BrachioPlasty Scar

I Promise this will be my last question today..LOL Was your scar  a great trade off. I mean I have Bat Wings/Turkey Necks (my kids and DH call them) of Life they hang really low and will NOT wear a short sleeve blouse or tank this summer. But after thinking i will have a scar going down BOTH arms is that a good trade off . Is your scar worth it, I'm African American not really dark but brown enough...lol I'm just visualizing this dark scar that is scaring the crap out of me. Would I rather cover for the rest of my life or sport my lines down my arms. Did any of you feel this way? I didn't start to feel this was until after my consult he was clear about the scar. I'm just hoping the line at least will be straight..LOL

I'm wondering, do you have lots of stretch marks on your arms?  I will tell you that most of them will be gone after you have the wings removed.

I don't even think about my scars anymore.  I've been out 3 years on that surgery and it keeps fading.  I dont have nice thin scars like some do because I had some problems, but unless I walk around with my arms in the air, no one really knows they are there except me.

How did you WLS scars heal?  I know many darker skinned individuals have more issues with keloids.  My girlfriend is dark-skinned and has that problem and the PS told her the arms might, but he doesn't know for sure, keloid and she will end up with a very raised scar.  She opted on torso work only because it is easier to cover.  Having this surgery is to make you feel better about yourself.  If that isn't something you can live with then don't do it.  Good luck

Tee

Thanks for the reply Tee. Believe it or not I don't have stretch marks just skin about 4-6 inches at least hanging. My WL incision didn't keliod(knock on wood) it just turned really dark and the skin there is a little thicker the line is really thin though but really dark. I think I just got paranoid because when he was measuring and pointing to where the scar would be it looked like he kept saying up where my muscle was and I kept saying want the scar be underneath and he said it will be in the inside.

I confess that I don't know how bad the scarring will be for you (ok, not trying to sound ignorant or anything, but I simply don't know how African American skin scars...) -- and everyone heals  a little differently anyway -- but I gave a lot fo consideration to the scars since I knew beforehand that they would go all the way down to just below my elbow (and that, because of a large scar from an auto accident on one arm, the surgeon would need to do the incision a bit higher up on the arm than usual... so it would be more easily seen than one lower toward the bottom of the arm).

I had pretty big batwings, though (pic on my profile), and knew that I could more easily live with the scars than the flapping skin.  Also, I was having to buy shirts an extra size up just to fit my arms (and that's saying something when your boobs are as big as mine are, even post-op!)  For me, the scars were an acceptable trade-off, but I have to be honest that I have seen people who thought their arms were terrible and had the brachioplasty and I thought their arms looked much better with the little bit of extra skin.  (If I had onyl as much skin as they did, I would NOT have traded the skin for the scars... but that is, obviously, a very personal decision).

I kind of rely on the thought that most people really don't pay THAT much attention to the insides of other people's arms... and if I wear an average short sleeve shirt, not that much of the scar shows anyway... just a few inches.  I feel MUCH better even in long-sleeved shirts, though, now that I have normal arms, so even if I never wore short sleeves again, it would have been worth it to me.

You need to be prepared for the scars but also prepared that there is also no guarantee that the incisions will be completely straight (or at exactly the same place on each arm).  Your arms may also look "scrawny" afterward (unless you lift weights to build the muscles up a bit), especially if your forearms are at all muscular or have any residual fat.

Don't know if all of that helps you at all... but i guess the bottom line is whether or not it would be worth it to you in a "worst case" scenario... would it be worth it to trade the extra skin for scars that were very visible to others?

Lora

Thanks Lora, You where very informative and my bat wings would not bother me either if the lump of skin that underneath my arm pits didn't keep rubbing so that I start to freaking itch and the skin to skin I have to keep tucking it..LOL . I thought about the scrawny arms because my arms are very tiny looking already and I have already began to lift weights (hubby keep saying that will rid all this skin...NOT). Maybe I'm just being overly something..LOL but I don't want it to get worst and go to put deodorant on and the skin will be hanging off because its rubbed raw...yuck! 

Well, I had huge flapping bat wings. It bothered me so bad I do own any sleevless shirts. I've lost about 135 pounds and the skin use to just hang. I had surgery to remove the skin on my arms and also had a breast lift in January 2009. Sure I have a long scar, but it is nothing compared to the hanging skin. Now I've gotten sleeveless tops and look forward to summertime. I need to have a LBL to remove all the hanging skin on the bottom part of my body, but I can live with it until I can afford additioal surgery.
Whatever scar you may have will seem small compaired to no batwings.

jan

I'm not African American so I'm not sure that you will get any confidence by viewing my photo of my year old brachioplasty scar on my profile. Here's something to think about:  you're not exposing your arms now, right?  So if you have the brachioplasty and you are upset with the scar, just cover your arms like you're currently doing - but you will h ave the added benefit of less bulk and you will look thinner and better.  So there's really nothing to lose and everything to gain.  I go sleeveless now.  People may or may not notice but they don't comment.  I don't walk around flailing my arms in the air.  I am very happy with the surgery.

You make a great point, thanks.

-Cynthia

I had my arms done a week ago and I just posted pics on my profile if you want to look. I also had a LBL but won't post of pics of that.

I would glady have scars to get rid of the loose skin but that is me others may feel differently. My scars are pretty well hidden unless I raise my arms high. My surgeon wouldn't go past my elbow like I wanted him to due to damaging nerves so he tried to match the size of my upper arms to my lower arms so they're not as small as I would have liked.

Good luck. Debi

I had the brach surgery about 6 months ago. My arm scar is reddish pink and fading.  It will continue to fade. Your concerns are genuine but you have to decide what is more important to you. A good surgeon will do his best to hide the scar on the inside. After church on Sunday I saw a young lad y in a short sleeve shirt and as I looked I noticed the brac scar but barely. I believe that I am more aware (like many of us who have had surgery) but she was oblivious because her decision was she'd rather have the scar. I look forward to the summer months and going bare armed myself.
Yes I would do it again and again.