Arm Implants (Bicep and Tricep Implants)

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am considering arm lift surgery to remove extra arm skin and was referred to you to possibly do arm implants. (bicep and tricep implants) My question is can the implants replace the surgery and will that stretch out the excess skin in my arm so it no longer hangs. I am 60 years old and in good health and shape. Thank you.

A:Thank you for sending your pictures. Your concept of adding volume to the arm muscles to fill out loose skin is not completely unfounded. But the success of arm ‘voluminization’ depends on how much loose arm skin is present. What your pictures show are arms like look like someone who has lost a lot of weight. The back of the arm shows a classic bat wing deformity with a lot of loose hanging skin.

A bicep implant would fill out some of the overlying upper arm skin which is always less than that on the back of the arm. But a triceps implant would provide no benefit to the larger amount of hanging posterior arm skin. An armlift is really the only way to get rid of the posterior arm hanging skin. It is possible to combine an arm lift with arm implants if desired as there is convenient surgical access due to the arm lift incision.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana