More than my upper arms, it was really the axillary breast tissue and the fat bulging out beside my armpits that stressed me out T_T Every time I wore a tank top or off-shoulder top, that area seemed especially noticeable, so I would hunch my posture and worry a lot.
I tried dieting and exercised consistently too, but strangely, even if my upper arms seemed to shrink a little, the axillary breast tissue felt like it did not change at all. So in the end I started going to consultations for liposuction, and the way each hospital explained things and what they focused on was more different than I expected, so I think I researched for quite a long time.
Some places talked mainly about how much could be removed, while others put more importance on the overall line and balance. I thought that rather than just removing as much as possible, it was more important for the line to look naturally slimmer, so I focused on consultations around that.
What I remember most from the consultation was that they did not just look at the upper arms alone, but examined the overall line from the shoulders to the axillary breast area, the armpits, and even the back. I thought my arms were just thick, but they said that in reality, the axillary breast tissue and the side line by the armpits also made my upper body look bulkier.
On the day of surgery, I was much more nervous than expected, but while designing the plan, they explained again which areas would be refined most, so I felt a little reassured. When I got up after the surgery, my arms felt heavy and sore overall, and for a few days it was more uncomfortable than I expected to raise my arms. Still, as time passed, it gradually got better, and during the first two weeks I could not really see a noticeable change because of the swelling.
Since I kept wearing the compression garment, it felt stuffy and I wondered when it would come off, but around one month later I started seeing the line change little by little every time I looked in the mirror. In particular, once I passed the two-month mark, I could really feel the difference. Before, even wearing a T-shirt made my arm thickness stand out first, but now even in the same clothes my arm line looks much more refined, and the fit of my upper body as a whole looks different too.
Above all, I think I was happiest with the axillary breast area being corrected!! Once the fat that used to bulge out to the side when I wore a bra was reduced a lot, my upper body looked much cleaner and there were far fewer things to worry about when dressing lol Now it is the three-month mark, and the big swelling seems to be almost gone, with only a little residual swelling left!~ People around me often ask whether I lost weight, but my body weight has not changed much, so it feels even more surprising haha
I still feel a bit of a difference between morning and evening in how I feel, but compared with the photos before surgery, the line difference is clearly visible, and I am living with such satisfaction that I almost wonder why I worried for so long. If anyone has been stressed about their upper arms or axillary breast area, I recommend not worrying for too long like I did and at least going for a consultation once! I really agonized over it for a long time before deciding, but now I feel even more strongly that I am glad I did it haha