Arm Lifts Skyrocketing Among Women
Published at
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — American women seem to care much more about their upper arms’ appearance as evidenced by new statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
The organization says arm lifts in women have jumped 4,378 percent since 2000, when more than 300 women had the procedure done. By comparison, more than 15,000 women opted for a brachioplasty in 2012.
The procedure “involves removing the excess skin and fat from the upper arm,” Dr. David Reath, chairman of the ASPS public education committee, explains.
He says most people see the need for such surgery after they have lost a lot of weight.
“When you lose weight and you lose fat volume you don’t lose the extra skin so basically the skin — and it could be of the arms, could be of the abdomen or other areas — will just hang there and be very unsightly,” Reath says.
The biggest concern with an arm lift, Reath notes, is the fact that it leaves a scar.
“There’s no question that this operation is a trade off between an improvement in the overall shape of the arm and a scar that you’re left with because the scar will run from the elbow up to the axilla or armpit,” he says.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio