Gastric bypass surgery is only the first step many morbidly obese patients take in total body reshaping. One residue of massive weight loss is the dreaded “bat wings.” You know what I’m talking about: that skin on your upper arm that hangs like bat wings if you open your arms to fly. Wave your hand and the bat wings will too. For some, after massive weight loss, there is so much skin that it’s hard to find sleeved shirts that fit well, and worse, it’s embarrassing to wear sleeveless shirts.

To do?

Exercise:

The first line of defense is to do weights or strength training during the rapid weight loss phase. Many patients report satisfactory skin contraction on the upper arms when they have incorporated light exercise during weight loss. Biceps curls and triceps pushdowns are the best exercises to firm up your upper arms. Arm training requires minimal equipment (2 light dumbbells 3-5 lbs. each) and limited space. It should be noted that the younger the patient and the fewer times they have seen significant weight change, the better chance they have of toning and shaping their arms with exercise. Now, that doesn’t relieve older patients of the obligation to exercise; it just gives a little more encouragement to younger people having weight loss surgery.

Liposuction:

The next option, but not very plausible, is liposuction. Liposuction is only suitable when there is a lot of fat and the skin is tight. Lipo sucks up the fat and allows the skin to shrink. This is not plausible for most WLS patients because they have already lost the fat leaving an empty balloon of skin on the upper arm.

Brachioplasty:

The last resort is the $5,000 arm lift called brachioplasty. Brachioplasty is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin from the upper arm.

Incisions and Scars in Arm Lift

The scars are the biggest drawback of this operation. They will extend from the armpit to the elbow, along the inside of the arm. This operation changes an aesthetic problem (loose skin) for another (scars). In general, people with very loose sagging skin are more likely to find this trade-off worthwhile. Those with a small amount of slack probably won’t want the scars.

Kaye Bailey © 2005 – All Rights Reserved