Butt augmentation surgery enhances the shape and size of your buttocks, usually through one of two primary techniques: fat grafting and silicone implants. Sometimes these two augmentation methods are combined. It has the best of both worlds—the augmentation of the implant and the shaping of the liposuction.
It’s an extremely popular procedure. According to The Aesthetic Society, buttock augmentation is up 90% in five years.
The more popular method of gluteal augmentation is fat transfer, commonly referred to as a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL). A plastic surgeon first uses liposuction to remove fat from another area of the body—like the waist, tummy, or thighs—and then transfers it to the butt and hips, contouring and adding volume to create more of an hourglass figure. Of the 35,880 buttock augmentation procedures performed in 2019, 95% consisted of fat transfer.
People who don’t have enough excess fat, who want more projection, or who have concerns about the safety risks of a BBL might choose butt implants. These semisolid silicone prostheses—similar to breast implants but firmer—are inserted through an incision between the butt cheeks and placed below the fascia that covers the gluteal muscles or within the gluteal muscles.
There is another butt augmentation – butt injections. Silicone injections are also promoted as a way to increase the size of your rear end, but doctors strongly recommend against this treatment, which is not approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cosmetic purposes. The difficulty with silicone injections begins with the quality of the silicone itself. Problems can include infections, granulomas, cellulitis and persistent skin infections, disfigurement, and skin dimpling.
An Ideal Candidate for a Butt Augmentation
To have this surgery, you will need to be healthy. The stronger and healthier you are, the more successful your surgery will be overall. Muscular body types are usually better suited to augmentation with silicone implants while those with extra fatty tissues might prefer a butt lift. Even though a patient may be an ideal candidate, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons warns that there are significant risks associated with a butt lift procedure.
Butt Augmentation via Implants
This method of augmentation is ideal for those with a more muscular form who do not have enough fat to consider a butt lift. It allows you to both visualize and customize the desired outcome of your backside.
For best results, good candidates for implants can’t have too much loose skin—unless they’re willing to combine their implant surgery with a butt lift or a skin-tightening procedure, like BodyTite or Renuvion. Implants can create a rounder rear, with more projection, but it doesn’t have much effect on loose or excess skin.
Butt Augmentation via Fat Transfer
This method of augmentation uses your fat that has been liposuctioned from elsewhere on your body before being injected into your buttocks. Butt augmentation via fat transfer is most commonly known as a Brazilian butt lift.
Skin quality is also key to BBL, because it determines how successfully a surgeon can contour your body shape via liposuction. Having loose or excess skin is one of the reasons doctors most commonly turn people away for a Brazilian butt lift.
Not Recommended For & Contraindications
Butt augmentation is not recommended for:
- Individuals who are in poor health or have chronic health issues
- Patients experiencing severe skin laxity or excessive gluteal sagging
Those patients who fit into one of these contraindicated categories may need to address existing issues with methods such as liposuction, fat transfer, skin excision, or a lower body lift before, or in addition to, buttock augmentation with implants.
A butt lift, on the other hand, is not recommended for those wishing to address issues with volume. A butt lift procedure by itself will reduce the overall volume of the gluteal region and it may be recommended to have an additional augmentation procedure to ensure the best results.