Summer is almost here and the weather is warming up, which means it’s time to break out the sleeveless tops, sundresses and swimsuits! While some are excited about this, others are feeling hesitant about wearing clothes that expose their arms. If you’re among the latter, you know that loose, sagging skin and fat on the upper arms is no fun to deal with. Whether your arms have lost tone due to aging, or you have excess skin after losing weight, unfortunately, no amount of curls or push-ups will help stretched, sagging tissues. Instead of choosing outfits based on what will best hide your arms, find a solution that’s right for you. Read on to learn how CosmetiCare can help!
Benefits of Brachioplasty
If you’ve ever waved to a friend and noticed that your arm keeps waving for a few more seconds after you've stopped, then you know how the shape and tone of your arms can affect your self-confidence. Sagging or flabby upper arms, often referred to as “bat wings,” can also make wearing sleeveless clothing—or tops with fitted sleeves—a challenge, as the excess tissue gets in the way.
Brachioplasty, also known as an upper arm lift, is a procedure very often performed with liposuction, however, it is also a common surgical procedure performed by itself. During surgery, an incision is made down the back of the arm and excess skin and fat is removed. The underlying supportive tissue may also be tightened and reshaped with internal sutures.
Brachioplasty is appropriate for women and men with varying degrees of sagging skin. It can provide subtle skin tightening and toning or it can provide more dramatic results, depending on the amount of loose or sagging skin removed.
Benefits Of CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting is a FDA approved, non-surgical approach to reducing body fat. Until recently, this medical technology was applied only to the flanks (love handles), thighs and abdomen. Now this treatment is available for the upper arms too.
CoolSculpting is a very quick and painless procedure performed in our MedSpa. Using the CoolAdvantage Petite applicator, which was created to better target small areas such as the arms, the procedure can take as little as 35 minutes. One of the other great advantages that CoolSculpting offers is zero downtime. This means you can continue your workout regime and go about your day as normal before, after and in between your CoolSculpting treatments.
When considering CoolSculpting, it’s also important to know that there is a distinct difference between fat reduction and weight loss. The CoolSculpting process provides actual fat reduction. With weight loss, fat cells shrink, but the number of fat cells remains the same. Therefore, those fat cells can regain their fat, which is why weight always seems to come back. Fat reduction on the other hand eliminates fat cells, reducing the total number of fat cells so they can’t regain fat again. CoolSculpting provides fat reduction.
Brachioplasty vs. Fat Reduction
Brachioplasty is designed to address excess, sagging skin beneath the arms; it will not be effective in removing a large amount of fat. If you have good skin elasticity, but are bothered by fullness in the upper arms caused by excess fat, a fat reduction procedure such as liposuction or CoolSculpting may be a better option. As mentioned above,
fat reduction procedures are often used in conjunction with brachioplasty to help provide better contour. During a consultation, we will help you understand all procedure options and determine which option is best to for you to achieve the greatest results.
Go Ahead, Go Sleeveless!
Like the stomach and the thighs, excess skin and fat tend to accumulate in the arms as we age. Over time, these conditions not only worsen, but they become much harder to correct. If you’re unable to get satisfying results from diet and exercise, a surgical brachioplasty and/or liposuction, or non-surgical CoolSculpting can help restore a contoured appearance to the arms. All of these options help patients every day feel more at ease when wearing sleeveless tops, sundresses, or bathing suits, which are staples in
Orange Country cosmetic surgery.
So what are you waiting for? If you’re ready to achieve #armgoals then give us a call or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation. Go ahead and go sleeveless! There’s no better time.
