Arm lift...yay or nay? Are scars or wings worse?

[My Bariatric Life 764]

Hi! I am a writer on the web as My Bariatric Life and I am one year out from my body contouring plastic surgery with Dr. Joseph F. Capella in Ramsey NJ, and approaching one-year out from my facial plastic surgery with Dr. Catherine Winslow in Carmel IN. The scars on my arms are dark, but I've seen other patients of my surgeon whose arm scars were practically invisible at 3-mos. Generally speaking the lighter your skin the less noticeable your scars will be.

I also will say that other scars on my body, also made by Dr. Capella, have lightened more than my arm scars have lightened, So therefore, I would say that you cannot assume that your arm scars will be light or dark based on previous scars you've had from plastic surgery. The area inside the armpit is an area of great tension and that is where my scars are darkest.

I also had a series of serious complications with the right arm that caused darker scars in that arm. I've been battling with the complications for more than a year. You can read about it beginning here (note there are a series of posts that chronicle the worsening complications). I've lost full range of motion of my arm and I have intermittent pain that can sometimes "hit the high note." I was supposed to have surgery to correct the injury. Why that did not take place is explained in the articles.

Aesthetically, the shape of my arms is very pretty. You will see the before and after photos in the linked articles above, as well as photos of the scars and complications. I've been waiting for someone to ask me if I regret the surgery, and how I might answer that. The thing is, I am just not the kind of person who believes in regret. There are no do-overs so I cannot even think in terms of regretting something I've done. Whether something is good or bad, it is all part of the experience of life. I don't want to make too light of what happened. I struggled long and hard to make peace with the complication, and I still get depressed about what happened, because in matters like this we as human beings always feel "it should not have happened" and "its not fair." Well, my dears, "what is" and "what should be" are not always in alignment. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We all know that; we just never expect it to happen to us.

Maybe a better way to put is that I do not regret the surgery. I do not regret my choice of plastic surgeon. What I do regret is that there was a complication that could have been avoided (as is true of most complications). I remain an advocate of plastic surgeon after weight loss and I still refer patients to Dr. Capella. I look and feel wonderful and am living life fully since having my plastics, doing things I would not / could not have done before. I've attached a pic of my victory in completing a challenging ropes course this year.

So my point of view is that you do the procedure because your bat wing arms will look very out of proportion with the rest of your now tight body. I would make sure that the surgeon does not put the scar behind the arm, because it is very visible there (some surgeons prefer this technique because they feel there are less risks). If after a year your arm scars are dark, you can try laser -- either r IPL or v-beam to lighten the scars.

Good luck in your decision making!

My Bariatric Life

[Oak Park Lorena 162]

Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but you mentioned something about the surgeon having a choice of incision placement "behind the arm." Could you explain what you mean by "behind" and also explain what other options the surgeon has for the incision. My understanding is that there is the typical procedure wherein a large incision is made along the underside (i.e., the portion of the arm that rests against your body) of the arm. There is also a newer procedure in which smaller incisions are made in the arm pit and on the side of the body rather than along the underside of the arm. I understand, though, that this "minimally invasive" procedure is only for people with very little excess skin (i.e., not your typical post sleeve person!) and that the recovery time is very, very long and may permanently prevent you from doing things involving raising your arms (like playing tennis or golf). Is this what you mean when you're talking about the surgeon having choices for the incision? Thanks!

Hi! I am a writer on the web as My Bariatric Life and I am one year out from my body contouring plastic surgery with Dr. Joseph F. Capella in Ramsey NJ, and approaching one-year out from my facial plastic surgery with Dr. Catherine Winslow in Carmel IN. The scars on my arms are dark, but I've seen other patients of my surgeon whose arm scars were practically invisible at 3-mos. Generally speaking the lighter your skin the less noticeable your scars will be.

I also will say that other scars on my body, also made by Dr. Capella, have lightened more than my arm scars have lightened, So therefore, I would say that you cannot assume that your arm scars will be light or dark based on previous scars you've had from plastic surgery. The area inside the armpit is an area of great tension and that is where my scars are darkest.

I also had a series of serious complications with the right arm that caused darker scars in that arm. I've been battling with the complications for more than a year. You can read about it beginning here (note there are a series of posts that chronicle the worsening complications). I've lost full range of motion of my arm and I have intermittent pain that can sometimes "hit the high note." I was supposed to have surgery to correct the injury. Why that did not take place is explained in the articles.

Aesthetically, the shape of my arms is very pretty. You will see the before and after photos in the linked articles above, as well as photos of the scars and complications. I've been waiting for someone to ask me if I regret the surgery, and how I might answer that. The thing is, I am just not the kind of person who believes in regret. There are no do-overs so I cannot even think in terms of regretting something I've done. Whether something is good or bad, it is all part of the experience of life. I don't want to make too light of what happened. I struggled long and hard to make peace with the complication, and I still get depressed about what happened, because in matters like this we as human beings always feel "it should not have happened" and "its not fair." Well, my dears, "what is" and "what should be" are not always in alignment. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We all know that; we just never expect it to happen to us.

Maybe a better way to put is that I do not regret the surgery. I do not regret my choice of plastic surgeon. What I do regret is that there was a complication that could have been avoided (as is true of most complications). I remain an advocate of plastic surgeon after weight loss and I still refer patients to Dr. Capella. I look and feel wonderful and am living life fully since having my plastics, doing things I would not / could not have done before. I've attached a pic of my victory in completing a challenging ropes course this year.

So my point of view is that you do the procedure because your bat wing arms will look very out of proportion with the rest of your now tight body. I would make sure that the surgeon does not put the scar behind the arm, because it is very visible there (some surgeons prefer this technique because they feel there are less risks). If after a year your arm scars are dark, you can try laser -- either r IPL or v-beam to lighten the scars.

Good luck in your decision making!

My Bariatric Life

[My Bariatric Life 764]

@@Oak Park Lorena some surgeons place the scar whee you have indicated on the underside of the arm, where the seam of a shirt sleeve would be. Some surgeons place them BEHIND the arm, where they are visible. I've also seen surgeons who place them along the underside of the arm but instead of making a straight incision, makes a large zig zag incision. Some surgeons do not go through the armpit but rather around it, some skip the armpit and make the incision from elbow to just before the armpit and then after the armpit continue the incision down the side of the body, some go through it with a Z incision and some go through it with a straight incision. There are probably more techniques but these are the ones that I am aware of.

The only way to get rid of severe massive skin is the long incision not the short incision that you describe. I did not have all thwt much excess and I still needed the long incision.

I hope this helps"

[Oak Park Lorena 162]

Yes, thanks! I've seen pics of the zig zag that you mentioned, what a nightmare! I'm sure that there's some medical basis for it, but I would definitely pass on having that!

@@Oak Park Lorena some surgeons place the scar whee you have indicated on the underside of the arm, where the seam of a shirt sleeve would be. Some surgeons place them BEHIND the arm, where they are visible. I've also seen surgeons who place them along the underside of the arm but instead of making a straight incision, makes a large zig zag incision. Some surgeons do not go through the armpit but rather around it, some skip the armpit and make the incision from elbow to just before the armpit and then after the armpit continue the incision down the side of the body, some go through it with a Z incision and some go through it with a straight incision. There are probably more techniques but these are the ones that I am aware of.

The only way to get rid of severe massive skin is the long incision not the short incision that you describe. I did not have all thwt much excess and I still needed the long incision.

I hope this helps"

[My Bariatric Life 764]

@@Oak Park Lorena what I mean to say is some surgeons place the incision on the back of the arm where they can be seen from behind. I'd pass on the Z incision and the one on the back of the arm!

[Oak Park Lorena 162]

Yes, I understood that, I would also pass on that as well, would look very odd indeed!

@@Oak Park Lorena what I mean to say is some surgeons place the incision on the back of the arm where they can be seen from behind. I'd pass on the Z incision and the one on the back of the arm!

[AvaFern 3,516]

@@Oak Park Lorena I did end up choosing to have the surgery and I also chose the place where I wanted the scar. I did not want it along the bicipital groove, which is the classic placement on the inside of the arm, because everytime you talk to someone, that part of your arm shows and it can be seen. I also didn't want it on the back of my arm because then you can see it from behind. My surgeon is going to place it right along the inside edge of my arm so that it can't been seen from the back, but it also isn't running down the middle of my arm when I move my hands in the "waving goodbye" motion. With that scar placement, you can see it when I lift my arms up, like I'm brushing my hair or if I swing my arms back from behind, but it's not as readily noticeable as the traditional placement.

I really wanted the minimal incision version, but my arms are too flappy for that.

[Oak Park Lorena 162]

Thanks for the info! I'm a very bad scarer, I know that the scar is the price of admission to the land of no bat wings, but I want to do whatever I can to minimize it!

@@Oak Park Lorena I did end up choosing to have the surgery and I also chose the place where I wanted the scar. I did not want it along the bicipital groove, which is the classic placement on the inside of the arm, because everytime you talk to someone, that part of your arm shows and it can be seen. I also didn't want it on the back of my arm because then you can see it from behind. My surgeon is going to place it right along the inside edge of my arm so that it can't been seen from the back, but it also isn't running down the middle of my arm when I move my hands in the "waving goodbye" motion. With that scar placement, you can see it when I lift my arms up, like I'm brushing my hair or if I swing my arms back from behind, but it's not as readily noticeable as the traditional placement.

I really wanted the minimal incision version, but my arms are too flappy for that.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

I am so happy I had my arms done. I am about 3 months post op, and I still have fairly red scars, and they are starting to thicken a little now. I expect them to fade and flatten over time, but even if not, I look way better in clothes. I had mine placed to the back inside of my arm, but they are not perfectly symmetrical. The left is a little more median than back, so slightly more visible. My left arm was bigger to start with, so that may be why. That's one of the risks of plastics, that the scars are not perfectly symmetrical. Mine healed fine, though, and I don't regret it. I had a lot of swelling, which caused a lot of discomfort, but I think I'm in a small percentage of people who get that.

I had to wear long sleeves to cover the bat wings year round, so even if the scars never fade, I'm not worse off that way. I can always choose to wear something to cover them, though I doubt that I'll need to.

[CowgirlJane 14,260]

Ava, I am so glad you decided to do it. I love my results from plastics, but I would say the arms and breasts made the biggest impact in my looks - even fully clothed in winter wear! My sons girlfriend was the first to openly say it post plastics - I didn't even recognize you from the back (except your hair!). Your arms are so small now, you look younger and slimmer. I was the same weight, I had just lost alot of hanging skin. Those batwings make us look bigger than we are and make stylish clothing fit odd.

I know I said it over and over again but i was the most afraid of the arm scars - almost didn't do the arms over that fear - but it turns out to be a big positive impact on my looks.

i am 13 months out now. My scars are flat but redder than I would prefer - especially after a shower etc. Luckily people my age don't have that great of vision anymore..haha.. as no one seems to notice them! I am not the least bit self conscious and go sleeveless alot.

I am what i am and if people don't like it, oh well - take your glasses off!

[My Bariatric Life 764]

@@CowgirlJane have you considered IPL laser or v-beam laser to lighten the arm scars?

[CowgirlJane 14,260]

I haven't considered anything for the scars. When my PCP sees them she thinks they look awesome and will continue to mature for another year. My worst scar is the BACK of my lower body lift. The front is basically invisible, but I think more tension was put on the back (that is my theory anyway).

I am going to see about having some face injections done at some point, so when I consult for that i might ask about the redness reduction on the arm scars. Even so, they are incredibly flat, even etc so I am pleased with the results.

[My Bariatric Life 764]

@@CowgirlJane it is interesting how we scar differently. My LBL scar in the back is practically invisible whereas the front is darker, and like you I assume it has to do with the tension.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

I haven't considered anything for the scars. When my PCP sees them she thinks they look awesome and will continue to mature for another year. My worst scar is the BACK of my lower body lift. The front is basically invisible, but I think more tension was put on the back (that is my theory anyway).

I am going to see about having some face injections done at some point, so when I consult for that i might ask about the redness reduction on the arm scars. Even so, they are incredibly flat, even etc so I am pleased with the results.

Just curious - how long did it take for the arm scars to flatten? Mine are starting to really heal, I think, and are more raised than they were initially. Still pretty fine, but a little red and raised. The front of my LBL is flat and barely visible, too, but the back actually split in one spot and is still not totally healed, so I'm going to have a 1x2 inch area that's wider and thicker from that. I also have a couple of other areas on the sides that didn't heal into a fine line where the drains were. She said she can easily clean them up in her office, though, so I may have that done at some point.

[Sweet Pee 349]

I had my arm lift 6 months ago. My scars are healing nice and flat. My surgical tape was taken off 10 days after surgery, and my scars were already flat. Now, 6 months later I notice my scars are slightly pink on some days, then on other days I can just barely see them. I think they have a mind of their on. (Smile). I was more afraid of this surgery because of the visible scaring, but thankfully I am healing very well and barely notice them.

Edited November 14, 2014 by Sweet Pee