Big Buttocks Are In Fashion

Cosmetic surgeons keep hearing about weekend house parties where unknown substances are injected into buttocks. We also hear stories from hospitals and other physicians that, due to this practice, terrible problems with chronic infection have occurred.

There is much speculation about what is being injected. Some think people may be buying breast implants, and injecting the silicone from them into the buttocks with no sterilization. Unfortunately, the silicone in breast implants is a thicker silicone and has a high risk of infection when injected into human tissue in large quantities. To be used safely, this type of silicone needs to be encased in the capsule that surrounds a silicone implant. We have seen several cases of people who had large, firm, tender, red buttocks that looked very unnatural, and were apparently injected with some sort of foreign substance. I was concerned that if I biopsied the area, the whole buttock area would become infected.

There are other injected filler substances that, while legal in other countries, have caused a lot of infection and inflammation in many patients. When the patient shows up in the U.S., we have to deal with it. In some cases, these foreign doctors don’t even document what they are actually using, perhaps because they suspect that the sort of permanent filler they’re administering is really a magnet for infection. We have seen some of these cases in our clinic. They are not easy to treat.

Buttock implantation is also being performed using firm implants that are designed for this purpose. However, the ones I’ve seen look unnatural. The top part of the buttocks often sticks out, and the implant does not adequately support the bottom buttock. It may be painful to sit on and may come through the skin by itself. Additionally, it needs a large opening for placement which ends up leaving a significant scar.

My experience and opinion is that the only reasonable way to improve buttock shape, contour and size is fat transplantation. We do this nearly every week at New Body Cosmetic Surgery and we have many, many happy and satisfied patients. Complications are rare. The procedure can be repeated more than once at intervals of 3 to 4 months. Just the right amount of fat should be transplanted, for if too much fat is placed, infection and other problems are more likely to occur. The buttock size and shape can progressively be improved. And liposuction in the areas around the buttock—the outer thighs and hips—also helps the appearance of the buttocks. If the patient gains back a little bit of the fat that was suctioned away after the procedure, the fat may go to “desired” places like breasts and buttocks, and the overall shape may be enhanced.