With warmer weather rapidly approaching, it’s high time to get the guns out. But for a lot of us, unwanted arm bulk or sagging skin can stop us from fully enjoying our time in the sun. Luckily these days the answer doesn’t have to mean surgery and an unsightly scar, thanks to advances in liposuction and radio-frequency techniques that can slim and contour the arm for an impactful result that’s nearly undetectable.
Houston, TX plastic surgeon German Newall, MD knows that brachioplasty, which reshapes the back of the arm, isn’t that appealing to a lot of patients. “Of course, there’s a place for each procedure, but most people now that would have been candidates for a brachioplasty are shying away from it because of the unsightly scar,” Dr. Newall explains.
A brachioplasty, or arm lift, scar is typically positioned along the arms, extending from the elbow to the armpit or even further into the armpit for more extensive procedures.
Instead, they’re opting for more minimally invasive techniques to get the results they want.
Within Arm’s Reach: A Minimally Invasive Option for Arms
“Contouring the arms is a very sought-after procedure,” Dr. Newall says. “And the alternative now to surgery is a combination of liposuction and some form of radio frequency.”
When performing the liposuction, Dr. Newall explains that he’s able to go 360 degrees around the arm to reshape the area fully and evenly. By going completely around the circumference of the arm, he can achieve the most de-bulking possible while retaining a good aesthetic appearance.
“And that radio frequency, whether it be BodyTite or Renuvion, is what makes the transition between an unsightly scar and a smooth contour possible,” Dr. Newall explains. “While liposuction always works best on tighter skin, radio frequency allows for us to treat patients with more looseness because it produces a tightening effect that works beautifully.”
Radio frequency can smooth the scars by disrupting and destroying the abnormal collagen that forms around it. As it does this, it prompts the generation of new, healthy collagen, resulting in a smoother appearance that reduces the look of scarring. This allows for patients to not only de-bulk their arms but show them off without the major scarring of a brachioplasty.
Before
After
With Arms Wide Open: What Can You Expect From Results?
Liposuction is a one-time treatment, and that’s the perfect time to introduce radio- frequency treatments that work just under the skin to prompt collagen production.
“We’re using radio frequency on the exterior and interior of the skin to start the tightening process instantaneously,” Dr. Newall says. “But this process of tightening continues for a total of about seven months, so you can see your results keep improving.”
Unlike many treatments, radio frequency does not present any restrictions for skin tone types, making it a colorblind treatment.
Who Makes a Good Candidate?
There are still those patients who can undergo liposuction without any additional skin-tightening, just like there will be patients with enough skin laxity that a brachioplasty would be necessary.
“For those in that gray zone, those who are starting to form batwings that are not that extreme, those are candidates that do really well with liposuction and radio frequency,” Dr. Newall says. “They typically have a little wiggle room, as in, when you move their arm, you see it move with that subtle lag.”
For patients with significant excess skin or pronounced bat wings, a brachioplasty will likely be the recommended route for treatment.
But for those of us who fit Dr. Newall’s description of “wiggle room,” liposuction with radio frequency is a match made in heaven. A no-brainer combination that enhances results and mitigates scarring, this combination of modalities represents the way forward for minimally invasive procedures with maximized results.
