9808-545 Teimourian
Teimourian B, Malekzadeh S.
Rejuvenation of the upper arm.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 1998 Aug;102(2):545-51; discussion 552-3. PMID: 9703097
Department of Surgery, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD,
USA.
During the course of life, the upper arm demonstrates skin relaxation and fat
deposits that become increasingly evident, particularly with age. However, the
degree of skin ptosis and accumulation of subcutaneous fat varies from patient
to patient. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate each patient individually, to
inform the patient of the available options, and to tailor the procedure to his
or her needs. We have described four categories of upper-arm problems. Patients
with minimal to moderate subcutaneous fat and minimal skin laxity generally do
well with circumferential lipectomy alone. With an increased amount of
subcutaneous fat and more pronounced skin laxity, suction lipectomy in
conjunction with a "ridge" provides good results, with a well hidden scar in the
axilla. In the obese patient in whom skin laxity becomes much more noticeable
after suction lipectomy, we recommend a purse-string closure of the modest
brachioplasty incision to decrease the scar size. In those patients who have
minimal fat but extensive skin laxity, a traditional brachioplasty cannot be
avoided. Carefully selected and properly informed patients will result in an
extremely high satisfaction rate. The techniques and guidelines described are
designed to provide simple, easily performed procedures with minimal
complications that safely and effectively rejuvenate the upper arm.
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