Arm Lift Questions....

Hello Everyone, If you have had an arm lift; 1) how long after surgery were your stitches romoved? 2) how long did you need to wear compression garments on your arms? Thanks for any input! (yes, I posted this on the PS forum too) Hugs, * Debbie *

I looked into the arm lift and was scheduled for one but then cancelled. What I was told was that I would have a drain in each arm for up to a week and most stitches were of the disolving type. Any that needed to be removed by the doctor would be in about 1 week unless the incision wasn't healing well. I would have to have my arms wrapped continously for 3 days and then as I felt I needed. I could not lift anything over 10 pounds the first couple of week and then gradually build up. I could not lift weights for 6-8 weeks. I cancelled because of the risk of damaging lymph nodes, which can cause lymphodema, a technically incurable problem that causes excessive swelling and often means the patient will have to wear compression garments for life, sometimes just at night, sometimes nearly around the clock. Very little scares me, but that turned me off. While it's relatively rare, it just isn't worth the risk to me. I'm going to get some liposuction just above the elbows and let the skin hang. Ann

Ann-Just a warning here regarding arm liposuction. I had my arms lipo'd in preparation for an arm lift later, when I had my tt. I was told it would happen-but--the sagging is unbelievable. My arm skin is in bad shape and wouldn't shrink back at all. They definitely look much worse than before. Check your skin out and consider that when deciding on lipo for the arm area. Mine jiggled less before.

THANKS! I'll think about that! I don't need any more jiggle than I already have. Ann

My co-worker had her arms done this spring and she had stitches out at about 7 days. She wore the compression garments the first week or 10 days. She's had no problems at all, healing is fantastic - faint lines on the insides of her arms but she spent the summer in sleeveless tops. Lifting restriction for about 2 weeks she said. She was back to work the second week after and feeling fine - best money she ever spent she said!!

I had my arms done in October of last year. Most of the stitches were dissolving, but there were a few in each arm that he removed after about a week. I only wore ace bandages for a couple of days. I tried to keep the arms elevated. I had drains in my armpits for about 3 days. I'm so thrilled with the results. Actually the arms bothered me pre-plastics more than almost anything else. I wore sleeveless tops all this last summer and loved it!! For me, it was definitely worth the pain and money. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any other questions. Connie -147# post LBL post UBL

Just had my arms done on September 1st. Stitches came off really quickly, within a week, I believe. NO drains. Scars are still well (saw my PS today). Said to continue using paper tape, probably for a couple of months (did that for my tummy tuck too) and suggested I wear a top with long sleeves that is compression type. I wear extra small petite tops so I find the smallest to give compression. He says the longer I wear them, the better the end result because it will help the skin adhere to the muscle underneath and make the arms look better. If the redness is not gone in a couple of months, he says lasering will help that as well. Good luck to you. Missy

Thank you for the information everyone