Lower arm

Postoperative problems affecting the lower arm include

The usual maxillofacial reasons for surgery on the lower arm will be harvesting of a radial forearm free flap (or much less often an ulnar forearm flap). Some surgeons maximise the use of this donor site and also harvest a full thickness skin graft from the same forearm to repair the defect created by harvesting the radial flap.
Scars. The lower arm is visible in many cultures and there will be visible scars. These can be minimised by using subcuticular suturing and a variety of repair techniques but there will be scarring.
If a radial forearm flap has been raised the radial artery is removed as part of the flap. This means the radial pulse (the commonest site for taking the pulse) will probably not be palpable (there is a small pressure pulse created by backflow through the palmar arch). The same applies to the ulnar artery. Before raising these flaps, an assessment is made to ensure the hand and digits will not be damaged by the removal of the major arteries and associated veins.
Altered sensation. The superficial branch of the radial nerve is manipulated during the dissection to raise the radial flap. It is quite common to have some altered sensation over the area of the thumb base (thenar eminence). In the short term an itchy sensation there and over the whole forearm will be noticed, but usually doesn’t become a big problem.
Grip strength. This is only noticeably affected in the first month post-operatively (the time when heavy dressings are used and limited hand mobility encouraged to help the skin graft take). It is normal to use the non-dominant hand for raising the flap for this reason.