An arm lift, formally called brachioplasty, is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin and fat from the upper arms to create a tighter, more contoured shape. It’s one of the most common body-contouring surgeries, particularly popular among people who’ve lost significant weight or noticed sagging skin with age. The average surgeon’s fee is $6,192, though the total cost runs higher once you factor in anesthesia, facility fees, and follow-up care.
Why People Get Arm Lifts
The upper arm is one of the most stubborn areas of the body when it comes to loose skin. Exercise can build muscle underneath, but it can’t tighten skin that has lost its elasticity. This is especially true after major weight loss, when large amounts of skin remain stretched out with nothing to fill it. Aging and genetics also play a role: some people develop hanging skin along the inner arm (sometimes called “bat wings”) even without dramatic weight changes.
An arm lift addresses this by physically removing the excess tissue and reshaping what remains. It’s not a weight-loss procedure. It’s designed for people who are already at or near their goal weight but can’t get the arm shape they want through diet and exercise alone.
Types of Arm Lifts
Not all arm lifts involve the same incision or the same amount of tissue removal. Your surgeon will recommend an approach based on how much excess skin you have and where it’s concentrated.
- Limited (short-scar) arm lift: The incision stays within the armpit area. This option works for people with a modest amount of sagging, specifically less than about 12 centimeters of hanging skin measured from the middle of the upper arm. The resulting scar is the most easily hidden.
- Standard arm lift: The incision runs along the inner arm, typically from the armpit toward the elbow, following the natural groove on the inside of the bicep. This is the most common approach and addresses moderate to significant skin laxity.
- Extended arm lift: For people with excess skin that continues past the armpit onto the side of the chest, the incision curves from the inner arm across the armpit and down the lateral chest wall in an L-shape. This is often the approach after massive weight loss.
- Posterior arm lift: Some surgeons place the incision along the back of the arm instead of the inner side. The scar is less visible from the front but more noticeable from behind when the arms are at rest.
Who Is a Good Candidate
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons outlines several general criteria. Good candidates are adults with significant upper arm skin laxity whose weight has been stable, who are not significantly overweight, and who don’t have medical conditions that impair healing. Nonsmokers heal better and face fewer complications, so smoking cessation is a standard requirement before surgery.
Timing matters. If you’ve recently lost a large amount of weight, whether through lifestyle changes or bariatric surgery, most surgeons want to see your weight hold steady before operating. Weight fluctuations after an arm lift can undo the results: losing more weight may create new areas of sagging, while gaining significant weight can stretch the weakened skin, leading to stretch marks and widened scars.
What to Expect Before Surgery
In the weeks leading up to an arm lift, you’ll need to stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen, and certain herbal supplements that increase bleeding risk. If you smoke, you’ll be asked to quit well in advance, since nicotine constricts blood vessels and significantly slows wound healing. Your surgeon will likely order blood work and may adjust any medications you’re currently taking.
Recovery Timeline
Most people wear a compression garment on the arms for several weeks after surgery to minimize swelling and support the new contour. Swelling and bruising are most noticeable in the first one to two weeks, and many people return to desk work within that timeframe. Strenuous upper-body activity, including lifting anything heavy, is typically restricted for four to six weeks.
Results are visible immediately, but the final shape continues to refine as swelling resolves over several months. The scars themselves go through a maturation process that can take a year or more. They’re usually most red and raised in the first few months, then gradually flatten and lighten.
Scarring and How to Manage It
Scarring is the biggest trade-off of an arm lift. A standard arm lift leaves a scar running much of the length of the inner arm, and an extended lift adds a scar along the chest wall. For many patients, the improvement in arm shape is worth it, but the scar is permanent.
Several strategies can improve how scars look over time. Silicone sheets or scar creams applied after the incision has healed help keep the scar flat and soft. Gentle scar massage, once your surgeon clears you, breaks up bumpy tissue and promotes a smoother result. Sun protection is essential, as UV exposure can darken healing scars permanently. For scars that become raised or thickened (hypertrophic scarring), steroid injections or laser therapy can help.
Risks and Complications
A review of over 1,000 brachioplasty patients, published in Acta Bio Medica, found that roughly 29% experienced some form of complication. That number sounds high, but most complications were minor and manageable.
Hypertrophic scarring was the most common issue, affecting about 11% of patients. Seroma, a buildup of fluid under the skin, occurred in about 7%. Delayed wound healing or the incision partially opening (wound dehiscence) happened in roughly 6%. Infection was less common at about 3%, and hematoma (a collection of blood under the skin) at under 1%. Nerve damage causing lasting numbness or altered sensation occurred in 1.5% of cases.
Alternatives to Surgery
If your main concern is excess fat rather than loose skin, liposuction alone may be enough. For people with moderate skin laxity combined with excess fat, newer options that pair liposuction with energy-based skin tightening (using laser or radiofrequency devices) can produce results comparable to a traditional arm lift in the right candidates.
A study comparing one such combined approach to a traditional arm lift in patients with significant arm fat and moderate skin looseness found no meaningful difference in objective measurements like circumference reduction and the amount of sagging eliminated. Patients who had the less invasive approach reported higher satisfaction, less pain, and returned to work in under a week on average. However, four patients in each group still had residual sagging, and these techniques are not effective for people with severe skin excess, where surgery remains the only reliable option.
Cost Breakdown
The $6,192 average reported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons covers only the surgeon’s fee. Your total bill will also include anesthesia fees, the operating facility charge, medical tests, compression garments, and prescriptions. Depending on your location and the complexity of the procedure, total out-of-pocket costs often range from $8,000 to $12,000 or more. Arm lifts performed purely for cosmetic reasons are not covered by insurance, though some plans may cover part of the cost if excess skin causes documented medical problems like chronic rashes or infections.
Maintaining Your Results
An arm lift produces permanent results in the sense that the removed skin and fat don’t grow back. But your body continues to age, and your skin will gradually lose elasticity over time. The single most important thing you can do to protect your results is maintain a stable weight. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, gaining a lot of weight after brachioplasty can damage the already-weakened skin, causing stretch marks and scar widening, while losing weight can create new sagging in other areas. Staying active and keeping your weight steady gives you the best chance of long-lasting results.