Arm Lift Scar Revision - 1 month out

I am 1 day shy from scar revision on both of my arms. I was awake during the surgery which was a surreal experience... I was on pain meds so I was in/out of it most of the time but could tell what was going on even if I could not feel it. The 1 hour surgery ended up being a 2 hour procedure. I had no downtime with this procedure and was back to work the next day. Compared to the original procedure (arm lift plus BA/BL) I felt a lot more pain and discomfort this go around... but last time I was off for two weeks. I was pretty miserable for the first week after surgery... and still pretty uncomfortable up until week two... then things started to improve. I was also extremely bruised with them popping up in different spots as the week went on... all in a rainbow of colors. My underarm area is still the only spot that bothers me a bit.

At one month out I am very pleased with the results so far.. the incision is now a VERY thin pinkish line, 99% of the scabbing has fallen off and most of the bruises are gone/faded with the exception of a spot on one of my arms. I go back to the PS in two more weeks and at that point should be able to start using the silicone sheets/gel and doing scar massage. I feel at this point I feel everything will heal up the way it should and I will have an extremely thin scar. Not looking forward to another summer of keeping the arms covered up, but the pay off is worth it. PS said they should heal quicker this time than the original surgery, but I have a feeling it will be sometime in Winter where I will have them covered up because of the cold anyways!

Without pictures to better delineate your situation, it appears that you required a "standard" arm lift and instead got a limited incision approach which was not the appropriate option. Unfortunately as a consequence, the result is quite suboptimal.

Scar revision and recontouring can be performed the outcome of which would depend on multiple factors including the extent of the deformity that you presently have. I would suggest that you contact a reputable board certified plastic surgeon in your area who has extensive experience in brachioplasties.

I did have a standard arm lift, not a limited incision approach.

I had the scar revision performed already by the surgeon who performed the original procedure. She is board certified, has extensive experience in brachioplasties as well as revisional work.

How are you doing Jennifer? Hope the revision was a success. I am considering this procedure.

Just had a follow up today... the right arm looks amazing... my left arm tightened some in the arm pit area, she injected it with steroids today and I am going to start going to get massage therapy on the scar... its hard to massage it myself because of the location.. the rest of the scar looks a lot better than before, but it still widened a little and raised some.. hopefully between the massage, silicone sheets, vitamin e it will improve... surgeon said in 6 weeks she may inject the entire scar with steroids.

Overall I am still happy with the result, *fingers crossed* the left arm either stays the same, or ideally improves.

Every surgeon reconstructive plastic surgeon has their own way of doing reconstructive plastic surgery. Some plastic surgeons  prefer to place their arm lift or brachioplasty incision in the inner arm between the biceps and triceps.   The incision extends from the armpit to the elbow.  The beauty of this type of armlift or brachioplasty incision is that the incision is hidden. This is because we usually hold our arms down by our sides.  With the arms held at our sides, this arm lift incision and resultant scar are concealed. The beauty of positioning the scar between the biceps and triceps is that it is rarely visible and is typically visible only when one’s arms are raised.