To my knowledge, arm liposuction is only performed on women. It must be said that with the evolution of physical conditioning and the enormous publicity surrounding it, women are much more concerned about their physique. However, no matter how many exercises you do, no matter how hard you try, it may firm and define your muscles, but it will rarely, if ever, melt away certain very unsightly fat deposits trapped in the nets of your genetics. The arms are a very good example of this. Once again, liposuction comes to the rescue of aesthetics and femininity. Imagine, before this ingenious invention, arms were surgically defatted from the elbow to the armpit, leaving an incredible scar ransom, which fortunately no longer has a reason to exist unless the skin and fat are the cause.
Why did we accept procedures that left such poor results and such unfortunate scars? It’s because there were “fatty” disgraces that were so unacceptable, for example, in the saddlebags, abdomen, or arms, that in desperation, patients were willing to make all kinds of compromises: long and ugly scars, never being able to show themselves naked again. Then came liposuction, which made scarless solutions possible.
With age and genetics playing a role, the accumulation of fat on the back of the arms can become so unpleasant for some, their body image so disturbed, that they desperately seek a solution.
In fact, if the arms are out of proportion with the rest of the body, clothing becomes very limited and undressing is hardly pleasant. Some patients have so much fat in this area that their clothes need to be two to three sizes larger just so the sleeves can fit. Fortunately, liposuction offers a solution, and even if the skin is sometimes damaged in this area, it will retract quite well.
And often, the results are such that these patients will wear short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts for the first time. I even liposculpted the arms of a lady who couldn’t fit into her wedding dress. Can you imagine the responsibility I inherited? The wedding was eight weeks later.
The skin on the arms is thin and reminds me of the inner thigh. The fat there is also devoid of fibers and very easy to extract, hence the need for great caution by the surgeon and the importance of mini cannulas. In works dealing with arm liposuction, it is often said that the skin is of poor quality, but thanks to superficial liposuction, this has less impact.
Some patients have perfectly normal arms when they are in a natural position along the body, arms that fit very well into clothes of their size, but which present a “pendulous” appearance when they place them perpendicularly and flap the triceps with the opposite hand in a gesture of disdain.
It is important to explain to these patients that the arm placed perpendicular to the body is an unnatural position that never occurs; liposuction may be of no help, especially when it is the skin and not the fat that causes this pendulous appearance.
When arm liposuction is indicated, it applies to two-thirds of the arm, that is, the posterior and lateral arm. The anterior portion where the biceps is located is usually free of fat, unless there is significant obesity in this area, which could then justify liposuction of the entire circumference of the arm, which is very rare.
Some patients who have been mortified all their lives by large arms will try to influence the surgeon to remove fat excessively. This would result in skinny arms on a corpulent body. An experienced surgeon will avoid falling into this trap and will explain to the patient the disappointment they are avoiding by their justified refusal.