Medical director, Dr Ivan Puah links the trend to perimenopause, slowing metabolism and lifestyle pressures specific to Singapore.

SINGAPORE– Media OutReach Newswire – 17 August 2026 – Arm fat has become the single most common concern driving women to seek body-sculpting consultations in Singapore this year, according to internal enquiry data from Amaris B. Clinic, whose medical director, Dr Ivan Puah, is an MOH-accredited liposuction doctor.

Between January and June 2026, the clinic logged 406 face- and body-sculpting enquiries from women, of which 168 (41.4%) cited arm concerns, more than any other body area. Thirty-one women enquired about more than one area, so individual counts do not sum to the total.

The pattern is one Dr Puah says he sees consistently in practice: Arm fat that resists diet and exercise and that many patients report noticing as they enter their 40s.

Nearly Half of Arm-Concern Enquiries Come From Women in Their 40s

Among women who wrote in specifically about arm concerns, enquiries were heavily concentrated in mid-adulthood, an age range that overlaps with perimenopause for many women:

Full Breakdown


Nearly half of all arm-related enquiries came from women aged 40 to 49, an age range that overlaps with perimenopause for many women.

Why Arm Fat Is Difficult to Shift

Women naturally carry 6 to 11 percentage points more body fat than men, a difference tied to reproductive physiology. Genetics also influence where fat is stored, and some women are predisposed to carrying it in the upper arms, a distribution pattern that responds poorly to exercise alone.

Patients describe the concern in different ways, including upper-arm fat, "bingo wings" or "bat wings" (a combination of loose skin and fat that moves with the arm), and chafing where the arm rubs against the body.

Dr Puah points to two overlapping life stages as the main physiological drivers:

"Perimenopause and menopause are the two life stages we most consistently see linked to arm fat in the clinic. As women approach these stages, metabolism slows, and that shift tends to show up first in areas like the arms and underarms. It's most noticeable in women with an apple-shaped body distribution," said Dr Puah.

Hormonal changes associated with ageing, often compounded by stress or poor sleep, can make the body more prone to storing fat and losing lean muscle mass. Skin also loses elasticity with age, which Dr Puah says contributes to the looser, softer contour some patients describe.

Climate, Fashion and Workplace Culture Add Visibility

Singapore's climate means sleeveless and short-sleeved clothing is worn year-round, keeping arms visible for most of the year. Dr Puah says this, combined with grooming expectations in client-facing and corporate roles, contributes to why arm concerns generate more enquiries in Singapore than they might in cooler markets.

"In Singapore's climate, women are more conscious of how their arms look in everyday clothing, and arm sculpting is consistently among the most common requests we receive for this concern," said Dr Puah, who chairs Singapore's Lipo Peer Review Committee.

Not All Arm Fullness Is the Same, Clinic Says

Dr Puah cautions that upper-arm fullness is not uniform from patient to patient. For some women it is predominantly fat. For others, it is a combination of fat and skin laxity, with genetics, hormonal changes and age all shaping the tissue involved.

"Many women are surprised to learn that arm fat is often genetically predetermined and resistant to exercise. A proper evaluation helps clarify what's driving the concern and sets realistic expectations for what can be achieved. The rise in enquiries reflects growing awareness that stubborn arm fat is a physiological issue, not a failure of willpower or fitness," said Dr Puah.

The clinic's data points to a broader shift: arm concerns are no longer a secondary consideration for patients but a leading driver of body sculpting consultations among women in Singapore, particularly during the perimenopausal transition.

Note on methodology: Figures are drawn from self-reported enquiry records logged by Amaris B. Clinic between 1 January and 30 June 2026 and reflect enquiries at this clinic only; they are not a population-representative survey of Singapore women.
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ABOUT AMARIS B. CLINIC

Founded in 2004 and led by Dr Ivan Puah, Amaris B. Clinic is a Singapore-based medical aesthetics and cosmetic surgery practice. Its services span facial and body sculpting, including liposuction, gynecomastia surgery, and fat grafting, alongside non-surgical treatments such as Ultherapy Prime, biostimulator injections, and hair loss therapy.

Amaris B. Clinic’s Signature Treatments

• Liposuction
  
• Lipedema Surgery
  
• Vaser Liposuction
  
• Gynecomastia Surgery
  
• Accessory Breast Removal
  
• Corrective Surgery
  
• Fat Grafting
  
• Sports Aesthetics

ABOUT DR IVAN PUAH

Dr Puah, an MOH-accredited liposuction doctor with extensive training in various cosmetic procedures, is committed to providing personalised care with an artful eye and proven medical techniques.

• Dedicated surgical training in gynecomastia surgery in San Francisco
• Chairman of the Lipo Peer Review Committee in Singapore
• Trained in Vaser liposuction (fundamental and hi-definition) in Colorado and Argentina
• Trained in syringe liposculpture, fat grafting, and thread lift from renowned French plastic surgeon, Dr Pierre Francois Fournier
• Appointed trainer by Allergan and Merz for fellow doctors on cosmetic injectables
• Designated trainer for PDO thread lift and Picolaser from Venusys Medical
• Graduate Diploma in Family Dermatology from NUS
• Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture from TCMB
• Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine from LKCMedicine, NTU

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