Arm lift surgery in Charlotte, NC, also referred to as brachioplasty, is performed whenever an arm has a component of excess skin that needs to be removed for optimal arm contouring. Excess skin can be the result of aging, sun-damaged skin, unfavorable genetics, or significant weight loss.
Loose skin in the arms can be extremely frustrating. Although liposuction is a great option for removing excess fatty tissue, it will not address excessively loose skin. During the arm lift procedure or Brachioplasty, excess skin and fat are carefully removed from the armpit down to the elbow, and the skin is nicely repositioned and contoured to create a more youthful and aesthetically pleasing appearance. With a carefully placed incision camouflaged within the inside of the arm, this excess skin and fatty tissue can be removed, and your shape will be at its fullest potential.
An arm lift in Charlotte, NC, especially after massive weight loss, can be complex and involve multiple phases in order to achieve the best shape and symmetry. Just making things look “better” is not Dr. Pratt’s approach – he wants the best version of you.
Comprehensive, passionate, and driven to bring you to your fullest potential aesthetically is what you will instantly feel during your consultation with Dr. Pratt. The time spent not only discussing your aesthetic concerns but also placing equal emphasis on the impact of any medical problems on your surgery is a testament to his deep concern for the patient and not just the procedure.
"I believe every plastic surgeon wants to have the best result for their patient, but unless you are willing to put in the necessary work to achieve it, the result falls short. Knowing when to stage an operation is sometimes part of that work”.
Dr. Pratt, a plastic surgeon in Charlotte, NC, graduated from the University of Florida College of Medicine and then went on to complete his general surgery residency at Carolinas Medical Center. While in Charlotte, he also completed a research fellowship in minimally invasive surgical techniques and then went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to complete a second fellowship in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Pratt has dedicated a significant portion of his aesthetic practice to body contouring after weight loss. His pursuit to restore a youthful look and not a contrived one is unyielding and tireless.
Dr. Pratt and his amazing staff at Bespoke Plastic Surgery are located in beautiful south Charlotte nestled in the heart of Ballantyne. His practice is dedicated exclusively to aesthetic surgery of the breast, body, and face.
Lasers are an integral part of our practice and have their specific role. Technological advances like Smart Lipo are designed to complement an arm lift and are by no means a substitute for it. When we ask devices such as lasers to do far more than what they are intended to do, results are unpredictable, and at times, disastrous. There are no short cuts to restoring youth in patients with excessive excess skin.
Understood. Quite frankly, no one actually wants an incision if they don’t need one, but there comes a time when the presence of an incision on a shapelier arm looks far better than the lack of an incision on a poorly shaped one.
Yes. The answer is…both. Over the years, Dr. Pratt has found that deflating a full looking arm by first performing liposuction is the first of a two-step process in getting the best results.
In my experience, maximal skin removal with arm lifts is best achieved when the arm is already deflated, either with weight loss or liposuction
No. Dr. Pratt will make recommendations as to what he thinks is best for you specifically. Dr. Pratt routinely does arm lifts under mild sedation, but when done in combination with other body contouring surgeries, he will most likely suggest a general anesthetic.
My fascination with, and what drew me into plastic surgery was the concept that there were many good solutions to any particular problem. In this instance, there is no ‘correct’ answer, merely philosophical differences in one’s approach. I have found that due to the excessive swelling during surgery, ability to for maximal skin excision is limited when significant liposuction is performed simultaneously. Staging the procedures allows for the swelling from liposuction to subside so that more skin can be removed during the final stage. This may seem like an extra step, but the quality of the incision and the final shape is superior when done in this fashion.
In short, yes. Weight loss and aging skin affects us all differently and what the extent of loose skin on your arm may be completely different than someone else. An “extended arm lift” is when the extent of loose skin is not simply isolated to the arm but goes well beyond.
Although the idea of just doing everything at once is quite appealing, sometimes the better result means doing it in phases. This tends to be reserved for select patients, but the end result is more often than not, superior in my opinion.
