Upper arm skin is unfortunately subject to the same ravages of age as much of the rest of the body, only more so for many of us. Sagging in the upper arms is due to two main factors: changes in the skin tissue and gravity.
As we age the chemistry of our bodies changes. One of the significant changes occurs in the skin, where production of collagen and elastin goes down. These two vital proteins give your skin firmness and tightness, they help it resist deformation and bounce back after changes. As production of collagen and elastin decrease, then, your skin becomes more vulnerable to changes from which it cannot recover. Damage to the skin can be increased by sun exposure and poor skin care.
Then gravity takes over. Although it is the weakest force in the universe, gravity’s implacable persistence means that it always wins. (After all, we ultimately end up lying flat on our backs, don’t we?) The force of gravity pulls on the skin of your arms and day by day attempts to stretch it. When we are young, the elastic proteins in our skin resist the pull of gravity, but as those proteins decrease, gravity wins the battle, leading to stretched arm skin.
Fortunately, an arm lift is a very successful procedure for removing excess stretched skin from your upper arms. To learn more about this surgical procedure, please schedule a consultation with Tampa board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Antonio J. Gayoso today.
