Balancing Aesthetics and Scarring: Insights from Post-Bariatric Brachioplasty

Brachioplasty is often performed in the post-bariatric patient. However, it implies long scars. Does the scar affect patient satisfaction? The aim of this study is to analyze long-term satisfaction of patients who underwent brachioplasty after massive weight loss.

Patients meeting the following inclusion criteria were included in the study: no previous upper arm remodeling procedures, previous bariatric surgery followed by a weight loss of at least 30 kg, weight stability for at least 1 year, good understanding of the Italian language and standardized pre- and postoperative photographs. Preoperatively and at least 2 years after surgery, we administered the Italian version of the BODY-Q module and the SCAR-Q questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with particular focus on scars.

We enrolled 11 males and 57 females aged between 25 and 65 years, with a mean follow-up of 24.4 months. We recorded significantly higher scores postoperatively compared to preoperatively in every BODY-Q and SCAR-Q scale administered (p < 0.001).

Despite its scars, brachioplasty in the post-bariatric patient yields high satisfaction due to the possibility of remodeling the arm silhouette hence solving many daily problems caused by excess skin. When specifically investigating the scar, patients did not show any concerns with it. These results show that in post-bariatric patients, brachioplasty outcomes can be very satisfactory despite long scars.

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