The skin is the body’s largest organ and it is exposed every day to damage from the environment and the unending pull of gravity. The result? Every inch of your skin sags and loosens as we age.

When this happens to your upper arms, it’s difficult to hide, especially during our humid Houston summers. If you put on a tank top or swimsuit, your upper arms are right there for all to see. Sagging, loose skin, whether simply a result of typical aging or due to major weight loss, can make your upper arms move independently or your arms as a whole. Many women opt to simply cover up their loose arms.

Dr. Barrera has a better idea. Come in and have him perform an arm lift. These procedures remove excess skin and tighten underlying muscles to firm and contour your upper arms.

Who should get an arm lift?

If your loose, flappy upper arms bother you, it’s probably time for an arm lift. Generally, you could have the procedure if you have loose, excess, or sagging skin on your upper arms that doesn’t respond to exercise. Or, if you’ve lost lots of weight, the excess skin on your upper arms isn’t going to magically tighten back down. It has been stretched to the degree that it can’t. An arm lift will remove the sagging skin.

The procedure

The goal of an arm lift is to eliminate the excess skin and fat from the upper arms, creating a more contoured appearance. For a very minimal approach, Dr. Barrera can place an incision in the armpit. This usually doesn’t provide enough access to remove the necessary skin. That’s why Dr. Barrera usually makes the incision on either the bottom of your arm or the backside running from the elbow to the armpit. He removes excess fat, tightens the underlying muscles, and removes excess skin. When the procedure is complete, you’ll go home with compression garments around your upper arms to help them adapt to their new smaller, tighter contour.

Recovery

Most arm lift patients return to work after one week, and can resume normal exercise and activity within a month. Scars will fade over the next 18 months to where they will not be overly noticeable.

You don’t have to cover up your loose upper arms. Come in this fall for an arm lift with Dr. Barrera. Call us at (713) 468-5200 to schedule your consultation.