There is probably no anatomic area that is so important to the female figure, but until recently has been so neglected by the plastic surgery community as the buttocks. For many women and men the female buttocks equal or exceed the breast in projecting sexual appeal and beauty.
Given the success and popularity of breast enhancement, it is striking how infrequently buttock contour problems are addressed in this country. In my practice, analysis and suggestions for optimization of the buttocks appearance is made in almost every patient that presents for body contouring consultation. Not every buttocks would benefit from augmentation but few would not benefit from some form of contour improvement.
The true secret to improving buttocks appearance is to first address all of the areas that surround the buttocks. These include the lower back, flanks, and hip areas. Once these areas have been brought into harmony, the buttocks is then recontoured or augmented as needed to give the desired appearance.
Augmentation of the buttocks can be accomplished using two vastly different techniques, buttock implants or fat grafting. In the U.S. the only implants approved for buttocks augmentation are solid silicone devices. These solid prosthetics are much firmer than the natural feeling gel filled silicone implants currently approved for breast augmentation. A significant percentage of patients find this increased firmness associated with these solid silicone devices unpleasant and unnatural in feel.
The new much more popular technique for buttocks augmentation involves the transfer of natural body fat to the buttocks for size and contour improvement. This technique often promoted as the “Brazilian Butt Lift” has many advantages. Excellent results are obtained without the use of implants and patients love the benefits they receive from liposuction of the multiple body sites often required to obtain the body fat required for the buttocks augmentation procedure.
