Ageing is characterised by loss of skin thickness and elasticity over time. The sagging of the altered skin increases with atrophy of the underlying fat, muscle and bone tissues. Normally, elastic fibres make up 2-4% of the inner layer of the skin called dermis, while ageing decreases and causes loss of skin elasticity. In general, ageing occurs as a result of a combination of atrophy and environmental factors controlled by genetic factors. As the skin and subcutaneous tissues undergo atrophy, gravity pulls the skin downward.

Nowadays, correction of body contours is very popular. The most important reason behind this is to achieve successful results. In contour correction, the body should be considered as a whole and attention should be paid to proportions between regions. Otherwise, the result will be insufficient.

Due to old age, intermittent weight loss and gravity, sagging of the back and inside of the arm occurs. The amount of adipose tissue accumulated along with the saginess varies between individuals. Therefore, each patient should be evaluated separately. Brachioplasty can be performed alone or with other body contour correction operations (abdominal stretching, breast reduction or enlargement and leg stretching). Although significant advances in arm lifting operations occurred in the 1970s, the reason for the unsatisfactory results was the wrong patient selection.

In the preoperative evaluation, the amount of fat tissue and the degree of sagging are taken into consideration. In addition, the patient is given detailed information about the scar that will develop after surgery. As in all surgeries, scarring differs between people in terms of width and swelling after arm stretching. In order to minimize the scar after the operation, it is recommended to massage the operation area with corticosteroid creams and apply silicone sheets if necessary.

Successful results are obtained with liposuction in cases where skin quality is good and there is no sagging. However, liposuction alone will be insufficient if there is skin sagging along with excess adipose tissue. In such cases, arm stretching should be performed. Arm stretching surgery can be performed under general anesthesia or under local anesthesia. An ellipse-like incision is made on the inner and posterior part of the arm (drooping area) to exclude drooping skin and excess fat tissue. In the same session, liposuction is performed to other parts of the arm if necessary. The incision is sewn in two layers from the inside, the arm is wrapped with a soft dressing at the end of the operation and the patient can go home about 1-2 hours after the procedure. The next day the bandages are opened and the operation site is checked and the patient wears a special arm corset for three weeks. The patient is advised to keep his arms high and there is no special consideration. As long as the right patient selection is made, the results of the arm stretching operation will make both the patient and the treating physician happy.