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Bat Wing: The dreaded hanging arm skin after WLS
Gastric bypass surgery is just the first step that many morbidly obese patients take in their entire body. A remnant of the massive weight loss is the dreaded “bat wings.” You know what I'm talking about - that upper arm skin that hangs like bat wings when you spread your arms wide, ready to fly. Wave your hand and also the bat wings. For some after massive weight loss, there is so much skin that it is difficult to find shirts with matching sleeves, and worse, it is embarrassing to wear sleeveless shirts. What to do? Exercise: The first line of defense is to, during the rapid...
Bat Wing: The dreaded hanging arm skin after WLS
Gastric bypass surgery is just the first step that many morbidly obese patients take in their entire body. A remnant of the massive weight loss is the dreaded “bat wings.” You know what I'm talking about - that upper arm skin that hangs like bat wings when you spread your arms wide, ready to fly. Wave your hand and also the bat wings. For some after massive weight loss, there is so much skin that it is difficult to find shirts with matching sleeves, and worse, it is embarrassing to wear sleeveless shirts.
What to do?
Exercise:
The first line of defense is to perform weight or resistance training during the rapid weight loss phase. Many patients report satisfactory skin shrinkage on the upper arms after performing light exercises during weight loss. Bicep curls and tricep pulldowns are the best exercises for toning the upper arms. Arm training requires minimal equipment (2 light dumbbells weighing 3 to 5 pounds each) and limited space. It should be noted that the younger the patient is and the less often he has seen a significant change in weight, the greater the chance he has of toning and toning his arms through exercise. That doesn't let older patients off the hook for exercising — it just gives younger people undergoing weight loss surgery a little more encouragement.
Liposuction:
The next, but not very plausible, option is liposuction. Lipo is only suitable if there is a lot of fat and the skin is tight. The lipo sucks out the fat and shrinks the skin. This is not plausible for most WLS patients because they have already lost the fat, leaving an empty balloon of upper arm skin.
Brachioplasty:
The last resort is the $5,000 arm lift called a brachioplasty. Brachioplasty is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin from the upper arm.
Incisions and scars during arm lifts
Scars are the biggest disadvantage of this surgery. They extend from the armpit to the elbow along the inside of the arm. This surgery swaps one cosmetic problem (loose skin) for another (scarring). In general, people with very loose, saggy skin are most likely to find this swap worthwhile. Those with a little looseness probably won't want the scars.
Kaye Bailey © 2005 – All rights reserved
Inspired by Kaye Bailey