Plastic Surgery

Buttock Implants

Information about Buttock Augmentation or Gluteoplasty

The buttock augmentation or gluteoplasty is designed to enhance the buttocks and even remove extra fat, improving skin and underlying tissues that become lose and flabby, whether as a result of weight loss, natural aging, or heredity. Buttock augmentation is performed by using silicone implants or fat injection obtained from other areas of excess and transferring it into the buttock tissue. The result is a more firm and aesthetic appearance of the buttocks.

The procedure

In general, this is an ambulatory procedure. Two surgical options are offered with permanent and satisfactory results: Micro fat grafting and silicone implants.

- Silicone implants: The procedure is carried out by making a small incision between the buttocks, inside the midline (where scars can be very easily concealed). Through this incision, the plastic surgeon makes a pocket inside each buttock and inserts the silicone gluteal implants inside each one of them. Once the silicones are placed, both sides are carefully examined in order to assure that the results look natural and symmetric.  The incisions are closed, and a bandage that provides compression to the buttocks is placed. In this way, wearing a compression garment will help reduce discomfort and swelling.

- Micro Fat Grafting: The extra fat is removed from certain areas of the body (such as the abdomen including hips, lower back, or thigs) to reshape the buttock. The fat removed through liposuction is purified before being injected into different layers, above and below the butt muscles. This technique compared to silicone implants, is much more natural and a big advantage of it, is the fact that there is no rejection.

Anesthesia used: general anesthesia is used in most cases, but not necessarily.
Hospitalization: This is an ambulatory procedure.
Length: from two to three hours average.

After the surgery

The patient is able to go home within a couple of hours after the procedure. The first day, the person can feel discomfort around the region where the surgery occurred so it is important to be accompanied during the process, specially overnight and probably for the next couple of days since the patient will need assistance to get out of bed and perform everyday duties.

The patient will need a compression garment for the first two or three days. From that moment on, the patient can take showers and start to move more comfortably. The results will be visible immediately, although it may take a couple of months and the relaxation of tissues for the new shape and volume to be more natural.

Returning to Normal Routine

Patients should return to normal tasks gradually. Typically, the patient is able to return to his activities two weeks after the intervention, having to avoid exercise. Gym, bicycling, and other more strenuous activities can usually be resumed about six weeks following the surgery.

What are the possible side-effects and complications?

The practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science. Although this operation doesn’t have practically any type of side-effects some of the risks and potential complications that can occur are infection, fluid accumulation, changes in skin sensation, skin discoloration and/or swelling, etc

What can be expected from a Buttock Augmentation?

From Buttock Augmentation by Micro Fat Grafting:

- The volume of your buttocks area increases in a permanent way.
- It improves the outline of your body since the effect is enhanced when combined with liposuction of the areas fat was extrated.

From Buttock Augmentation by Silicone Implants:

- The volume of your buttocks area increases in a permanent way.
- The shape of the buttocks improves greatly; in fact, the procedure enhances the outline of the buttocks.

For those who like doing exercise in order to keep fit, it helps the buttocks (a difficult area of the body to shape through exercise) develop to the same degree than the rest of the body.

Last Update: 02/22/2010
Note: This information is directed to support and not to replace your doctor opinion.

Before and After Photos