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PLASTIC SURGERY NEWS, SURGERY NEWS, COSMETIC SURGERY NEWS Dcember 2004 NEWS  |
Flabby arms can get a lift
03:10 PM PST on Friday, November 19, 2004
By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News
For years, people have been turning to surgeons to help get rid of fat and flab on their bellies and buttocks. Now, doctors are trimming away arm flab, the so-called "bat wings" that hang from the upper arms.
Fashions are exposing more arm than ever before, but not everyone has terrific triceps
After losing weight, the skin on Natalyia's upper arm failed to tighten. Even something like playing the piano called attention to her sagging skin. So Natalyia decided she needed a lift.
"As you age, you lose fat all over your body, you lose it in your face, you lose it in your arms and everything just seems to get looser," said plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Schreiber.
He said there are different ways you can have awesome arms. Liposuction works for those with too much fat but whose skin is still tight. For those with so-called "bat-wings", your best bet is the arm lift.
"The purpose of doing a brachioplasty, or arm lift, is to be able feel comfortable wearing short sleeves," he said.
The surgeon can do a little or a lot. It all depends.
"If there's not a lot of loose skin, then sometimes you can hide the scar in the armpit and if you only have it in the armpit, then it is something that can be very cosmetic," Schreiber said.
The scar is the biggest drawback to the operation. But Natalyia said it doesn't bother her. She had between 8 and 12 inches of skin taken from each arm. Now she feels comfortable wearing whatever she wants.
Brachioplasty is an outpatient procedure done under general anesthesia. Because of the long incision, there's a possibility of losing sensation.
It costs around $5,000.
http://www.king5.com/health/stories/NW_111804HEnbc_armliftEL.6dabbef9.html
