Clinical Efficacy Analysis of Circumferential Upper Arm Liposuction with Double Incision: A Study of 496 Cases

• Published in: Aesthetic plastic surgery 2024-08, Vol.48 (16), p.3128-3136
• Main Authors: Liu, Yuzhao, Han, Wei, Deng, Qiangzhen, Lv, Jingling, He, Hangyuan, Liang, Yongjun, Liu, Jinwen, Shen, Guoliang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Arm - surgery; Cohort Studies; Esthetics; Female; Humans; Lipectomy - methods; Liposuction; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Operative Time; Original Articles; Otorhinolaryngology; Patient Satisfaction - statistics & numerical data; Plastic Surgery; Retrospective Studies; Subcutaneous Fat - surgery; Suctioning; Surgery; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0364-216X; 1432-5241; 1432-5241
• DOI: 10.1007/s00266-024-03875-9

Background In cases where the upper arm exhibits an irregular cylindrical appearance with subcutaneous fat concentrated primarily in the posterior lateral aspect, traditional localized fat suction techniques may lead to uneven or disharmonious results when addressing this concern. Many practitioners have turned to circumferential fat suction methods using multi-incision approaches to ensure effective results and fat removal. However, these methods often involve numerous incisions and complex procedures, necessitating the development of new, more efficient surgical techniques. Methods We collected and screened patients who underwent upper arm circumferential liposuction with a double incision technique at our hospital from October 2020 to February 2023. A total of 496 cases were included in our retrospective analysis, in which we examined factors such as the length of surgery, arm circumference before and after surgery, subcutaneous tissue thickness before and after surgery, fat suction volume, postoperative satisfaction, and postoperative complications of the patients. Results The average length of surgery was 71.7 min. 458 cases (92.3%) showed significant improvement, 23 cases (4.6%) reported satisfaction, and 10 cases (2.0%) were essentially satisfied. Additionally, 339 cases (68.3%) experienced an improvement in skin laxity. Four cases (0.8%) developed localized hard nodules with slight tenderness in the early postoperative period, which resolved without special treatment after observation and follow-up for 1–3 months. Three cases (0.6%) reported localized pain or numbness, and they were given oral medication. Their symptoms disappeared after 1–3 months of observation and follow-up. Three cases (0.6%) had localized pain or numbness, and their symptoms disappeared. All of these cases improved and resolved after one month of taking mecobalamin tablets. There were also three cases (0.6%) with mild pigmentation of the incision and two cases (0.4%) with mild limitation of unilateral upper arm abduction movement. However, upper arm activities were not affected after three months to one year of follow-up. No serious complications were reported, resulting in an overall satisfaction rate of 99.0%. Conclusion The double incision upper arm liposuction is safe, effective, time-saving, with high satisfaction and fewer complications, and is worthy of clinical popularization and application. Level of Evidence III This journal requires that authors assign a level of ev