Brachioplasty rear scar?

Yesterday I went to have my consult regarding have my arms done and the surgeon told me he no longer does the incisions on the inside of the arms, he now does them on the rear of the arms for two reasons.

1 - The skin on the rear of the arms is thicker and heals better than the thin skin on inside of arm

2 - Because you/me as the patient never have to see the scars, and it gives us more satisfaction.

Has anybody else ever heard of this or had this done?  I think I was looking forward to the inside of the arm because I could hide it more, whereas in the back people will be able to see I've had it, I won't be able to hide it as much.

That all might be true but what do YOU want?

I want my scar hidden as much as possible when I wear a sleeveless shirt

It's what you want.

I personally would never agree to having the scar in the back of my arm

BUT I do see the point that I myself am the one who would have to *see* the scars MORE OFTEN than anyone else

I can see that the skin is thicker, healthier easier to hook together (with sutures) on the Back of my arm rather than the thin, fragile skin of my inner arms so I can totally see both sides

It's individual

I want mine in the inside (if I even decide to go there)

good luck on your decision!

My surgeon put mine on the back of my arms simply because of skin quality. We had discussed putting them on the inside, but he felt that the scar would not heal as well, so while it would be more hidden in some aspects, it would also be much more noticeable in others.

I'm only 8 weeks out, so it's still noticeable, but there is dramatic improvement from the first week after surgery already.

Trust in your surgeon - and ask to see pictures of others he's done that way.

Thank you Rebecca - We talked about both ways and he showed me pictures of rear scars he has done.  I'm just so nervous about the whole thing and people seeing what I've done that I'm afraid I will obsess over rear scars, yet I'm all for the fact they will heal better.

My surgeon said he would do it whichever way I chose to have it done, but he recommended the rear.

I decided to have the scars placed on the backs of my arms for the reasons your surgeon mentioned as well as the fact that I had a lot of skin to remove and wanted the best possible result for me. My scar extends below the elbow and all the way to through my armpits and down my sides to the bottom of my bra line. I have pics on my profile of the scars. They have lightened up more since those pics were taken and I need to post updated pics just have not had a chance yet.

I am pleased with my results and because I can't see the scars I forget that they are even there.

Good luck with your decision and feel free to pm me if you have questions.

Ole

Thank you so much for your reply.  I went in and looked at your pictures and I think they made me even more nervous.  I'm so self conscious and afraid what people will think of me if I have this done and I don't know how to overcome that fear.

I was looking forward to the fact that with my arms down people wouldn't be able to see my scars, especially in bathing suits or tank tops.  But yet if it will heal better I'm all for that in hopes they would be less noticable.  And like you my surgeon said if you can't see them your more likely to forget you have them.

I'm just a ball of nerves about the whole process.

WOW - Your arms look GREAT!!

your surgeon is correct my scars are in the back of my arms no big dea i would rather have the scar then sagging skin.
my PS says u trade scar for skin, the iside scar doesnt look as nice
Susan

My surgeon never mentioned scars having to be placed on the backs of my arms. He showed me where the placement would be and he was all about making them as inconspicious as possible. I told him that was what I wanted too. When I'm standing with my arms by my side you can't see the scar from the front or the back. I knew that I wanted to be able to comfortably wear sleeveless tops and bathing suits without feeling self-conscious and with my scars where they are I can do that. I think it depends on the surgeon's preference as to what he/she suggests.

Edited to add: I didn't have any healing issues.

My scars are like Renee's and I had no problem healing. I did discuss scar placement and I'm happy that my surgeon recommended the placement that I preferred. I would feel uncomfortable having scars on the back of my arms where I couldn'****ch them during the healing phase and the rest of my life I'd be worried about who was behind me and what they were thinking about my scars. I know I can't hide mine when my arms are away from the side of my body, but I prefer, if someone see's my scars, that I see them. Weird, I know but it's how I feel. BTW, I don't really see my scars on a regular basis, I have to lift my arms up and inspect them which I don't do very often and the farther out I get I suspect I'll just forget about them most of the time.

Do you have potential healing issues or nutritional deficiencies that might affect your surgical outcome?