What is a “Brachioplasty?”

Many patients complain about the extra flabby skin of their upper arms and wonder what can be done about it. Treatment often involves use of liposuction alone or liposuction with removal of the extra, stretched-out skin. The medical term for this surgical procedure is brachioplasty. If a small to medium amount of fat is present, liposuction alone may work to make the underarm look firm and contoured again–especially if skin tone is good. However, if the problem is mostly one of excess stretched-out skin–like what happens when a person loses a large amount of weight quickly–a brachioplasty may be the better answer. In fact, patients who have lost a good deal of weight either naturally or after a gastric bypass may be left with what can be called an “empty skin envelope” and as well as little skin tone. A common term for this is also “batwings” and it is in these patients that a brachioplasty may be most effective. When the problem is moderate to severe, It may be worth considering this surgical option because the significant improvement in upper arm contour may outweigh the considerable scarring involved with the procedure. It becomes a matter of priorities to the patient–possible visable scars weighed against the improvement in upper arm contour–and, as always, a consultation with an experienced and (equally important) a board-certified plastic surgeon for evaluation is invaluable.