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Mayo Clinic plastic surgeons report that surgery to remove excess
skin and fat in the upper arm, known as an "arm lift," is generally safe.
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Mayo Clinic plastic surgeons report that surgery to
remove excess skin and fat in the upper arm, known as an
"arm lift," is generally low risk. Minor complications may
arise in approximately 25 percent of cases.
"We concluded that an arm lift is a safe procedure, but there are
complications associated with it that surgeons and patients should
be aware of," says James Knoetgen, III, M.D., Mayo Clinic plastic
surgeon and lead study investigator. "Overall, the complication rate
is relatively low, and the large majority of complications are
minor. The only concerning complication we encountered in our study
was injury to or irritation of sensory nerves in the arm that can
cause numbness in the forearms, and rarely, pain in the hand and
forearm."
In the Mayo Clinic study, the types of complications found to
arise following arm lift surgery included fluid collections under
the skin (10 percent), poor scarring (10 percent), skin infection
(7.5 percent), abscesses under the skin (2.5 percent) and wound
separation (7.5 percent). Nerve injuries occurred in 5 percent of
the patients; one patient experienced prolonged numbness of one
forearm and hand, and another patient developed pain in one forearm
and hand. None of the patients required operative treatment for the
complications.
Of the 40 patients studied, five had parts of their arm lifts
revised, four to make changes in the skin appearance and one to have
arm liposuction.
Dr. Knoetgen and Steven Moran, M.D., also a Mayo Clinic plastic
surgeon, undertook this research to better understand the
complications and outcomes of arm lift surgery, indicates Dr.
Knoetgen.
In addition to aesthetic benefits, arm lifts can provide
functional benefits for some patients. Dr. Knoetgen explains that in
massive weight loss patients, an arm lift can help treat rashes that
have developed due to excess upper arm skin sticking to the skin of
the armpit and chest. It may also improve ability to exercise and
make clothes fit better.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' (ASPS)
statistics, ASPS member surgeons and other certified physicians
performed 9,955 arm lifts in 2004. Of these arm lifts, 4 percent
were performed on males and 96 percent on females. In addition, the
society's statistics indicate a 2845 percent increase in upper arm
lift surgeries from 2000 to 2004.
Dr. Knoetgen attributes the rise of this surgery's popularity
primarily to the growth in weight loss surgeries such as gastric
bypass surgery, since massive weight loss typically results in large
amounts of excess skin. He also points out, however, that recently
he has witnessed an increased interest in this surgery from
non-massive weight loss patients.
This study involved a retrospective review examining all arm lift
(brachioplasty) procedures performed between 1988 and 2004 at Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minn. All of the 40 patients were female, with
an average age of 47. Of these, 76 percent underwent arm lift
surgery following significant weight loss, 74 percent of whom had
gastric bypass surgery. The surgical technique utilized in all
patients involved removal of skin and fat skin from the inner side
of the upper arm. The patients' arm lift outcomes were studied an
average of 50 months following surgery.
These findings will be presented in an abstract at the American
Association of Plastic Surgeons 84th Annual Meeting at the Hyatt
Regency at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Sources
Mayo Clinic.
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