Arm lift photos - pre-op, one day post-op, and seven days post-op

Your pics are amazing and this makes me so excited for my surgery in Dec! Quick question, do you feel like having the arm lift done provided any sort of lift for the upper part of your sides below the arm pit.... like where the bra strap muffin top shows up? Dr. Michaels said that if I wanted, he could extend the incision down from my arm pit a bit and at least take care of a little of that, though he said that it wouldn't have as large of an impact as the lift they do along the bra line for like an upper body/back lift. The thing is, the little muffin top effect that I get with a bra really isn't THAT bad. Enough that I'm annoyed, but I'm questioning whether it's worth having a longer scar. And then, I was starting to wonder if having all the arm and arm pit sag removed would actually help it a little anyway, in which case I would probably definitely not think the additional cuts were worth it.

I go back on the 4th for my final consult/photos/mark-up so I'm going to ask him then.... but I'm impatient and am curious to hear from others.

SO excited for you! I adore Dr. Michaels - his work is so fantastic and my LBL and BL scars are sooo pale and thin that I am hopeful my arms will be the same. He was very happy with me at my week appointment, and now that I am 10 days out, the glue and scabs have been coming off and it looks even better! I imagine that at the four week mark, they are going to look incredible.

He did make the incision go down to about where my bra line is, but I am not sure how much it has helped since I am still swollen and not even wearing a bra yet. I would say go for it, however...that part of your body won't be super noticeable unless you're in a bathing suit, for example. Ask him to compare how far he would go with how far he went on mine. I also have some back fat/skin that bulges out from a bra but it's not enough to get an upper body backlift by any means.

Is your appt on Nov 4? My next check-in is Dec 3 (I am traveling so much in the next few weeks - Orlando, Rome, Venice, London) so I can't go back till then. I am feeling great though, and my arms are so svelte. I can't wait to see the final result.

I'm excited for you!

My Final consult is Nov 4th, the surgery itself is Dec 17th. Though my surgery is the LBL, BL, and arms (yikes! I'll have 24/7 help for as long as I need it though, yay for Moms. haha).

Since I'm having arms and breast done at the same time, I'm kinda hoping that means I'll get a more all-in-one compression garment like the front closure one that was linked to on your other thread. I'll definitely be asking him about that at my appointment.

Your scars look awesome, but have you ever had surgery or stitches before? Are you the type that just naturally heals well? My only real concern is that I think I scar fairly easily. I mean, I still have a visible scar on my arm from where I had a stupid PICC line since I developed a leak 5 weeks out from my sleeve and was on TPN for a month. I mean, 1 stupid tube in my arm and I have a scar?! At least it's flat, and I'll take scars over the saggy skin any day.

I'll definitely ask him about a comparison of the incisions with yours since you showed pics.

Totally unrelated to the arms, but when you got your LBL, did you opt to get the extra pain meds? They told me that I had the option of doing some sort of pain medication that they inject or something right while they're actually doing the surgery that is localized and is slow release and lasts for several days. I'm a big wuss when it comes to pain, but I'm already spending sooooo much, part of me is like "why would I pay another $400?" and the other part is like "when you're already paying the cost of some cars, what's another $400 if it means less pain?"

Oh, and another question I just thought of.... so how does getting arm compression garments work with the incisions? Isn't it uncomfortable to pull something tight up your arms? It just seems like that would cause unwanted tugging on the incisions. I realize once they're on it's not an issue, but the act of getting them on just sounds painful. I keep wondering all the same things related to anything else about doing something that would tug on an incision. Like, do I need to be super careful about positioning myself in the recliner? If I accidentally try to scoot back or forward am I going to rip a hole in my incision?! Argh. These are the crazy scary things running through my head!

Of course crazy things are running through your head! Surgery is scary, and being under all day is scary, and having pain is scary! I can honestly say that my breasts did not hurt at all and my arms hardly hurt either. They are more uncomfortable than anything! I didn't even need pain meds for my arms although I took a few. Now, my abdominal muscle tightening HURT. It was well-managed on pain meds, but it was the first night at home when I woke up maybe 5 hours after going to bed and the meds had worn off and OWWWW. I had to eat a couple of pretzels (I will throw up if I don't have food in my stomach before pain meds) and then take the med and wait 15 minutes for it to set in, and those 20 minutes were pretty freaking painful, I am not going to lie. But once I got through that first night, the pain was always manageable. Sitting up was the most painful (because of the stomach muscle tightening) but I used my arms to hoist myself up. You will be having your mom likely hug you and lift you to a sitting position. Yay for moms is right!

I do agree, that some people scar more than others - strangely I don't really have marks from my RNY but I have very visible scars on my knee from a torn meniscus surgery a few years ago, so I don't know if I am a super healer or what. When I am in a bra and panties, my scars are covered (well except for the arms now) and I love love love the way I look. Even if the scars were darker, I would be thrilled. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that my arms aren't super noticeable.

I did pay the $300 or $400 for the Exparel to be injected in my incision line for my LBL. I don't know how it would have felt without it. To be honest, since that first day and night you are in the hospital overnight and on the gooooooood meds through the IV line, I would say maybe save your money. I dunno - I can't compare what it would have been like without it, but the meds at the hospital work quite well, and it's honestly just that first night home that is painful.

I didn't have a recliner, and I just slept against a huge wedge pillow. I never ripped a hole in an incision or even came close to it. I don't know how to explain Dr. Michael's technique. I have seen pics online of people who have raised sort of braided pie crust scars, but Dr. Michael's scars are flat and the stitches are all INSIDE, so the outside has this weird like human super glue. So there are no incisions, as funny as that sounds. You are glued shut! It's weird but I never felt hunched over and I also didn't have any chance to even remotely open an incision. My armpits are the only area that are a little raised up and I worry about opening them from reaching too much, but that's because I am a freak and I cannot sit still. For the days after the LBL, I was definitely just hanging out.

You're going to be so pleasantly surprised with how manageable the pain is, and how soon you can bounce back. Think of it this way - when you had your WLS, your doctor had to go in and slice and dice and reconnect your organs - this is just skin. My mom, who is a medical malpractice paralegal, told me she had ZERO concerns about this surgery - it's literally just dealing with your skin. You will be asleep all day, and when you wake up, you will get the good news that Dr. Michaels removed X pounds, and then....the best after effect of this surgery is, I had a SUPER high metabolism for like 2 months after surgery! My body was working hard to heal itself and I swear to god, I was losing weight without trying. That was something I hadn't planned for but was very happy about!

Even if your scars are dark, I think you are going to be so happy after surgery. I needed it for my mental health. I was so saggy. Now, I feel so good and so sexy in underwear and a bra, and clothes fit better, and I think I look damn good even with the scars I have (and I am not gonna lie, sometimes I feel like Frankenstein with all these marks all over my body). I don't remember if you are married? Well I am dating, and sure it sucks when you're with someone new and have to be like "Umm so I lost a lot of weight and had plastic surgery and uh, yeah, these are my scars" but I have realized I wouldn't want to be with someone who couldn't accept that about me, so in a way it's like a good litmus test for if a guy is a good one.

Sorry for rambling - I honestly am so excited for you. You won't be able to avoid having crazy scary things running through your head, but I promise, I would do it all again ten more times for these results, if that was required. That's how manageable the pain and recovery is. You will be back at the gym six weeks later and when you plank, your stomach skin won't drape on the floor and your arm skin won't pool at your elbows. It's so awesome.

Remind me again, you're in Bmore?

Em

Ramble away, the more I hear about other people's experience the better I feel. And it's nice to actually hear from someone who has the same doc as me, since they all have their own style and advice and whatnot.

I was actually thinking of taking an extra pair of undies or 2 in case the doc wanted to see where I like to naturally wear them in order to best place scars (especially since I prefer thongs, so they don't cover all that much! But yes, even if they're dark scars a year out, I'll gladly take that.

I'm thinking crazy things, but I'm not even close to re-considering. I've basically mentally prepared myself for being in a whole lotta hurt for a few days potentially, but that I know it will be worth it. I mean, the WLS itself wasn't painful, but I had some CRAZY shoulder pain afterwards that was rough, and when I had the leak, they had to put the drain in while I was awake and it ran across a serious nerve.... I actually screamed, even with being loaded on the good stuff. So I figure if I handled that, I can handle this. Is the Exparel only in the incisions? If they don't also do it with the muscle tightening then it doesn't sound worth it to me. I'm thinking that the first night or 2 I'd probably actually set an alarm to wake me up in the night to take more meds. I'd rather do that vs have them wear off. Especially since it's always been easy for me to fall asleep.

I know that the whole pie crust thing does lay flat after 6 weeks, but I'm actually really glad that his incisions still come out really well without it. I really don't like the pie crust look!

I'm not married, but I've been dating my b/f for a little over a year. He met me when most but not all of my weight was off. Then again, we're polyamorous (open relationship), so technically I'm also still dating. LOL. I'm usually up front with people that I lost a bunch of weight, so they'll hear about the scars before they see them!

I'm actually right in DC proper on the green line, though I'll stay with family up in MD for the first bit after recovery.

I'm so happy to hear about the super glue and that I don't need to worry that every little movement is going to pop a stitch or pull the skin apart. I mean, I figured that I must be over-reacting.... but I've read that it's fairly common for people to get small openings and I know they can take FOREVER to heal, so I really want to do as much as I can to avoid them!

I was like you - mentally prepared for whatever came my way because I NEEDED the body contouring/skin removal :) I think you're going into it with a great mindset.

I live off the green line too! Columbia Heights :) I know you will be in MD immediately after surgery but perhaps I can come meet you when you get home, if you need anything, or even just want to see a healed person and give you hope that you're on your way ;) I know I look at people's pics to reassure myself that I am gonna heal, I am gonna look good...LOL!

The super glue is pretty amazing! I was shocked how I didn't have any open incisions or visible stitches after surgery. It's seriously miraculous what modern medicine can do.

My mom visited for a week after my surgery but I was honestly ok after maybe 3 or 4 days and didn't need help.

The Exparel is inserted along the incisions, but I don't think anything can take away the pain of abdominal muscle tightening ha ha. It's just something that hurts. But seriously, six months after my LBL I still have abs (I do work for them but the muscle tightening was the first time ever that I had a taut stomach!). So the pain is well worth it :)

OMG, I'm one stop away right next to the petworth metro! We should definitely meet up at some point. I'm basically staying with my mom from surgery through the 26th or 27th since I'd be running up home for the holidays anyway. I figure I might need help a bit longer since I'll be dealing with healing arms and the healing LBL at the same time, but I was assuming that after the first week I would be functional, just tired and maybe uncomfortable or have limited range of movement for certain things.

I'm taking off till the new year and then possibly working from home for up to 2 weeks after that just depending on if I feel up to commuting and such.

Eventually I'll probably also get brave enough to post some before and after shots on here too since I know how much other people really appreciate it!

Ok no freaking way - I live on Georgia Ave!!! Petworth is also my metro stop - I am halfway in between. I am envious you live by Looking Glass - I love that place! I am next to the vegan soul food joint, Woodlands Bistro. What a small world! Then I am definitely going to come visit and see if you need anything! I am going to Scotland from Dec 26-Jan 3, so it will be when you are working from home. I can't believe you live six blocks from me LOL

Oh and I forgot to comment on the compression garments. So when I left the hospital after my arm lift, I had two ace bandages on each arm, wrapped rather tightly from shoulder to wrist. No drains. I didn't get the compression sleeves until my one week appointment. It's slightly uncomfortable to pull something tight over the incisions, but again, not painful. For my LBL and BL, I think after one week I also got the compression garment, but it's basically knee to boobs, with straps that go over the shoulders (doesn't touch the arms). I didn't have a ton of swelling and I didn't use that garment for a full four weeks. That had a front hook and eye closure from crotch to cleavage. Your mom will be so helpful to have on hand, but I could honestly use my arms for anything other than heavy lifting and reaching as of my first day home. You can easily do the hook and eye closure with your hands on your body garment :)

The first week or two you will have awkward moments, but then you will be so good to go!

Hey girl! I haven't been on the boards in awhile but so glad this is one of the first things to see! :) You look great. I agree with Tracy - don't pu****!!