subject: What Happens During An Arm Liposuction? [print this page] Age can take a toll on people's bodies, and when it does it does so indiscriminately. When people think of the places where people put on excess weight as they age, they probably think first of the abdomen or the hips and butt. However, as a number of older women can testify, age can take a toll on a person's arms too.
As some women age, they begin to store extra fat around their upper arms, and they also tend to lose a certain amount of skin elasticity. This can lead to flabby underarms that jiggle when they move. Some women settle naturally and happily into a slightly older, more grandmotherly look. However, some others find that they wish that they could return to their earlier, trimmer appearance.
Women who try to improve the appearance can try a number of things. Sometimes working out the arm muscles can increase a person's definition and muscle tone, which can help to offset a flabby appearance. Exercising and eating healthily to burn fat can also help.
However, in some cases, fat can be very difficult to remove through exercise. In these cases, sometimes people turn to surgeries such as liposuction (also called lipoplasty and suction lipectomy) to try to improve the appearance of their arms.
The procedure is typically done under local anesthetic, and it is usually done on an outpatient basis. It usually takes somewhere between one and a few hours to complete.
During the surgery, a doctor numbs the area of the arm and then makes a number of small incisions on the arm. Although these incisions are very small, they are actually what all of the fat will be removed through.
During the surgery, the doctor uses a special insturment called a cannula. A cannula is a thin, hollow needle that is hooked up to a vacuum device. The doctor will insert the cannula into the incisions and move it back and forth through the fatty tissue of your arm. As it moves back and forth, it will break up and suction out the excess and unwanted fat.
After the surgery, you will probably be asked to wear compression garments which will help your arm to heal in a proper, aesthetically pleasing way. You will experience some amount of swelling and bruising, but this will go down with time.
For more information on the benefits and risks of arm liposuction, speak with a surgeon in your area.
