Limited incision medial brachioplasty

Upper arm contouring has evolved to offer effective and safe procedures to a diverse patient population [1]. Aesthetic brachioplasty was first described in 1954 by Correa-Iturraspe and Fernandez [2]. The drawback to a classic brachioplasty has always been the longitudinal scar burden placed on the inner arm. In order to decrease the visibility of the scar, different longitudinal incision positions have been described, though none of which conceal the scars with the arms abducted in short-sleeved garments. The inspiration for a limited incision brachioplasty was likely the description of the local excision of axillary hidradenitis suppurativa with primary closure in 1972 [3]. This demonstrated that a significant excision of tissue in the area could be resected and the scars were well tolerated and concealed in the axilla. This procedure in the treatment of hidradenitis obviated the need for skin grafting, though the goal in the aesthetic application is to obviate longitudinal scar extending from the elbow to the axilla.