One area that might need a tune-up starting around mid age is the upper arm. Unlike men who utilize muscle to achieve an aesthetically pleasing arm, women trust in a sleek, slim look that can be disrupted by sagging skin. Gravity takes it’s toll after a few decades and can leave the skin on a woman’s arm a bit too loose.
Dr. Laurie Casas of Chicago is confronted by patients with this dilemma and utilizes a selection of tools and techniques to reverse the wear and tear that causes loose and sometimes unhealthy skin on the arm. Whether the skin is tightened or removed, a huge reversal in aged arms can be accomplished!
by Laurie Casas, MD
and The Plastic Surgery Channel
Tidying up your arms
Time, gravity, and sun exposure all combine over decades to diminish skin elasticity and health. Many, many women suffer from loose skin in the upper arms, wondering if there is anything substantial they can about it. “I see this a lot, especially in women over 40,” says Dr. Casas. “First you deal with muscle tone and you deal with skin quality. And those are lotions and potions taking care of the skin quality.”
Muscle definition is a very, very important aspect of tightening skin; without great muscle tone, there is only so much you can do if you want a fantastic result. In addition to toning the muscles, continuing or beginning a regimen of skin care can be very beneficial to the health of the arm’s skin.
Using modern procedures to craft dramatic results
When the muscles are toned and a skin care regimen has been started, then Casas looks to various procedures to help both eliminate unwanted fat and/or tighten/remove excess skin. “We can do laser lipolysis, which involves two tiny incisions. Melt the fat, heat up the skin, and the skin tightens.”
The more extreme example of loose skin manifests in derogatory descriptions such as “bat wings” or “bingo arms”. In these cases, the skin is so loose that it literally hangs off when the arm is lifted. For these cases, success in treatment involves removing skin surgically. “If someone actually has a bat wing – which means instead of just a little extra skin they have an actual bat wing – then we can do brachioplasty, which means cutting out that skin,” explains Casas.
Results are achievable and turn back the clock on sleek, youthful arms. At the end of the day, Casas verifies what most women already know about how to prepare their arms for a positive change: “Pretty much everyone needs to tone their muscles and take care of skin quality!”