Arm Reduction in Mexico by Dr. Manuel Gutierrez Romero

There are several reasons why patients look for an arm reduction in Mexico. Either genetically they are born with thick arms, or they gain and lose weight and now they have a lot of excess skin. There are basically 3 types of patients that will inquire about this procedure: patients with fat arms and good tone of skin, patients with medium arms and some loose skin in the upper 1/3 of the arm, and patients with fat or skinny arms with a lot of loose skin from the elbow to the armpit. Each one of these cases will require a different approach.

Patient #1

Fat arms and good tone of skin: This patient genetically has a large deposit of fat in the arms. They have good tone to their skin, no stretch marks, and have no signs of sagginess of skin. This patient is ideal for liposuction.  The procedure will eliminate the number of fat cells in the area and will give the patient a smaller arm.

Patient #2

Fat deposits and stretch marks in the upper 1/3 of the arm. This patient has a moderate fat deposit,especially concentrated in the upper third of the arm.  It has stretch marks, and has sagginess in the upper 1/3 of the arm. This patient will need liposuction and a mini arm reduction. The mini arm reduction will consist of an incision located horizontally in the upper part of the arm close to the armpit. The idea is to remove the skin and place the scar on the inner arm. The incision usually heals well, but sometimes excessive sweating will cause the wound to become macerated and partially open. This area closes by itself and leaves a placement hidden scar.  Patients must wear a compression vest for 2 weeks.

Patient #3

Fat or skinny arms with a lot of skin from the elbow to the armpit. This patient has gone through some sort of major weight loss,or has genetically large arms.  Either by losing weight, the aging process,  or loss of tone of the skin.

During evaluation, ifthere is excess skin from the elbow up to the armpit and the ability to pinch a couple inches of loose skin, this patient usually requires liposuction.  They will have a vertical scar from the elbow up to the center of the armpit. As a plastic surgeon we deal with the question of how much skin to remove. If you are aggressive and leave your scar very tight, the result of the scar will be wide.  If you are very conservative,once the swelling goes down, the patient will complain of having more loose skin.  So I like to give my patient the chance to choose, visible scar or some loose skin? You’ve got the answer!