However fit and lean we are, with age and time, we will all inevitably develop some looseness to the skin on the upper arms…the dreaded bingo wings. These can be worse if you are overweight, and particularly bad if you have lost a lot of weight, leaving loose and empty sacks of skin. Getting fit and toned is always the best way to start, but what can be done in addition?
A number of plastic surgery techniques exist to address the upper arm, and are mainly focussed around liposuction, brachioplasty (arm lift) or a combination or the two. On the whole, people’s bingo wings can be assigned to one of 3 groups, and this will tend to determine the best treatment option:
- Mild to moderate fat excess, good skin quality. This tends to occur in younger people (30s-40s) who might either carry a little excess weight or who are unable to obtain definition of their arms, no matter how much exercise they do! Treatment of choice: liposuction
- Moderate fat excess, moderate skin quality. Again, in younger people whose skin is not quite as good as group 1, people in this group can benefit from a mini—brachioplasty (arm lift) as well as liposuction. The scar in a mini-brachioplasty can be hidden within the armpit.
- Significant skin excess, poor skin quality, variable fat. Once the skin is of poor quality, no matter how much fat there is, the excess skin must be addressed using a full arm lift technique (brachioplasty). This means a scar that runs from elbow to armpit, and sometimes down the side of the chest wall. Whilst the scar seems long, it is the only way of achieving a proper correction of the problem. Fortunately scars fade with time, and those who fit into group 3 deem the trade of a long scar, for the improvement in arm contour, very much worth it.
Unfortunately with bingo wings its not a matter of if we are going to develop them, but when, and how badly! So if they are an issue for you, come and get some expert advice.
Our Consultant Plastic Surgeons regularly perform body contouring procedures, including arm lifts and arm liposuction. To find out more, please contact the office on 01892 536 960 or email info@puritybridge.co.uk