After losing a lot of weight, you might find yourself with a few unwanted things still hanging around. I'm talking about those flabby arms. They wobble when you raise your hand, flatten out like pancakes, and generally make you feel like all that hard work losing weight was not worth it at all. Do not worry about it anymore; the arm lift is here to save the day.
An arm lift is a surgical procedure few folks have even heard of. It takes a lift here, a tuck here, and in the end your arms are thin, toned and normal looking. Nobody will ever know that you were even overweight at all.
The First Step – The consultation with a plastic surgeon
Actually, this is the most important step of the entire procedure. The reason is that there are several types of lifts, and there are a variety of techniques to eliminate that drooping skin. Your doctor will have a look and a squeeze on your arms, talk to you about your goals, and assess the best possible strategy taking into account your general body shape.
They will want to get it just right for you. They will also check out your medical history, tell you about risks and recovery, and answer any important questions that you have. Your consultation is also a chance for you to check out your doctor's record of past work. Have him roll out those before and after photos, and start imagining your skinny, toned arms.
The Second Step – The arm lift operation
This is not a giant procedure. A cut is made from the armpit to the inside of the elbow. The length depends on the extent of the operation and what overall shaping is being done, as decided by you and your doctor during the consultation.
A smaller operation means a small incision, and a big operation means a bigger cut. Excess skin is removed and the tissue underneath is moved around so that it will be more natural. This is the key to the operation – liposuction does not work because this is not fat; the tissue and excess skin must be removed and contoured underneath.
The Third Step – Recovery
The operation takes about 2 hours, which means that you are in and out in one day. You'll have some pain and discomfort for the first day, and the doctor will probably prescribe some painkillers. There will be some swelling, but in two weeks it is gone. You can be back to work in a week or less, and back to exercising regularly in two weeks or so. The only drawback is that the scars will remain, but a skilled plastic surgeon can make the incision carefully so that it shows as little as possible.
The Fourth Step – Getting back into the swing of things
You can wear all those old shirts again, from your pre-fat days. You do not have to be embarrassed anymore to wear a sleeveless shirt or go shirtless. After you've lost the weight, all you've got left to do is get your body back into the perfect shape you want. An arm lift after weight loss is the way to get rid of that sagging skin on your upper arms and get you feeling your best again.