Forearmplasty, contouring the forearm after massive weight loss

What is a forearm-plasty?

Massive weight loss patients have a wide variety of body contouring procedures to remove excess skin and lift different parts such as the buttocks and breasts. A common procedure is the brachioplasty which is designed to remove extra skin (‘bat-wings’) of the arm above the elbow. This surgery is often combined with a breast lift and / or an upper body lift. In patient with massive weight loss after brachioplasty, there may still be significant skin excess in the forearm which is now out of proportion to the upper arm. Forearm-plasty is a procedure described by Dr. Kirwan to correct this.

Age

There is no set age for this procedure. Arm lifts are often done in older patients with loss of skin tone and also in younger patients with excess skin after Massive Weight Loss (MWL). Younger patients with heavy arms and good skin tone will may have a good result with liposuction and Bodytite alone.

Surgical Technique

Surgery involves excision of skin and fat along the inside of the forearm. The scars may be visible from behind, when the arms are resting at the side. Scars along the inside of the forearm and are also visible when you lift your arms up such as in the ‘High-Five’. The great majority of scars heal well with minimal visibility. Mature scars that have turned white can be exposed to the sun.

Philosophy

Liposuction for flabby arms will not correct excessive looseness of the skin. It will just make it worse. Although the scar is long in a brachioplasty and a forearm-plasty, this procedure can truly rejuvenate the arm and allow the wearing of sleeveless clothing because of the elimination of extra wrinkly skin and generally the excellent aesthetics when the arms are resting at the side.

Surgical time and recovery

Surgery takes between two and three hours. The recovery period is about 14 days. It can take 6-12 months to see the final result. Surgery may be performed on each arm separately, 6 weeks apart.

Related Procedures

A forearm lift can be combined with a brachioplasty and other procedures such as a breast lift, upper body lift and liposuction.

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