PURPOSE: Brachioplasty is often performed in the post-bariatric patient. However, it has the drawback of resulting in long scars. This prompts the question: to what extent do these scars affect patient satisfaction? The aim of this study is to analyze long-term satisfaction of patients who underwent brachioplasty subsequent to massive weight loss.
METHODS: 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 one 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.
RESULTS: We enrolled 11 males and 57 females aged between 25 and 65 years, with a mean follow-up of 2 years. We recorded significantly higher scores postoperatively both when considering the BODY-Q (p= 0.003) and the SCAR-Q (p= 0.0045) questionnaires.
CONCLUSION: Despite its scars, brachioplasty in the post-bariatric patient yields high level of 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 express any noteworthy concerns with it. These results underscore that in post-bariatric patients, brachioplasty outcomes can be remarkably satisfactory despite long scars.