Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)

An arm lift, medically called brachioplasty, is an operation that removes loose skin and excess fat from the upper arm and tightens what remains, so the underside of the arm no longer hangs when you lift it. It is a skin-removal operation: it leaves a scar, and in exchange it treats looseness that exercise, diet and liposuction cannot correct.

Bingo wings is the everyday name for the soft, hanging tissue under the upper arm that swings when the arm is raised or waved. It can be made mostly of fat, mostly of loose skin, or both. When it is mainly fat with good skin, arm liposuction can fix it without a long scar; when the skin itself has stretched, only an arm lift removes it.

Hold your arm out to the side and pinch the underside. If the tissue is thick and firm and the skin springs back, it is mostly fat and liposuction may be enough. If it is thin, soft and crepey and hangs even when you are slim, the problem is skin — and removing fat underneath would leave more loose skin, not less. The examination at the consultation confirms which applies.

In mild cases, yes. VASER arm liposuction combined with internal skin tightening — Renuvion (J-Plasma) or BodyTite — can improve tone through small entry points when the skin is only mildly loose. These technologies help skin contract; they do not remove a hanging fold. When there is a true excess of skin, an arm lift gives a result that energy devices cannot.

A mini arm lift, or short-scar brachioplasty, removes a crescent of skin through an incision hidden in the armpit. It suits patients whose looseness is limited to the upper third of the arm, close to the armpit, with reasonable skin elsewhere. It is often combined with liposuction of the arm. If the laxity runs towards the elbow, a mini arm lift cannot reach it.

In a mini arm lift, the scar is hidden in the armpit. In a full arm lift, it runs along the inner side of the upper arm, from the armpit towards the elbow, planned so that it is as hidden as possible when your arms are at your sides. In an extended arm lift after major weight loss, it continues from the armpit down the side of the chest. Dr. Paulo Michels marks the exact line on you before surgery.

That is a personal decision and it should be made before surgery, not after. The scar of a full arm lift is long and visible when the arms are raised or in sleeveless clothes; in exchange, the arm no longer hangs. Patients troubled by heavy, swinging skin usually find the trade worthwhile; patients with mild looseness may prefer liposuction and skin tightening and accept a more modest change.

After major weight loss, loose skin often does not stop at the armpit — it continues down the side of the chest as a roll beneath the arm. An extended arm lift carries the excision from the arm across the armpit and onto the chest wall so both are treated in one continuous line. It is frequently combined with a breast lift, which shares the same area.

A good candidate has loose skin of the upper arm that bothers them, a weight that has been stable for several months, good general health and realistic expectations about the scar. Non-smoking around the time of surgery is essential for healing. Typical candidates are people after major weight loss — including weight loss with Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro, or after bariatric surgery — and people whose arm skin has loosened with age.

Yes, once your weight has been stable for several months. GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are usually paused about two weeks before surgery, as directed by the anaesthesia team, because they slow stomach emptying. Never stop or change the medicine on your own; you will be given clear instructions in coordination with the doctor who prescribes it.

The operation is done under general anaesthesia at Elyzee Hospital. With your arms raised, the skin to be removed and the scar line are marked. Liposuction is usually performed first to reduce fat and allow the skin to be removed safely; the excess skin is then removed and the wound is closed in layers. The operation typically takes two to three hours depending on the extent and any combined procedures.

Most patients describe tightness and soreness rather than severe pain. Pain control is planned with the anaesthesiologist, including nerve blocks where appropriate, and continues with oral painkillers at home. Discomfort is greatest in the first few days and when lifting the arms.

Most patients return to desk work in about one to two weeks. A compression sleeve or garment is worn for about six weeks, and Manual Lymphatic Drainage helps reduce swelling. Lifting the arms above the shoulders, heavy lifting and upper-body exercise wait around four to six weeks. The scar keeps maturing and fading for 12 months or more.

Some swelling of the forearm and hand is common in the first weeks, because fluid drains down the arm with gravity. Keeping the arms elevated on pillows when resting, wearing compression as instructed and Manual Lymphatic Drainage all help it settle.

Besides the general risks of surgery — bleeding, infection, fluid collection, delayed healing, blood clots and anaesthetic risk — the specific risks are a wide or raised scar, scar contraction across the armpit, asymmetry, and numbness of the inner arm or forearm if small skin nerves are affected, which is usually temporary but can occasionally persist. Prolonged swelling of the arm is uncommon, but because lymphatic channels run in this area it is a recognised risk and is discussed openly.

Persistent lymphatic swelling after an arm lift is uncommon, but it is a recognised risk because the lymphatic channels of the arm pass close to the area being treated. Careful planning of the depth and position of the excision is used to protect them. Patients who already have arm swelling, lipedema of the arms or a history of lymph node surgery need a specific assessment before any arm surgery.

Yes. It is often combined with a breast lift or breast reduction, which share the side of the chest, or performed as part of a staged plan with a 360 tummy tuck or body lift after major weight loss. What is combined depends on your health and on the total operating time considered safe; sometimes staging operations is the safer choice.

Yes. Men who have lost a lot of weight often have loose upper-arm skin and a roll of skin at the side of the chest. The operation is the same; the scar is planned along the inner arm, and the chest component is sometimes combined with gynecomastia surgery.

The skin removed does not come back, so the improvement is long-lasting as long as your weight stays stable. The remaining skin continues to age, and a significant weight gain can stretch it again.

The cost depends on whether you need liposuction with skin tightening, a mini, full or extended arm lift, and whether other procedures are combined. Fees are quoted individually after the consultation and the quote is all-inclusive: surgeon, anaesthesiologist, hospital and theatre, compression garments, discharge medication and follow-up. No fixed price list is published.

Yes. Many of Dr. Paulo Michels' body-contouring patients live in Dubai. All consultations and surgery take place at Elyzee Hospital in Abu Dhabi, and pre-operative tests, surgery and follow-up visits are grouped to keep the number of journeys to a minimum.