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Women are embracing with open arms the chance to look like Michelle Obama in a sleeveless dress.
Upper-arm lift procedures have shot up 4,378 percent over the past decade, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported yesterday.
Last year, 15,000 Americans — 98 percent of them women — had liposuction to get rid of excess fat, or a surgical procedure called brachioplasty to remove flabby, loose skin hanging from the back of the upper arms. In 2000, just over 300 had the procedures.
The trend’s popularity is partly because people who have lost huge amounts of weight through diet and exercise or with bariatric surgery later want to lose the “batwing’’ skin drooping from their arms, and undergo a brachioplasty
Another factor is that “celebrities from the White House to the red carpet may be having an influence,’’ the ASPS said.
A poll conducted on its behalf found that 31 percent of respondents most wanted the arms of Michelle Obama, followed by Jennifer Aniston (29 percent), Jessica Biel (16), Kelly Ripa (13) and Demi Moore (11).
A brachioplasty, which requires an incision from the elbow to the armpit, is “not a procedure to lose weight with,’’ said ASPS Public Education Committee Chair Dr. David Reath.
It’s for those who need contouring after losing at least 80 pounds. “When you lose the fat, you don’t lose the skin,’’ he said. “It just hangs around.’’ But he cautioned that the scar is permanent and “you have to make enough improvement to justify the scar.’’
Upper East Side plastic surgeon Dr. Scot Glasberg said women who are not overweight, but who do have some upper-arm fullness, “come in mentioning Michelle Obama, Kelly Ripa, Jennifer Aniston and J.Lo and say, ‘I want my arms to look toned like that.’ ’’
They elect liposuction of their upper arms. “They’ve tried to lift weights and can’t get that toned appearance. The liposuction gives them contour so when they work out,’’ they look toned, said Glasberg, an ASPS vice president.
He said the typical cost for liposuction in the Big Apple is $6,000 to $10,000, and it’s not covered by insurance.
The typical cost of a brachioplasty here ranges from $9,000 to $12,000, Glasberg said. It, too, is not covered.
“Any surgical procedure has some risks,’’ Glasberg said, adding that “one way to minimize it’’ is to go to an ASPS plastic surgeon.