CAST liposuction: an alternative to brachioplasty.

Abstract

The aging female with excess arm fat and poor skin tone frequently refuses a brachioplasty scar due to permanent detectability. Traditional deep liposuction localized to the posterolateral aspect of the arm frequently leaves sagging, wrinkled skin. Circumferential para-Axillary Superficial Tumescent (CAST) liposuction was developed to maximize skin retraction and create regional harmony by preparatory compartment magnification with dilute lidocaine and epinephrine followed by circumferential treatment of the arm and adjacent areas utilizing superficial and/or subdermal liposuction. Early CAST liposuction results in patients with moderate fat and excess skin revealed excellent skin retraction. CAST liposuction was then offered as the first of two stages to patients with excess fat and poor skin tone to avoid or shorten the brachioplasty scar. Twenty-six patients underwent CAST liposuction with 9-22 months follow up. Only two patients (7.7%) eventually required brachioplasty. Although postoperative seromas were frequent (38.5%) and preexisting skin wrinkling usually returned, the final result is acceptable to the vast majority of patients (84.6%) who refuse a brachioplasty scar.