Fatty upper arms are yet another area that women (and men) struggle with when trying to lose weight. Flabby, saggy arms can be caused by many factors, including weight loss, hormones, and genetics. No matter what’s causing your fatty upper arms, we have the solutions at Silhouette Plastic Surgery Institute!
Dr. Daneshmand and his staff at the Silhouette Plastic Surgery Institute provide several cosmetic procedures that are both invasive and non-invasive that can help rid your upper arms of unwanted fat. During your consultation, Dr. D will tell you about your different options and help you decide which one will work best for you and the results you’re looking for.
In our latest blog post, we explain what causes unwanted arm fat and how we can help you get rid of it. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Daneshmand about your upper arm fat, call Silhouette Plastic Surgery at 949-359-8397 today!
What Causes Excessive Upper Arm Fat?
First of all, what exactly is arm fat? Arm fat is the extra skin and fat on a person’s upper arms. However, the “fat” isn’t just one type of fat; it can be subcutaneous or visceral.
Subcutaneous fat is located right beneath the skin with the epidermis and dermis layers. This fat cushions your muscles and bones and helps nerves and blood vessels function. Some subcutaneous fat is good, but too much can lead to health problems like certain cancers, gallbladder disease, fatty liver disease, and more. Visceral fat is behind the abdominal muscle and protects your organs. Like subcutaneous fat, some visceral fat is healthy, but too much can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Now that we know the two different kinds of fat, what causes upper arm fat exactly? Arm fat, or subcutaneous fat, can be caused by many factors. However, arm fat is most commonly caused by obesity, genetics, or significant weight loss. Hormonal imbalances can also cause arm fat when it causes water retention, making the arm appear deflated. Lack of physical activity, or stagnation, can also lead to excess fat in the arms.
Why Women Have More Excess Fat in the Upper Arms Than Men
Women can mostly blame biology for their upper arm and body fat struggles. Since women need to preserve energy to prepare for pregnancy and childbirth, their bodies have 3 to 5% more fat reserves than men.
Hormones and climate are other factors that cause more overall body fat in women. Women in warmer, more tropical climates have more body fat around their hips, navel, and buttocks that work to cool their bodies. But don’t get ready to pack and move just yet. Women in colder states also have fat reserves for the opposite reason: to keep the body warm.
When women experience menopause, their testosterone levels decrease. Since testosterone is responsible for bone and muscle buildup, this can cause loss of muscle mass and “bat wings,” or flabby arms.
How to Lose Arm Fat Without Exercise
These days, women (and men) are busier than ever, which leaves less time to eat healthy and hit the gym. Even if you adopt a healthy diet and workout often, those changes can only help you lose fat so much. Many healthy, fit individuals struggle with loose skin after they’ve lost body weight.
Thanks to advances in cosmetic surgery, anyone struggling with arm fat and loose skin can choose from several procedures to get rid of unwanted arm fat and feel confident again.
Surgical Procedures
If you’re looking to reduce arm fat or excess skin that keeps hanging on, the Silhouette Plastic Surgery Institute offers a variety of surgical procedures, both invasive and non-invasive, to help get rid of your arm fat.
Brachioplasty
One surgical procedure we offer at Silhouette Plastic Surgery is brachioplasty, or arm lift surgery. This surgery improves the definition and tone of your upper arms by removing excess skin, reducing fat pockets, smoothing remaining skin, and tightening the supportive tissue.
Brachioplasty is a great option for anyone struggling with sagging skin around their upper arms. During the procedure, your surgeon will make incisions on the underside of your arms. Based on the amount of skin that needs to be removed will determine the length of the incision(s) made. Then, the surgeon will tighten the tissues in your arm and secure them with stitches. In some procedures, liposuction is used to remove excess fat from the area. The extra skin will be removed once the skin has been wrapped around the newly contoured arm. Once complete, the incisions will be closed with either stitches or surgical tape.
Liposuction
Liposuction is another surgical procedure at Silhouette Plastic Surgery that can remove stubborn upper arm fat. This popular cosmetic procedure removes fat cells, or adipocytes, from the area where you want to rid fat accumulation. Patients can have liposuction in many regions that store body fat, like the buttocks, abdomen, stomach, waist, thighs, hips, and upper arms.
There are several different liposuction techniques that can be used based on your surgical goals. Those techniques are:
- Tumescent Technique: This lipo technique is the most common. After sedation and numbing, the surgeon will inject a medicated solution into the specific area that equals three times the fat that will be removed. Then, the surgeon will suck out the medicated solution with the fat at the same time.
- Super-Wet Technique: While similar to the tumescent technique, the super-wet technique just uses less medicated fluid. Since this lipo technique uses less fluid, the procedure takes less time.
- Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction (UAL): This technique, also known as Vaser liposuction, uses ultrasonic vibrations to liquefy fat cells. Then, the surgeon will suction the liquified fat out. This procedure can either be performed internally or externally. Some surgeons use this technique with the tumescent technique.
- Power-Assisted Liposuction (PAL): This one uses traditional techniques but incorporates a machine to help speed up the procedure.
- Laser-Assisted Liposuction (LAL): This technique uses lasers to liquefy fatty tissues that are vacuumed or drained out through tubes. The energy emitted from the laser has also been known to stimulate collagen production, which can help reduce skin sagging post-op.
CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting, or cryolipolysis, is a non-invasive, non-surgical procedure that kills fat cells using extreme cold temperatures. This procedure allows patients to quickly return to work or other activities with minimal recovery time.
During a CoolSculpting appointment, a medical professional will hold two paddles on the targeted area for 30 minutes to an hour. Then, the fat cells destroyed by the extreme cold are gradually flushed out of the body through the lymphatic system. This process can take several weeks to months to begin seeing results.
TruSculpt
TruSculpt body contouring is another non-surgical, non-invasive procedure that can tone and tighten the upper arms. According to their website, patients can begin seeing results in as little as one treatment.
The truSculpt hand-held devices use radiofrequency energy to heat up and destroy fat cells. In addition to removing fat cells, truSculpt also improves skin laxity and cellulite. While some patients may notice changes after one appointment, your doctor will determine how many sessions you need to accomplish your desired results.
Lifestyle Changes
If you’ve recently had cosmetic surgery to reduce arm fat or want to make positive lifestyle changes before going under the knife, we’ve listed some easy steps to help create or keep a more toned upper arm area.
Reduce Calorie Intake
Tailoring your diet to include food and drinks with fewer calories can help you lose overall body fat. Almost everything we consume has some calories in it that can either be converted into energy or turned into fat. If you don’t include physical activity in your day to burn calories, those calories can build up, leading to weight gain.
Simple steps like switching your soda for water at lunch and choosing low-calorie meal options instead of high-calorie ones are great places to start reducing your calorie intake.
Consume Fat Burning Foods and Drinks
In addition to reducing your calorie intake, choosing foods and drinks that burn fat can also help with weight loss. Some foods and beverages that are known to help burn fat are:
- Fatty fishes, like salmon and sardines
- Green tea
- Apple cider vinegar
- Eggs
- Olive oil
- Chili peppers
Eat More Protein and Fiber
Maintaining a healthy diet with protein and fiber can also aid in fat loss. Not only do they help improve digestion, but they also help you feel fuller while consuming less calories. Foods like meat, eggs, and fish are protein-rich, while fruits and vegetables help with fiber. Increasing fiber and protein intake can also help you lose weight while maintaining muscle mass.
Reduce Sugar Intake
The liver metabolizes sugar and turns it into fat. So, if you’re consuming food and drinks high in sugar, you’re adding more fat to your body, making weight loss harder. In addition to weight gain, diets high in sugar can also lead to diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, and low testosterone.
Get Enough Sleep
Our bodies need at least seven hours of sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, the body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. This hormone triggers your body to conserve and store fat while awake. Not getting enough sleep can also increase your cravings since your satiety feeling is low and your hunger hormone is high.
Reduce Stress
Like when we’re sleep-deprived, our bodies release cortisol when stressed. Higher cortisol levels can cause high blood pressure, increase fatty and sugary food cravings, and increase blood sugar. While reducing stress isn’t as simple as cutting out carbs, there are some activities you can do to decrease your stress levels. Performing mindful activities, meditation, and exercise can all help lower your stress.
Call Silhouette Plastic Surgery Institute Today
If you’re tired of working out and still have fatty upper arms, one of our upper arm procedures can help! Whether you’re looking for something less invasive or not afraid to go under the knife, Dr. Daneshmand can take your arm from flab to fab!
To learn more about our upper arm cosmetic procedures, schedule a consultation at Silhouette Plastic Surgery Institute by calling 949-359-8397 today!