Easy Ways to Tone Up Your Arms

We all want our arms to look their very best. Unfortunately, as elasticity and lean muscle mass diminish with age, the skin on the backs of our upper arms begins to droop, creating what are known as “batwings.” But with the right exercises, products and treatments, you can achieve sleeker, sculpted arms in no time.

Quick Contouring
Skin-firming creams and lotions, as well as self-tanners, can create the illusion of more toned arms. A sunless tan is an extra-easy way to look more toned. After the product is applied to each arm and dries, flex your muscles with your arms extended out. Paint a darker shade between your bicep and tricep to create a “shadow effect” for added definition 

The Workout Way
Exercising with resistance bands and small weights helps tone up the arms. Situated in Northeastern Pennsylvania, The Lodge at Woodloch features classes designed to get your arms in tip-top shape. One of its most popular, “Up in Arms,” uses resistance bands, dumbbells and body bars to tone and tighten the arms. “We focus on the shoulders, biceps and triceps, in addition to the chest and back, to improve balance and strength while keeping muscles in the entire upper body long and lean,” says Jordan Hartey, exercise physiologist at Woodloch.

Dramatic Difference
Looking for a noninvasive way to tighten loose skin on your arms? CoolSculpting, an FDA-cleared cooling process, fights flab by freezing fat cells underneath the skin to eliminate them without causing any damage to the surrounding cells or tissue. (Liposuction may be a better option for some.) “As we age, the skin on the arms generally gets softer, which causes it to sag,” says Houston plastic surgeon Henry Mentz, MD. “Most women become uncomfortable with their arms because they can’t wear the clothing they like, and conditions tend to worsen with menopause. CoolSculpting is effective for patients who have some extra fat on their arms. Usually the fatty tissue shrinks by about 10 to 20 percent. However, it does not improve skin looseness, so if there has been significant weight loss, a surgical procedure such as a brachioplasty (arm lift) is a better option.” Skin tighteners may minimally help those with moderate amounts of fat, but to treat a lot of excess skin, an arm lift is your best bet.