Is Brachioplasty Safe?
Brachioplasty and safety need to be assessed on an individual level rather than providing a blanket statement of dangerous or not.
Risk profiles are impacted by the extent of the surgery, the patient’s medical history, how well they heal, their smoking status, and other factors.
Is Brachioplasty Safe?
Brachioplasty is a surgical procedure in plastic surgery but, like all surgeries, has risks related to the use of incisions, anesthesia and the healing of the wounds.
Prior to the surgery, the medical team needs to determine if the risks are acceptable for this patient.
What Are The Risks Associated with Brachioplasty?
Brachioplasty can present several concerns including:
- Excessive bleeding
- Infection
- Seromas
- Slow or Poor Healing of Wounds
- Wound Separation
- Altered Skin Sensation
- Nerve Problems
- Excessive Scarring
- Blood Clots
- Problems with Anesthesia
- Revision surgery
Not all patients will have these problems but they should all be part of the informed consent.
What is the Likelihood that a Patient Will Suffer Complications After Brachioplasty?
Literature has assessed complications of brachioplasty of varying severity including some of the more minor complications (i.e. scarring, separation of the wound, seroma, and infection). Complication statistics, when viewed in isolation, have little to no predictive value due to the variation in patients and in the technique(s) used.
How Safe Is Brachioplasty?
Describing the surgery as simply dangerous is not an adequate assessment. A better assessment will include the health of the patient, the extent of tissue removal, the anesthesia, the surgical setting, and the proposed technique(s).
A consultation should identify factors that may increase risk prior to surgery being scheduled.
Is Brachioplasty Dangerous?
The question is not only whether brachioplasty is dangerous, but which risks apply to the individual patient.
The amount of tissue being removed, the patient’s health, anesthesia, wound healing and the surgical plan can all influence the level of risk.
Is Brachioplasty Major Surgery?
Brachioplasty involves surgical incisions, removing excess skin and anesthesia, so it should not be treated as a minor cosmetic procedure.
Whether the arm lift is performed as an outpatient procedure or requires a different surgical setting will depend on the procedure, the patient and the medical plan.
Is Brachioplasty Painful?
Anesthesia is administered during a surgery, while discomfort, tightness, and soreness may be experienced after the surgery is completed.
How painful is brachioplasty can be different for each patient, as well as how extensive the surgery is.
Post-operative instructions and medication are part of the recovery plan.
Who is at Risk for Complications?
A surgery risk assessment may need to be more extensive for patients if they have medical conditions that make healing more difficult, if they smoke, have an unstable weight, or have concerning health issues that are related to the surgery or adverse events caused by anesthesia.
It is important to disclose all medications and supplements being taken during the consultation.
Why is Smoking Important?
Smoking and the use of nicotine may impair the normal healing of a wound.
Patients are to follow the request of the surgeon regarding smoking or the use of any nicotine products pre and post surgery.
What is a Seroma?
A seroma is a fluid collection after a surgery.
It is one of the complications mentioned in brachioplasty research, and may need assessment or treatment based on the size and symptoms of the seroma.
Could Brachioplasty Cause Numbness?
Temporary changes in the sensation may be experienced after a surgery.
Brachioplasty also has the risk of nerve related complications, and like all the other forms of surgery, they may be varied in nature and how severe they are.
The surgical team should evaluate changes in sensation that remain or are of concern.
What Can “Brachioplasty Gone Wrong” Mean?
Brachioplasty gone wrong can describe different problems rather than one specific complication.
It may refer to wound healing problems, infection, seroma, changes in sensation, visible scarring, asymmetry or a result that leads to further treatment or revision surgery.
A concern during recovery should be assessed by the medical team rather than judged only from appearance.
What of Arm Lift Scarring?
The brachioplasty procedure involves the removal of skin, therefore a scar is a given.
Concerns are not surrounding the existence of a scar, but rather where the scar is, how it heals post surgery, and if there is abnormal healing.
More detail is included in our guide to scarring after an arm lift procedure.
How Can You Reduce the Risks?
It’s impossible to eliminate risk entirely.
Ensuring a thorough pre-op assessment, selecting appropriate patients, adherence to medication guidelines, abstaining from smoking, and following advice on wound-care and activity, all help reduce the risk of complications.
What do you need to know before the surgery?
Instead of asking for just a general complication rate, focus your question more specifically by asking what the risks are for your health and for the surgical plan.
It is also important to know who is going to perform the surgery and where. Additionally, knowing how complications are handled and what the plan is for post-operative care is important.
What Are Reasons for Contacting the Medical Team During Recovery?
Increased pain, fever, abnormal drainage, and increased redness, along with wound opening and difficulty breathing should be evaluated, and you should not wait for a routine follow-up.
Our arm lift recovery guide explains the stages of healing and post-operative care.
Can Before and After Photos Evaluate the Safety of the Procedure?
No. Photos only demonstrate appearance, and the presence or absence of complications are not shown.
Therefore, safety and outcome images should not be considered together.
For patients interested in the results of the procedure, our arm lift before and after guide is available.
Is Arm Lift Safe for Every Patient?
An arm lift is another name for brachioplasty, so the same individual risk assessment applies when considering whether arm lift surgery is safe.
A procedure that is acceptable for one patient may not have the same risk profile for another patient with different health conditions, healing factors or surgical needs.
Looking at the Entire Procedure
For patients interested in the entire treatment process, as well as the various types of procedures and their planning, our arm lift in Turkey resource can be helpful.
Summary
Brachioplasty has potential risks and complications. However, the more important question is how risky is the surgery for this particular patient and for the specific procedure being considered?
Addressing safety and risk concerns should be part of the consultation process prior to any patient consenting to surgery.
Medical Sources
- Arm Lift Risks and Safety — American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
- Complications in Brachioplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery / PubMed.
- Brachioplasty — Johns Hopkins Medicine.
- Brachioplasty (Arm Lift Surgery) — Better Health Channel, Victoria State Government.