A healthy body with delightful curves can improve your self-confidence and make a positive impact on your emotions and behavior. This confidence might even lead to better relationships, work satisfaction and feeling connected to your environment.
Buttock augmentation is a procedure that reshapes the buttocks, making them round, firm and nicely curved. And along with full, proportionate buttocks, you will enjoy a more balanced look, enhanced self-image and greater self-confidence.
What is buttock augmentation?
Buttock augmentation is the cosmetic surgical procedure to increase the size and contours of the buttocks. A typical procedure involves either the placement of a gluteal implant or an autologous fat transfer (Brazilian butt lift). The resulting curved and filled buttocks contribute to a sexy and appealing physique.
Buttock augmentation surgery helps to:
- Reshape loose, sagging, or flat buttocks
- Recreate contours and give buttocks a visible boost
- Achieve symmetry and balance in the buttocks
- Make buttocks more proportionate to the body frame
- Ensure clothes and swimwear fit properly on the body
Who needs buttock augmentation?
If your buttocks are small or uneven, the procedure is a great way for you to increase their volume and achieve balance. Also, if your buttocks are loose, sagging or flat due to pregnancy, aging or weight loss, the procedure will tighten the skin and bring them into shape. You can also undergo the procedure to add more curves and regain your own youthful figure.
At Politis Plastic Surgery, we will conduct a thorough physical exam and a detailed medical history to determine if the surgery is appropriate for you. The right candidates are those with realistic expectations, a positive attitude, overall good health and a healthy weight. But we do encourage anyone considering the procedure to book an appointment and speak directly with a plastic surgeon.
The plastic surgeon will develop a tailored treatment plan for you if she is satisfied that you can benefit from the surgery. She will then provide you with pre-operative guidelines, instructing you to:
- Stop smoking for at least six weeks before and after surgery to promote healing.
- Avoid certain anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin and some herbal medications that increase bleeding.
- Increase your hydration levels before and after surgery to ensure safe recovery.
- Have someone drive you home and stay with you for at least the first night after the procedure.
How is buttock augmentation done?
Your buttocks can be reshaped in two ways—either by fat grafting or by buttock implants. Also called the Brazilian butt lift, fat grafting is the preferred option for reshaping and contouring buttocks. It is also great for buttocks that sag following a significant weight loss.
In contrast, buttock implants are ideal for achieving more firmness and a rounded shape, particularly for a slender body with little excess fat. Your surgeon will recommend the right option for you.
For the Brazilian butt lift, your plastic surgeon will obtain fat from one area of your body and use those fat cells to enhance your buttocks. Suction tubes (cannulas) are used to extract the fat from your hips, thighs, back or abdomen.
The fat is then processed and re-injected via small incisions (3-5 in number) into your buttocks. After the injections, the surgeon grafts the fat layers at different levels by moving the cannulas back and forth to ensure a smooth, linear deposit of the fatty tissue. To finish, the surgeon inserts drains and guides you on how to wear compression garment.
Alternatively, when you have poorly defined or flat buttocks, your plastic surgeon will opt for buttock implants. A soft, silicone-shaped implant is inserted through an incision made inside the natural buttock crease or another incision site.
Once an implant is in the pocket created beneath the large buttock muscle, it is carefully positioned to achieve the desired buttock volume. The incisions are closed using sutures, then drains are inserted before you are assisted to wear a compression garment.
Buttock augmentation is an outpatient procedure that takes 2-3 hours to complete and you should expect to return home the same day. It is performed under general anesthesia, so there is minimal discomfort.
Because the incisions used to insert the cannulas and place the implants tend to drain fluids, drainage tubes are inserted to channel the fluid away from the wound. You will be asked to wear special garments over the buttocks and liposuction areas in order to support and compress them. The surgeon will direct you on how long to wear them, usually for 6-8 weeks.
Recovering after buttock augmentation
Soon after the procedure, you will be moved to the recovery area of the surgical center for observation before going home. Once at home, you should strictly follow your surgeon’s post-operative instructions. Take your prescription, care for the drains, wear compression garments, and restrict your activity as directed.
The buttock area will be bruised, swollen and painful during the first few days after surgery. The pain may even spread to the thighs or abdominal area. This is normal and should resolve after a few days.
The pain medication prescribed by your surgeon will help you deal with the pain and soreness, while prescribed oral antibiotics will help prevent infection through the drains. Should the swelling, bruising or pain intensify, or last longer than expected, make sure to tell your surgeon right away.
During the first 24 hours after surgery, you will have to remain in bed with your compression garments on, and keep moving your hands and feet periodically to maintain good circulation. By the second day, you should be able to get up and walk. However, for the first three days, it is best to avoid any pressure on your buttocks.
The ideal position is to lie on your stomach or side when watching TV, reading, sleeping or riding in a car. Sitting is not allowed for the first 10-14 days, and even after that you will have to sit with a soft pillow.
For the first 8 weeks after the procedure, make sure to keep direct pressure off your buttocks and always sit using a pillow. Though you can expect to return to work after 2-3 weeks and to exercise after 8-10 weeks, a longer wait may be necessary if there are complications.
Is buttock augmentation safe?
When performed by a board-certified, well-experienced plastic surgeon, the procedure is very safe. But like every other surgical procedure, it may come with some risks. For example, you may experience infection, bleeding, scarring, allergic or adverse reactions, hematoma, or changes in sensation.
Due to fat absorption after a Brazilian butt lift, not all the fat transferred stays in place. This may lead to the buttocks being smaller than initially projected, and it may even require a second or third round of the procedure. With buttock implants, slippage may cause an undesirable asymmetry, making additional procedures necessary.
Wonderful, enduring results
Buttock augmentation is one of the most successful and rewarding plastic surgery procedures. Though results are initially obscured by swelling, patients usually enjoy shapely round buttocks once the swelling is gone. Plus, the results endure: transferred fat grows and ages with the patient and implants may last a lifetime unless complications arise.
At Politis Plastic Surgery, our patients have always loved their buttock augmentation results because we customize every treatment to achieve a desired body shape. Our patients love their projected buttocks, enhanced waistline, improved body torso contours, and more curvaceous figure. And we keep in touch with our patients after surgery, just in case changes occur or they have new questions.
If you are considering buttock augmentation, schedule a consultation with Dr. Effie Politis today. The consultation will provide you with an honest assessment and help you determine if the procedure is right for you. For more information on plastic surgery procedures, visit the Politis Plastic Surgery website.
