Flabby upper arms that don't respond well to exercise and diet plague many women, especially as they grow older or begin to lose weight. Worse still, the problem is often genetic – rare in men but a source of embarrassment for women.

However, a new procedure known as an inner arm tuck or invisible arm lift can help reduce upper arm flab without unsightly scars.

“Sometimes you're taking two or three inches of skin off, and you're hiding it in the armpit crease,” Said Dr. Rod Rohrich, a plastic surgeon at the University of Texas.

He added that the new procedure can reduce arm size by as much as 50 to 75 percent.

Surgeons liposuction the arm through a small incision in the armpit. Afterward, they pull the excess skin under the arm where the scarring is virtually invisible.

Previously, the only surgery to improve flabby or sagging arms left a long, conspicuous scar down the upper arm. With the invisible arm lift, the scar is smaller and less visible.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, arm lift procedures are becoming increasingly popular. In 2005, the number of arm lifts performed in the United States totaled 11,873. Five years earlier, that number was 338.

To learn more about arm lift procedures or to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon near you, click here .