeon then inserts a cannula to remove excess fat beneath the arm. Skin, blood vessels, nerves and muscles will be left untouched and undamaged.
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What will the recovery period be like after arm liposuction?
Following arm liposuction, it is normal to experience some bruising, swelling and redness, particularly around the incision sites. This should fade within a few days. If need be, you may wish to take some pain medication to help alleviate any discomfort.
You will be given a compression garment to wear over your arms. This will help speed up recovery by reducing swelling. It will also help contour your arms and keep them in the best possible shape. You will have to wear the compression garment for at least two weeks.
During these two weeks, you will also have to avoid strenuous physical exercise and heavy lifting to avoid complications or injuries to the incision site.
You may need to take a few days off work to recover from the procedure thoroughly. This will vary from person to person and depend on your job type. Some people may feel they can return to work the following day.
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Are you interested in arm liposuction in London? This is a procedure the Centre for Surgery specialises in. Contact us today to learn more or book a consultation.
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