For Dr. JLo, et al ... re: brachioplasty incision location

My incisions look like this, and show slightly from behind with my arms down, but I have z-plasty's in my axilla area, but towards the back.

I do have to agree with Ruth though, I wouldn't want my pics posted on the boards even if they are on my profile to friends only.  I didn't post them on a board and would be unhappy to find them here even if they are blanked out.

I started off doing them on the inner arm, and then switched to the back of the arm.  There are a few posts here of patients having bizarre arm pain after inner incisions, and this is due to irritation of the MABC nerve...its been written about in med journals.  I prefer to avoid that complication for a cosmetic operation.

Everybody feels differently about scar visibility...I will draw a line on myself or the patients arm if they really have a lot of doubts and get in front of the mirror and discuss pros and cons.

Either way, brachioplasty is a long scar that is impossible to hide 100%.  You have to decide which is worse...the extra skin or the scar. 

Unfortunately, since Moosie felt so compelled to post here and to open up a NEW topic about how very upset she is that I posted someone's pic of their ARMS (forgive me, for I have sinned), I felt the need to "defend" my position.  So, here please find my response to her complaint about how I offended her and for the others that also might feel the same: 


"Moosie" - you're "steaming" and find it "very inappropriate"?  And even more so because I don't have a pic on my avatar, but your very, very blurred pic of yours qualifies?  Well, I'M the guilty "offender" here and I'm sorry.  I couldn't imagine anything wrong with doing so since A.)  The person just recently & generously posted them here herself and B.)  EVERYTHING but her arms was blocked out.  If her face or "private" body parts were showing, then I would understand and would not have posted them.  I'm just not getting this: some of you are offended and angry for showing, in a very positive light, someone else's ARMS for crying out loud???  Gosh, I'm sure glad I didn't copy and paste someone's bunion surgery results.  This website is here for ALL of  us to learn and many unselfishly are willing to share their experiences and pics.  Everyone knows that a pic of theirs can be copy and pasted.  If someone doesn't want their pics to be copied & pasted, they can say so.  I think it's just understood when the pics are identifiable or show private parts and faces that one uses discretion and doesn't do so without permission.   But to show someone's ARMS and with such high compliments, to boot????  You all need to relax and worry about the important things in life and not about an arm that was pictured ... please!  I meant no harm and that is obvious; and thank you, Anjail, for your support and common sense.  Life's too short, ladies and gentlemen, to have to post on two different messages how distressed you are about showing someone else's arms.  Too much time on your hands, me thinks.  How else could I adequately describe exactly what I was even referring to?  Make a hand drawing?

I understand what you are saying - I get both sides.  i am on another message board for plastics there too, and use a different user name and all that.  I gave 1 person permission to view my pictures there and gave my password.  They were unedited (blocked out) and without my permission copied a couple of them - and posted them - and she posted my user name here as well by doing a search for my avatar somehow.  I couldn't believe that.  So because my photos had been shared in the same way, I feel funny about it.  She didn't ask - if she had asked, I might have agreed or not.  I felt violated because she had to be a friend to see them.  Currently, I have a friend request waiting for me to approve.  Someone here saw me post and wants to view my photos.  i don't know this person, and their profile is blocked. I cannot check them out and I have not seen them post anything.  I can't friend them because I don't have any idea if they are a friend. KWIM?

So while I understand that you are posting to compliment, it might have been better to reference their post with a link instead or if her photos are public on her profile, reference her profile - just a thought.

I also understand that you are trying to get your point across, and ask relevant questions and some find out how things are going to go for yourself.  I do not want you to feel like asking questions is a bad thing either because we need to be able to do that and find out what is going on. 

I hope that meakes sense and that you can see why some of us might feel a bit hesitent.

I appreciate your remarks, Jennie, but aren't you seeing a difference between a pair of anonymous arms and those of people's bodies, faces and private parts?  If I had shown someone's results from their posted pics of their bunion surgery, just their toes we're talkin' here folks, would the reply have been the same?  Fingers, toes, elbows, ears - and none attached to other body parts nor ascribed to any person - can't you all see the difference??  And I didn't want to link her profile or original post to my message for the exact reason that perhaps she'd changed her mind and wouldn't want her name suddenly attached to her arms.  To look at the pic I posted of a pair of arms makes them strictly anonymous.  Maybe I should have put a sweater on her arms - lol?

Yes, I do see the difference in showing in appropriate body images.  I get that too - like I said, I get both sides.  I just felt the link would be better since you are then referencing the post that she herself posted. 

Her arms do look good, and there isn't anything that would cause concern except that she didn't know that her image was being used. The same as mine linking my avatar - fully clothed of my husband and I while on a cruise - but it was still my likeness and she then passed out the password on the other site so others could view my pics and they were copied and posted.

So, I think it is the using of the image without the person knowing.  And I do think it is a bit overblown, but understand also that we are sharing some vunerable things here.  I've often said that there is no modesty in plastic surgery.  I had a huge fear of plastics because of the amount of uncoverage there was!  I was more than humiliated to stand naked in front of a stranger while they evaluated my body from all angles -- and I did that 5 times before my first surgery!  Now, I'm used to it. With the extent of this procedure I get to stand in just my panties each time while all my incisions are viewed.  Guess it's good that now I'm a fitness instructor and have learned to dress out in the locker room.

I think we all just need to let this go, and move on. 

One thing that would help is if you did open up to us more.  There is nothing on your profile, We don't know a first name, and you might want us to trust you with that, but it's hard when you are not so open and yet viewing photos.  I don't want that to sound harsh, but those things do make us all a bit more cautious.  We are being vunerable, yet you seem guarded.  Does that make sense too?

Just because someone posts their post op pictures on this site does NOT give you the right to copy and paste them into your post. You are being quite disrespectful and your post is another reason why I will never make my profile public when I upload photos.

As I would be the owner of the arms in the original picture, I thought I'd chime in!  For me personally, not a big deal.  I can imagine I'd be upset if the pic was posted on another site or something of that nature.  But I was comfortable sharing it on this board, and I'm fine with this repost.  And I certainly appreciate your kind words about my incision slowgoing. :)  I am honestly THRILLED with the results and did not expect a scar that is so well hidden going into the brachio.  My arms have healed incredibly well so far.  So I'm crossing my fingers I'll get no strange pain complication like the doctor noted! :)  

Well, THANK YOU, Ica, for that vindication - as far as I'm concerned.  I hope all the nay-sayers bother to read your post.  If YOU don't mind, why should THEY????  It never dawned on me that posting an ANONYMOUS (face/body blocked out) pair of arms would incite such a riot!!  Oh, there's so much more to be upset about in this great big world.  It must have been a "slow" week for many of them; I dunno.  I do apologize if I overstepped my bounds but never considered for one moment that you would object since you orig. posted it for all to see without need of a password and there was no personal, revealing or "sensitive" pics to be seen.  I'm STILL in love with your results and have printed a copy of same to take to MY Dr. this Wed. a.m. for MY brachio.  He normally does a higher-than-yours incision but I will see if he thinks I can qualify for a closer placement like yours.  And thank you for bothering to let everyone see you had no objections.  (My sis lives in Anchorage, too.)