A brachioplasty, or arm lift, tightens and reshapes the upper arm. An arm lift may be appropriate if you have loose or hanging skin or excess fat in the upper arm despite toning exercises. If there is a minimal amount of loose skin, sometimes liposuction or non-invasive fat reduction techniques alone can be used to re-shape the upper arm. For patients with more skin laxity, an arm lift can be done with either an incision hidden in the armpit or one that extends to the elbow for maximum contour improvement.
If your skin tone is good, reshaping the upper arm can sometimes be done with liposuction alone. In patients who have loose, hanging skin resulting from weight loss or aging, an incision can be made from the axilla (armpit) along the inner arm to remove the excess skin.