Hello, and welcome to
my
practice! I'm Dr. Stefan Mark
Szczerba (pronounced
Sher-ba).
I am a board
certified
Chicago plastic
surgeon with fellowship
training in cosmetic plastic surgery. This level of
training represents 9 years of training after medical school and is matched by only by a handful of plastic surgeons in the Chicagoland area. I have three offices in the
Chicago
area where we offer
both cosmetic and
plastic
surgery treatments
as well
as aesthetician
services
and non-invasive
procedures such as
Botox,
dermal fillers
and skin
resurfacing
treatments.
You can find everything
you
need for your
personal image
transformation
at one
of my conveniently
located offices in
and
around
Chicago.
I look
forward to
meeting
with you to
discuss your
makeover
desires.
10400 W. Higgins Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
(847) 853-9900
1786 Moon Lake Boulevard, #205
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
(847) 885-1200
900 N. Kingsbury Street, Suite 130-N
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 286-1642
3226 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 348-1800
BODY CONTOURING: BRACHIOPLASTY/ARM LIFT
INTRODUCTION TO BRACHIOPLASTY IN CHICAGO
Brachioplasty is an "arm lift" procedure generally performed for one of two reasons: either a patient has lost a great amount of weight and has significant sagging under the arms or age-related changes have created sagging under the upper arm. A brachioplasty is an elective body contouring procedure that will eliminate sagging underneath the arm to create a more youthful upper arm contour.
As we age, our skin and muscle tissues become less resilient and the body begins to sag, such as under the arms, creating that full and aged appearance to the upper arm area. Women, in particular, find this very upsetting, as they no longer look as nice as they used to look in sleeveless shirts and swimsuits. You’ll be happy to know that Chicago plastic surgeon, Dr. Stefan Szczerba, has performed many of these procedures with excellent results. He will use computer imaging of the arm area to give you an idea of the improvement that can be gained with a brachioplasty procedure during your consultation in one of his Chicago plastic surgery offices.
Liposuction of the arm area will remove fullness of the arms, particularly the back of the arms. Liposuction can be safely combined with an arm lift if your arms have both undesired bulkiness to them and excess skin. However, liposuction alone is reserved for patients with skin that has good elasticity and will not become loose and wrinkly after surgery.
Body contouring with an arm lift or brachioplasty will remove the excess, sagging tissues and skin to attain more pleasing arm contours. For other Body Contouring procedures that may be considered within the same surgery as an arm lift, please see our other pages about Abdominoplasty, Thighplasty (thigh lift) and Body Lift if you have lost significant weight and need contouring for the thighs and body. A brachioplasty procedure can easily be performed at the same time as these other body contouring procedures.
GOOD CANDIDATES FOR CHICAGO BRACHIOPLASTY
If you are otherwise healthy and have realistic expectations for improvement, you may be a good candidate for an arm lift. Before scheduling your procedure, Dr. Szczerba will want to confirm that you are in good health. If you have lost significant weight, it’s possible that during the time you were overweight you may have developed disorders as a result of obesity, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Therefore, Dr. Szczerba will want to speak with your primary physician to be certain that you are healthy enough to have a surgical procedure and to undergo general anesthesia. If you are a smoker, as with any surgical procedure, Dr. Szczerba will want you to quit smoking at least two weeks prior to the procedure and for at least 6 weeks following the procedure, as smoking decreases the amount of oxygen available to the cells which can cause poor healing.
An arm lift procedure will result in a scar under the arm, but the exact location and the length of the scar can be adjusted to your goals. This scar will fade with time, with the goal being to leave a thin line to replace a sagging, bulky upper arm.
HOW DR. STEFAN SZCZERBA PERFORMS A BRACHIOPLASTY
Dr. Szczerba performs brachioplasty procedures under general anesthesia as a same-day surgery in one of his accredited operating suites in the Chicago, Rosemont or Hoffman Estates areas. Dr. Szczerba’s surgical procedures are supervised by board-certified anesthesiologists who are the best in their fields.
Dr. Szczerba will make the incision that you discussed with him that is tailored to your goals and yet be the least visible. He will perform liposuction or directly remove excess tissue and skin and use small sutures to close the incision. Depending upon the amount of tissue removed, you may have a drain inserted which will be removed during a postoperative visit with Dr. Szczerba. Dr. Szczerba will likely put a compressive garment on you at the end of the procedure, which will help reduce swelling and aid in healing. The entire procedure takes about 2 hours.
RECOVERY FROM YOUR CHICAGO BRACHIOPLASTY PROCEDURE
Generally, standard postoperative medications and ice packs are adequate to control discomfort. Changing to plain Tylenol is encouraged by Dr. Szczerba within a few days of surgery. You will want to avoid any heavy lifting or straining your arms above your head until Dr. Szczerba tells you that it’s OK to do so. Most of our patients feel quite fine within a few days, though complete healing of any surgical procedure takes up to 6 weeks.
