A mini lift works only when the loose skin stops in the upper third of the arm. Past that point the short scar leaves a bulge near the elbow.
A mini arm lift works when the loose skin is confined to the upper third of the arm, close to the armpit, and the skin below the mid-point still springs back when you pull it. The scar then hides inside the armpit crease. If looseness continues past the elbow-side half of the arm, a mini lift simply moves the problem down and leaves a bulge at the lower end. In that case the scar has to run the length of the arm.
Stand with the arm raised to shoulder height and look at where the skin hangs. Then pinch the skin near the elbow and let go: if it snaps back immediately, elasticity is good and the looseness above may be fat rather than skin. Photograph both arms from behind with the arm horizontal — that is the view a surgeon needs, and the view almost nobody sends. You can send those photographs to us on WhatsApp at +905402555055 for an honest opinion.
A mini lift is attractive because the scar is short and hidden, and that is exactly why it gets offered to people who need the full operation. The result six months later is an arm that is tight at the top and still loose at the bottom, and the correction is the long-scar operation you were trying to avoid, done on scarred tissue. We would rather tell you the honest answer at the consultation and lose the booking.
An arm lift starts at €2,600 whichever version you need, because the difference in operating time is small and we do not price a shorter scar as a cheaper product. That covers the surgery in a hospital with intensive care on site, the anaesthetist, compression sleeves and the follow-up. Expect seven to ten days in Istanbul, drains for a few days in a full brachioplasty, and compression sleeves worn day and night for four to six weeks.
Yes, when the indication is correct and the skin removed is genuinely limited to the upper third. Stretched beyond that, the closure comes under tension, the scar migrates out of the crease and widens, which is the worst of both outcomes.
No. Firm, heavy arms are a fat problem, not a skin problem, and removing skin from an arm with good elasticity trades a solvable issue for a permanent scar. Vaser liposuction from €2,400 is the operation that suits that pattern.