DEFINITION
In our culture, the arms, due to the type of clothing and social interaction, are usually exposed and it is usually an area that ages poorly in patients who do not have good muscle tone or who have lost weight and the skin is more flaccid.
This flaccidity usually generates a discomfort and aesthetic complex to patients, who do not usually wear short-sleeved clothes, due to the fact that the skin hangs, or numerous wrinkles are formed in the folds.
To correct this situation, a surgical procedure called brachioplasty or elevation of the skin of the arms is performed, in which the shape of skin is remodeled, removing the excess and leaving the scars hidden so that they go unnoticed. The result is an arm with smoother skin and a more youthful appearance, which allows you to use the desired garments and to end that complex.
CANDIDATES
Patients who are medically healthy and who present a flaccidity of the skin of the arm, which, when the patient flexes it, it appears sagging and without tone. The patient must present good healing and understand what the surgery, the care and possible complications are like, as well as the results that can be obtained in each case.
PROCESS
There are two types of surgical interventions for the correction of sagging skin on the arms:
- Brachioplasty with axillary scar: This is a surgery that is performed in cases where the patient has mild or moderate flaccidity of the skin of the arm, skin is dried in the area of the arm that is close to the armpit, so that the resulting scar is hidden in the armpit crease.
- Brachioplasty with axillary and arm scar: This surgery is indicated in patients with significant flaccidity in the arm that reaches the elbow. In this case, a larger amount of skin has to be removed, so the scar must cover from the elbow to the armpit. With current treatments, scars fade well over time.
Both interventions are performed under general anesthesia and the patient can go home the same day of surgery.
PROFESSIONALS
The performance of this type of intervention must be performed by a plastic surgeon with experience in body contouring surgery. Dr. Ospina has extensive training and experience in this type of procedure and in the management of liposculpture. Also, he counts on modern appliances to improve the quality of scars.
FACILITIES
This type of intervention must be performed in a hospital that meets all health requirements and has an intensive care unit. Cosmetic surgery is a very regulated surgery with fewer complications, but in case they appear, it is essential to have the support of a good hospital. Hence, low-cost surgeries try to save money on this and are performed in small clinics where these safety conditions are not covered.
Dr. Ospina is fully aware of this and that is why he performs all his surgeries in the operating rooms of Hospitals San Roque because it provides that extra security that he wants for his patients.
POSTOPERATIVE
This type of intervention is not particularly painful. Patients report a feeling of tension in the area and some stinging in the wound. This usually subsides within the first week and is well controlled with regular pain relievers.
To avoid the appearance of infections the patients should take good care of the wound, as well as avoiding any kind of efforts so that the wound does not open. The stitches are usually internal to minimize scarring, so no stitches are removed.
CARE
Patients should take care of themselves for two weeks, avoiding efforts and sudden movements to avoid straining the wounds. Compression garments should be used for the first four post-surgical weeks to help lymphatic drainage, as well as having lymphatic drainage massages.
COMPLICATIONS
They are rare, the most common is that a small area of the wound may open, but it usually heals in a few days with good care. The first days there may be a sensation of numbness of the skin in the elbow area and of tightness, but it usually disappears in the first weeks.
