Long post alert, just venting and catching up after so much time away... TLDR, I'm getting an arm lift. I want to hear from other people who got it and how it changed their body/body image, recovery, success stories, and whatever else you want to share!

Wow, I haven't posted in a while. This forum got me through some dark times when I had my gastric bypass both before and after.

I am posting today because I am FINALLY getting some plastics done. I have been waiting a while because I wanted to maintain my weight. I just turned 30, I'm not getting any younger and I've been doing excellent maintaining my weight loss so I finally scheduled a brachioplasty to start.

I am getting an arm lift in other words. I included a pic of my arm and the skin hang-age. This is my before. Disclaimer, this pic is from a couple months ago it's the one I had handy on my desktop but I've been doing a lot of weight training and have built up my bicep a bit more.

I would like to do a tummy tuck too (I have A LOT of loose skin in an apron belly shape and my boobs sag down to my ribs ? ) but I am okay with not getting it for now. I can't afford both and don't really have the time to recover from all that surgery.

I am starting with just the brachio for now. I have spent my whole life hiding my body and after losing all this weight, I found I am concealing it even MORE because of how droopy and flappy everything has gotten. I am fed up of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin after all the hard work I put in. I'm sure a lot of people who get plastic surgery post-major weight loss can relate to this. At this point it feels like a necessity. My bat wing arms also smack against my body like crazy, I can't wear short sleeves without this happening and tops do not fit me right because of my wonky proportions. My bicep has very little fat on it and all the bulk on my arm is hanging under it so it's very uncomfortable. I've been holding off because of how expensive it is as well. I am paying out of pocket 15k and it's a chunk of my savings but I'd rather have this than a payment plan and I can start ASAP to recoup my savings.

I have a lot of body image issues as one does from being morbidly obese their whole life... so honestly I am almost 100% sure this surgery is NOT going to fix the way I see myself. I am more looking at it as a way to feel more comfortable on a day-to-day basis whether I am exercising or just trying to wear a short sleeve outfit in this very hot state I live in.

So that's basically my update. I have been doing well, maintaining my weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. Gastric bypass has completely changed my life and made it so much easier to make better choices for my body and my longevity. I am ready for the arm lift and I am so scared but also excited to see how this all goes. I want to hear from other people who got an arm lift or any loose skin removal and how the recovery went for you and how it helped you and your confidence.

Thanks and you're all wonderful people!

Did you get a date yet for your arm lift?

My wings, even after seven/eight months of weight work, in the pictures I had to submit to the Dept of Health here.

On 4/6/2025 at 6:14 PM, fourmonthspreop said:

No, it doesn't look super obvious when I wear long sleeves pic for reference (I am always wearing long sleeves) however I personally would like to have a brachio to feel confident in t-shirts without that arm flap wacking against my side

i got alot of the same responses/reactions about my decision to get an arm lift as well. i was told my arms weren't so bad, that they were fine, and that no one noticed the extra skin.

Well *i* noticed.

i always disliked my upper arms, even when i was "normal sized" as a teen, in my twenties, early thirties. one if my biggest sadnesses was having to wear a shawl on my wedding day over my awesome sleeveless dress because i was uncomfortable showing them.

then when i started the road to morbid obesity, i absolutely HATED them omg

fast forward to post wls and my joy of wearing tank tops again were marred by not up to snuff arms.

so i got me an arm lift, baby.

i wont sugarcoat it: recovery was a bee-yatch. mostly self-inflicted as i didn't listen to my doc and did too much too soon. i also have noticeable scars (im over 5 yrs post plastics, 6.5years post wls), which i knew going in as i historically scar badly.

BUT, omg i love my arms. weird to say out loud but true. im sleeveless like ALL the time, even in winter lol. and because i love my arms so much i take care of them with regular exercise, ha!

here is a link to my BariatricPal photo album of my arm lift before pics and progress/results over the years:

there are pics 6m before arm lift, day before arm lift, and 1 & 6 months after, and one from last fall (5 years after arm lift)

(im trying to find old pics of arm close ups where im not flexing, but it seems i only like to flex hahhaha)

long story short, if you have the means/resources and the desire, do it! you only live once, may as well enjoy it with fabulous arms (or boobs or butts or noses) if thats what you want.

good luck! ❤️

Edited April 8, 20251 yr by ms.sss

Yes - as Greentael (sp?) said above, your second set of photos give more context. Here are my before and afters. I forgot I had these on here.

Welll.... got my brachio. On post op day 4. Feeling pretty good. It's still very swollen. Here's post op day 3 photo. I can't wait to be healed and wearing t shirt. I have to wear this compression top for 2 weeks straight then for 12 hours a day for 4 more weeks or so.

4 hours ago, fourmonthspreop said:

Welll.... got my brachio. On post op day 4. Feeling pretty good. It's still very swollen. Here's post op day 3 photo. I can't wait to be healed and wearing t shirt. I have to wear this compression top for 2 weeks straight then for 12 hours a day for 4 more weeks or so.

Congrats!

Congratulations.

Look forward to hearing your updates.

Update: healing well. Started scar laser therapy last week. Still in compression but I got a cute short sleeve dress I can't wait to wear on my summer vacation. I will probably be in compression for the rest of the summer just because the swelling gets so crazy in the extreme heat where I live.

I am excited and loving the results so far. It feels so great to not feel my arms shake and move around while doing things daily. Going down stairs, running, stirring while cooking, all feels different. Also I am a violinist and I no longer feel my arms shake and move while I play. I am so happy about that.

Delighted to hear how well you are doing and the impact you can already see (and not feel ?) in your daily life.

How did the immediate recovery period go, did you need a lot of help, bed rest etc.?