Home · Procedures · Arm Lift in Turkey
Arm Lift in Turkey, the process, the healing, and what I wish I’d known
The arm lift is the procedure with the most honest trade: you exchange hanging skin for a scar running from the armpit to the elbow. Women who accept that are very happy afterwards. Women who weren't told are not.
My connection to this surgeon
I was a patient of the specialist I refer you to. I was so convinced by his work that I chose to work with him. On site, his clinic team looks after you, English-speaking, from the airport to the last check-up. He speaks English himself; your consent conversation happens without an interpreter. For legal reasons I give his name only in conversation.
What an arm lift is
Excess skin and fat on the inner upper arm are removed and the skin tightened. Depending on the extent, the scar runs from the armpit to the elbow; with minor excess a short scar in the armpit alone (mini brachioplasty) or liposuction may be enough.
After massive weight loss the scar can extend onto the side of the chest wall.
Who it suits, and who it doesn’t
Suitable for loose upper-arm skin after major weight loss or with age, with stable weight for at least six months and realistic expectations about the scar.
Not: for a pure fat problem with good skin elasticity, liposuction is better; during ongoing weight loss; with nicotine; with lymphoedema or previous armpit surgery without assessment.
The variants in detail
Standard brachioplasty
Incision from armpit to elbow along the inner arm. For significant excess, the only method that truly tightens.
Mini brachioplasty
Short incision in the armpit crease only. For minor excess in the upper third. Barely visible scar, limited effect.
Extended arm lift
After massive weight loss the scar extends onto the chest wall. Longer surgery, longer recovery.
Liposuction alone
With good skin and a pure fat problem, no scar, but no lift. With loose skin the result is worse than before.
The right time
- Weight stable for at least six months.
- Smoke-free for several weeks before and after.
- Two weeks arranged with no lifting or carrying.
- Lymphoedema or previous armpit surgery assessed beforehand.
To combine or not
Often combined with a thigh lift or tummy tuck after weight loss. Every combination lengthens the anaesthetic and raises clot risk. The surgeon decides on extent and health, not the package.
The process in Turkey
Before you travel
Blood tests, ECG, medication list. Stop smoking several weeks before. Buy compression garments in the size the clinic specifies. Arrange a companion and help at home.
Arrival
The day before surgery. Airport pick-up, hotel, nothing to eat or drink after 10 pm.
Surgery day
Pre-op checks, markings, the consent conversation with the surgeon. General anaesthetic. First night monitored.
The days after
Getting up with help, first steps, discharge to the hotel with instructions and an emergency number. Dressing changes and check-ups.
Clearance and flight home
Only once the surgeon clears you. Compression stockings, aisle seat, walk every two hours.
Healing week by week
The part clinic websites cover in one sentence, and the most important.
Swelling, tightness, bruising. Keep arms elevated, lift nothing. Compression sleeves round the clock.
Stitches checked. Desk work possible if you don't type much.
Scar red and raised, on the inner arm this is the most conspicuous phase. Compression continues.
Exercise once cleared; upper-body training later.
Swelling recedes, contour appears.
Scar pale. Final result.
What nobody likes to say
- The scar is long and sits where people see it when you raise your arm in a t-shirt.
- In some women it widens, because the skin there is under constant tension.
- Numbness on the inner arm is common and can last months.
- Six weeks with no upper-body training and no heavy lifting.
- If you have little excess skin, liposuction serves you better, ask about it.
Risks
General surgical risks: bleeding, infection, delayed wound healing, blood clots (DVT and pulmonary embolism), anaesthetic complications. Procedure-specific: wide or raised scars, wound breakdown in the armpit, seromas, numbness of the inner arm, lymphatic injury with hand swelling, asymmetry, scar revision.
Two risks are particular to going abroad: combining several procedures under one long anaesthetic, and the flight home. Both belong in the surgeon’s consultation, not the quote. In full: Cosmetic surgery abroad.
Aftercare at home
Before you travel we sort out: who removes the stitches; which practice near you is willing to see you if something isn't right; which documents you bring home, operation report, material details, medication list; who you can reach at night. And we talk about what the NHS or HSE will and won't do after an elective procedure abroad: emergency care yes, corrections no.
What that looks like for women from the UK and Ireland is on the country pages.
What a quote should contain
I give no prices here. Not because I don’t know them, but because any figure without an examination is misleading, and because this site also serves countries where price advertising for cosmetic surgery is restricted. A reputable quote for an arm lift is itemised by surgeon, anaesthetic, hospital stay, materials and aftercare, and it states what isn’t included. When two quotes differ widely, it’s almost always the surgeon’s experience, the materials, the hospital or the length of stay. I’ll walk you through the clinic’s actual quote line by line.
Common questions
How visible is the scar?
It sits on the inner arm and shows when you raise your arm. It fades over twelve months but stays.
Is liposuction enough?
Only with good skin elasticity and a pure fat problem. With hanging skin it makes things worse.
How long in Turkey?
Usually one week. The surgeon clears the flight home.
How long am I off work?
Desk work after one to two weeks, physical work after six to eight.
How long do I wear compression?
About six weeks, round the clock at first.
When can I exercise?
Once cleared, usually from week six; upper-body training later.
Will my arms stay numb?
On the inner side often for weeks to months. Permanent numbness is rare.
What does an arm lift cost in Turkey?
It depends on extent, surgeon and hospital. I give no figures.
Can it be combined?
Possible, but every combination lengthens the anaesthetic. The surgeon decides.
When will I see the result?
Contour at about three months, final result with a pale scar at six to twelve.
Let’s talk it through, without pressure
Twenty minutes, no obligation. We start by working out whether surgery is the right step for you at all, and whether now is the right time.
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This text does not replace a surgeon’s consent conversation. Timings are typical courses, not promises; yours may differ. Ivy Beside deliberately gives no prices and names no surgeons.