Calling all Bracchio Patients! Your experience, please.

I had TT, MACS and Bracchio in Cancun on Feb. 10, 2010. All the surgeries went well but the arms were the worst. The left arm from the beginning had troubles and continues to cause me a little concern. Mostly, the incision is long. Yes I knew it would be but it's longer than I expected. It goes 2" past my under arm and mostly that is good. The flabby in the underarm is gone.

But... the incision is like a rope that doesn't stretch. My range of motion is not great. I can reach above my head but not without thought and with great care. Swim season is coming and I love doing laps in my pool. I'm worried I won't be able to swim the crawl/freestyle.

So my need for your experience is did you have this tight rope feeling, does it every stretch out so that movement is free and easy? I'd love to read posts from everyone that had the surgery, from just yesterday through 5 years ago. I'd love to know what to expect and what is normal.
THANKS!!!!
Marie

I've had 2 brachioplastys ( the 2nd one just last week....the first a year ago).  I can tell for a certainty that it does eventually stretch out but it will take a very long time...........it took 6 weeks just to be able to fully straighten the arm and really took about 6 months (maybe longer) before I could easily do a swimming stroke without feeling any pulling.

Plastic surgery is not a fast process....I'm almost 2 years into my journey!

Thanks for letting me know your experience. Did you just have a revision or had you had other problems? I like my results but the yanking on my armpit is weird feeling. I guess this summer I will be doing the breaststroke for most of the summer instead of the crawl. But maybe working into the crawl will help stretch it. I was a bit worried that because it's a scar, it wouldn't stretch ever. Again THANKS!!!!!
Marie

The original surgeon left too much skin on so I had a "revision" which was a full 2nd brachioplasty

My arms were quite tight in the beginning.  You are going to have to do stretches to get them looser.  Try putting your arm above your head and on a wall then lean in as close as you can.  You can ask you dr for other recommendations as well, but at this point they probably wont losen enough on their own.  Good luck!

April

Hi April, I had an arm lift done on Feb. 23rd 2010 andit is looking good except for the pucking of the sitiches.  How long did it take for your scars to go flat? and what scar cream did you use?
Your arms look real good.  Gail

Hey Gail

I would say at least a couple of months.  Mine were VERY puckered at first.  I used Kel-cote.  Good luck!

April

April, when did you start doing stretches? I'm at week 7 post op today. Two weeks ago I started light strengthening exercises, including some tricep with 5 pound weights. I can feel a pull with them but I'm not pushing it. I'm terrified of the "rope" aka scar ripping out my underarm.
Marie

I was probably a month or two out.  I was afraid to stretch them becaause they were so tight.  My dr said to do it or risk losing range of motion.  I told him I was concerned about them "tearing".  He didnt seem worried and said if they did, he could just stitch it!      Thank goodness they didnt.  Just take it slow. 

April

I had my arms done Dec 8th, and around 6 weeks out I had to massage my scars regularly (2-3 times a day). This helped with the rope feeling, and my scars are very flat now. Also, the more you stretch your arms the more movement you will have in them. I do Zumba 3-5 hours a week and at first I thought someone was cutting my scars open when I was working out, but they were fine just really tight. Now I don't notice my arms when I work out.

I would call the surgeon about you massaging your scars if they didn't go over it.