How can you make muscular arms look even a little slimmer?
What makes the arms look thick?
In many cases,
the main reason is fat accumulation
that comes with weight gain.
However, not every increase in arm size
is caused by fat.
Even when arm muscles are more developed
than those of an average woman,
the arms naturally look thicker.
Then why do muscles grow larger?
When I talk with patients
who visit us because they are concerned about their arms,
some have naturally built more muscle volume
because they enjoy working out,
and others have well-developed arm muscles
even without a specific reason.
For those whose arm muscles developed through exercise,
the most common case is that
they did a lot of arm workouts to burn fat,
which ended up developing the arm muscles more.
This is a widely known fact now, but
doing a lot of arm exercises does not mean
upper-arm fat will come off,
and doing a lot of leg exercises does not mean
the legs will automatically get slimmer.
Fat burns in a genetically determined order,
so people often reach the conclusion that
“the places that don’t slim down
will never slim down no matter what.”
However, it can be unfortunate to see
that a small number of trainers
are still unaware of this basic fact,
or ignore it even though they know it,
and remain obsessed with spot-reduction exercises
for specific areas.
Proper muscle is helpful to our body in many ways,
but when muscles develop,
their own volume increases,
which naturally leads to thicker arms.
So I hope you keep in mind that
excessive arm muscle,
from an aesthetic point of view,
can sometimes act as a disadvantage.
Today, I’d like to look at a case
where arm liposuction helped
make muscular arms look slimmer,
even if only a little.
[Patient Information]
Age: late 20s
Height: 163 cm
Weight: 62 kg
BMI: 23.3
Surgeon: Yongseung Seo
※ Even if a patient has similar specs, liposuction results may vary.
[Lesarts Plastic Surgery] Pre-surgery for muscular arm liposuction
[Pre-surgery body assessment for arm and surrounding-area liposuction]
The patient regularly did
gym workouts and Pilates,
and had a body type
with visibly developed arm muscles.
However, since no clear muscle definition
was showing in the arms,
it did not seem to be a case
with extremely little fat
that could be suctioned.
[Lesarts Plastic Surgery] Pre-surgery for muscular arm liposuction – front and side view lines
After checking the degree and shape of muscle development,
we found that the triceps on the back of the arms were developed,
so from the side view the arms protruded backward.
The deltoid muscles of the shoulders were also developed,
so from the front view,
instead of a sharp right-angle arm shape,
the shoulder-to-arm connection line
appeared rounder and more protruded.
There wasn’t a large amount of fat around the arms,
but since the patient was planning a wedding,
we decided to proceed with arm liposuction
together with surrounding-area liposuction
to improve the overall line.
[Ultrasound examination results]
On the ultrasound exam,
the thickest fat layer measured 13 mm.
Compared to the arm circumference,
this was clearly a small amount of fat,
so the case was diagnosed as a muscular-type arm.
The shoulder muscle thickness was also measured
at 23 mm and 25 mm.
Considering that typical muscle thickness
is around 16–18 mm,
this confirmed that the shoulder muscles
were very well developed.
(Figure 1) Checking the degree of muscle development before surgery
(Figure 2) Checking the degree of muscle development before surgery
[Design to make muscular arms look as slim as possible]
When people perceive arm lines,
if there are thicker and thinner areas,
they don’t usually feel
that the thinner area is “sunken in,”
but instead feel
that the thicker area is “protruding.”
Therefore, to reduce the emphasized look
of the thicker parts,
we leave a certain amount of fat
in the relatively thinner areas
so that the line connects smoothly.
Visually, this approach
makes the arms look slimmer overall.
However, as expected before surgery,
the connection line did not align perfectly
all the way into the saddlebag area.
Still, the patient was satisfied enough
to feel there was no need
to remove the saddlebags further
or add more fat transfer,
so no additional transfer was performed.
①Back of the arms:
Arm muscles are naturally thicker in the upper part and thinner in the lower part.
Also, the lower back side of the arm has a triceps tendon (Figure 1), not muscle,
so the more the muscle develops, the bigger this difference becomes.
Therefore, we remove as much fat as possible above the tendon,
but leave some fat where the tendon is located.
This helps the upper and lower parts drop in a line
as close to a vertical contour as possible,
which visually makes the arms look slimmer.
②Outer arms:
When muscles meet, they do not connect in a straight line,
but in a hollow, concave shape.
The area where the shoulder muscle meets the arm muscle is also indented (Figure 2).
If all the fat is removed from this connection area,
the shoulder and arm muscles become more emphasized,
making the arms look thicker and the frame look bigger.
So we planned to smooth this area
to create a straighter line.
We also suctioned as much as possible
around the protruding shoulder muscle area,
so even if a perfect right-angle arm is difficult,
the line can look as slim and delicate as possible.
③Inner and front arms:
These areas have little fat,
and pushing too aggressively can easily cause side effects.
So we refined the line smoothly
within a safe range that would not create complications.
④Elbows:
There are bones that protrude on both sides of the elbow,
and suctioning too much over them
can make the forearm look relatively larger.
So we left fat there
to allow the upper arm and forearm
to connect smoothly.
⑤Surrounding arm area:
We planned maximum suction around the arm,
so that rounded bulges
or areas that stick out when pressed by clothing
could be reduced as much as possible.
However, for accessory breast (axillary fat),
I explained that removing too much
may lengthen or deepen the underarm crease,
and in some cases,
an additional crease line could form.
[Lesarts Plastic Surgery] Before-and-after comparison of muscular arm liposuction – front view
[Lesarts Plastic Surgery] Before-and-after comparison of muscular arm liposuction – back view
[Lesarts Plastic Surgery] Before-and-after comparison of muscular arm liposuction – side view
[Before-and-after comparison of arm and surrounding-area liposuction]
(Photographed three months after surgery
under the same lighting and conditions)
Before surgery, the patient had
large muscles and a moderate amount of fat,
so the arms looked thick
and the overall frame appeared bigger.
She wanted her arms to change
into a straighter, slimmer line
through arm liposuction.
In particular, she was concerned about
the Upper Arm Bulge,
so we performed the surgery
based on her needs.
Because her muscles were already very large,
it was difficult to achieve
so-called “bone-thin arms” or a perfect right-angle arm shape.
However, as the fat bulging out on both sides was refined,
the arm thickness decreased,
and the arms changed into a line
that makes the overall frame look smaller.
The before-and-after photos above
were taken three months after arm liposuction.
Even though this is still a stage
when some residual swelling remains,
you can clearly see
that the line is smoother
and the arms look slimmer.
As expected before surgery,
the arms did not become
“bone-thin arms” or perfect right-angle arms.
However, since the patient has been
continuing diet management after surgery,
we expect even better results ahead.
![[Arm liposuction]How can you make muscular arms look even a little slimmer?](https://lesartsps.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/11_30313_bna.jpg)
