Our upper arms are under the constant pull of gravity. When combined with the natural weakening of our muscles and the loosening of our skin, sagging upper arms are a common concern.
To tighten the upper arms, Dr. Brannon Claytor offers arm lift surgery under local or general anesthesia in our Quad A-accredited surgical facility in Bryn Mawr.
This procedure involves a lengthy incision; this is usually unavoidable. Dr. Claytor usually makes an incision that runs on the underside of the upper arm, running from the underarm to the elbow. Through this incision, he is able to remove excess fat pockets with liposuction. He then repositions and tightens the underlying muscle tissue, and trims away excess skin.
If you do not have extensive sagging skin, sometimes Dr. Claytor can use a minimal incision arm lift technique. In this technique, he makes a few small incisions near the underarm, in lieu of one long incision on each arm.
“I recently had brachioplasty performed by Dr. Claytor after having lost a significant amount of weight. The skin that was hanging off my arms really put a damper on my self-esteem, and I was ready to undergo the next step in my transformation journey. The day of my procedure, I had three wonderful nurses — Morgan, Julia, and Tee — all of whom made me feel very cared for during the entire process. I am grateful for their dedication to making patients feel comfortable and safe. Dr. Claytor’s work is truly an art form, and the results are fantastic. The down-time post-surgery was not long — I was back to work a week after my arm lift. I thoroughly appreciate his friendly staff (Olivia, Emily, and Dani were always cheerful and kind), and highly recommend his practice for aesthetic procedures. Thank you!”
—5-Star Google Review*
Am I a good candidate?
If the loose skin on the underside of your upper arms moves freely when you shift your arm, an arm lift could be a good procedure for you. Loose upper arms can simply be the result of aging and genetics, or they can be the result of the patient gaining and then losing a good deal of weight.
An arm lift removes the loose skin and accumulated fat and returns tone and contour to your upper arms. But Dr. Claytor wants his patients to understand that an arm lift is not intended to be for weight loss: patients need to be near their ideal weight, as subsequent weight loss will lead to more loose skin.
The procedure does leave a long scar that Dr. Claytor creates on the underside of the arm so it is often unnoticeable. Most are not troubled by the scar, but if you are, microneedling can be used following the procedure to significantly minimize the appearance of scars.
Before & After
Real patients of Dr. Claytor, shown before and after arm lift surgery.
What is the recovery like?
Recovery from arm lift surgery is not difficult. The key to a successful recovery is to avoid lifting much with your arms. As you would assume, lifting too much weight can strain your incisions and create complications.
After your procedure with Dr. Claytor, you’ll return home with your arms wrapped in bandages. Dr. Claytor prefers a drainless arm lift, meaning an even speedier recovery. You’ll be given compression garments for both arms to minimize swelling and help your arms adapt to their new contour. There will be swelling, due to the tissue repositioning, but it should be mostly gone in around two weeks. It will return at times, and you can alleviate it by keeping your arms elevated as much as possible during your early recovery. It helps to sleep with your arms elevated for the first two weeks.
Within one to two weeks you can return to work, but strenuous activity and lifting will need to wait. Dr. Claytor will discuss a timeline with you.
Meet Dr. R. Brannon Claytor
Dr. Claytor is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and holds over 20 years of experience as a cosmetic plastic surgeon. An innovator and teacher in the field of plastic surgery, he uses advanced techniques like the drain-free tummy tuck and deep plane facelift to streamline recovery and provide natural-looking, durable results.
Award-Winning, Nationally-Recognized Aesthetic Surgery Expert
Double Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Over 20 Years of Experience
Chief of Plastic Surgery, Main Line Health
Board Member, The Aesthetic Society
9x Top Doctor Winner, Philadelphia Magazine
America’s Best Plastic Surgeons, Newsweek
Over 1,000 5-Star Reviews, Verified by RealPatientRatings
Frequently Asked Questions
Patients can usually return to work in just a week or two. Obviously, this varies with the individual patient. If your work involves lifting, you’ll have to have others do that for you. It will be about 10 days before you can drive. For the first week, you should limit activity to just walking.
For the first month, you need to avoid any exercises that directly stress the area and engage your upper arm muscles. This involves all weight lifting with the arms. After one month you can start a cardiovascular activity, such as riding a stationary bike or brisk walking. You still need to wait on lifting or contact sports, however, for another two weeks. At six weeks you should be able to return to your normal exercise routines.
With the exception of a tummy tuck, arm lifts have one of the longer incisions in cosmetic surgery. This is simply due to the length of the upper arm. Dr. Claytor places the incision as innocuously as possible on the underside of the arm. Still, there will be a scar. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the scar fades, especially if you protect it from sun exposure for the first few months.
This is a very low-risk procedure, yet is very satisfying for our patients. It is a surgical procedure, so there are the usual risks of infection, poor wound healing, excessive bleeding, and such. But this is an area without overly sensitive nerves and big muscles, so complications are very rare.
We’re Here For You!
If you are considering plastic surgery, we encourage you to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Brannon Claytor today. He’ll provide you with a personalized surgical plan based on your goals, answer your questions, and help you understand everything that the surgery will entail.
