Most of us desire toned, firm, defined upper arms. When summertime hits, the feeling of throwing on a sleeveless blouse with confidence may seem out of reach. Perhaps you’ve worked hard to tone your muscles and find that the hanging skin on your upper arms persists. Arm lift surgery may be the right way to wave goodbye to the dreaded “batwings” for good.

You are likely a candidate for this procedure if the following apply to you:

• Sagging, drooping, lax skin hanging from the upper arms
• Lax tissue around the upper arms
• Stubborn fat deposits on the upper arms
• At a stable body weight and not significantly overweight
• Have realistic expectations of what the procedure can achieve
• In generally good overall health

Of course, the best and only way to know for sure if you’re a candidate is to consult Dr. Doug Cusick. Born and raised in Kansas City, Dr. Cusick has been performing plastic surgery for decades. He is passionate about providing his guests with beautiful, flattering results that offer that extra boost of a positive self-image. If you are unhappy with the drooping of your upper arms, he’ll help you decide what to do about it. If it is excess fat alone that is the issue, you may be a better candidate for liposuction, or for a combination of liposuction and arm lift surgery.

Your candidacy will include willingness to adhere to arm lift recovery guidelines. Most people return to work within several days to a week, assuming that the job does not involve heavy lifting or a lot of use of your upper arms. You’ll need to take time off from strenuous exercise, although you must be up and walking around while you heal. Weight-bearing exercise and strenuous activity will be delayed for a certain number of weeks.

The results of arm lift surgery are long-lasting. The sagging skin that is removed is gone for good. There will be ongoing skin drooping that occurs as aging and gravity continue to change your body over time, but you shouldn’t experience the significant amount of sagging skin that you had before. If you gained a lot of weight, and then lost a lot of weight, that could potentially restore sagging skin to the upper arms. But overall, arm lift patients continue to be happy with their results for the long term.

To learn more about arm lift surgery, and to find out if you are a good candidate for this procedure, please call the practice of Dr. Doug Cusick in Leawood, KS, at 913-661-0202.