BUTTOCK AUGMENTATION (BUTT LIFT) IN SPAIN. COMBINE BUTT IMPLANTS AND FAT TRANSFER (LIPOFILLING)

There are cosmetic medicine treatments that have proved to be effective such as radio frequency treatment. Radio frequency treatment is a noninvasive technique. It does not serve to enlarge the buttocks, but it can improve the contour and the texture of the skin, especially of the midlateral buttock and in the lower zone of the buttock, between the buttocks and the thigh.

There are different approaches to improve the zone of the buttocks. These will depend on the objective of the patient, whether they want to enlarge the projection of the buttocks or to reshape the zone. Currently buttock augmentation (butt lift) is carried out using implants, liposuction (using the patient’s own fat) or combining both methods.

Liposuction is the most common technique for reshaping the buttocks, as it allows for sculpting the shape of the buttock by extracting selected excess fat. Furthermore, the central zone of the buttock can be increased in volume by reinserting the fat obtained by liposuction.

There is also plastic surgery which enlarges the buttocks with implants. This surgery is very common in certain parts of Latin America and it is increasingly in demand in Europe.  Buttock augmentation (butt lift) with a silicone implant tries to give the buttocks the most rounded shape possible.

Buttock implants are made of cohesive silicone gel, are flatter and are more resistant than implants that are used for breast augmentation. This resistance allows the zone of the buttocks to withstand, without problems, the force that comes from the use of the gluteus maximus muscle when walking, running or jumping.

Currently there are two kinds of implants for the buttocks: oval-shaped implants or round-shaped implants. The shape of the implant is chosen depending on the shape of the buttocks and the result that the patient wants to achieve. Most women opt for the round-shaped implants, because they give more projection and round off the curves of the buttocks. In women who have flat or sagging buttocks the best option is to use oval-shaped implants, to avoid the appearance of double contours or a result that is too round and artificial.

The implant is placed below the gluteus maximus muscle in such a way that it cannot be distinguished externally. The incision in buttock augmentation (butt lift) surgery is made in the crease between the two buttocks, as low as possible so that it is hidden. The operation is done using general anaesthetic so that the muscle is relaxed and we can insert the implant easily. It is not usual to use drains.

The positioning of the implant subcutaneously or under the fascia of the muscle as some surgeons do can give very voluminous results, but this is doomed to failure and to not very aesthetic results: the implant moves out of place, it turns over, it can be seen in whatever position the patient’s body is in. This subcutaneous placement of the implant is very widespread because it is very easy to do, but it has disastrous consequences.
However, with the correct placement technique (that of the intramuscular implant) the implant can be covered over in a way that is not visible and that will not move. Due to this technique, a beautiful and well-proportioned buttock can be achieved.

The best option is probably the combination of the implant and a fat graft. The combination of the techniques (liposuction, lipofilling, radio frequency and implant) allows for modifying and improving the buttocks with results which before were unattainable, in this way achieving perfect buttocks.

However, the team of surgeons at Antiaging Group Barcelona (Spain), who are experts in buttock augmentation (butt lift), stress that the application of own fat in buttock augmentation requires the expertise of a well-experienced surgeon to minimize the risks and increase the results. Antiaging Group Barcelona is a pioneering centre in Spain in introducing the technique of Dr. Coleman which guarantees the greatest survival rate of the grafted fat and minimizes the incidence of cysts.

Female buttock augmentation (butt lift) surgery, usually combines liposuction of the lower back, waist and flanks to reshape and increase the curve of the buttocks when inserting the implant. The fat that has been obtained is reinserted in the lower zone, just above the buttock crease to round off the buttocks at that level. The implant fills the upper two thirds of the buttocks very well, but not the lower part and here is where the inserted fat is able to improve the final result.

In buttock augmentation (butt lift) surgery, the cooperation of the patient is very important so that the scar is stable and the implant doesn’t move or cause asymmetries. For this reason, the patient should follow the following behaviour guidelines in the weeks following the operation:

• The first two days, the patient will stay all day in the hospital lying face down.
• Later, it is possible to get up, but for a week they should not be seated more than is necessary and when doing so to be careful not to squash the zone that has been operated on.
• They have to sleep face down for a couple of weeks.
• It is important to avoid any kind of physical exercise which involves using the buttocks for five or six weeks.

The implant is not rejected nor does it encapsulate. The risk of infection is low, although careful hygiene is required until the stitches are removed. It is necessary to take antibiotics for the first 10 days after the buttock augmentation intervention to minimize the risk of infection.

A patient who has silicone implants in the buttocks should always mention it whenever they go to a medical centre as intramuscular injections should not be put in their buttocks, for obvious reasons.

It is very important to remember that buttock augmentation should not be done with an injection of liquid silicone. The implant can be removed in case of complication or at the request of the patient. However, liquid silicone infiltrates into all tissues, has a higher rate of complications and is impossible to extract.

The buttocks have, for a long time now, become the new focus of attention in cosmetic surgery. “It’s not just about increasing the volume of the buttocks and giving it projection. It is about completely changing the shape,” explains Doctor Jesús Benito, director of the Antiaging Group Barcelona (Spain).

The new buttock surgery takes into consideration the different types of buttocks that exist. The team of experts at Antiaging Group Barcelona also take into consideration the origin and preferences of each patient. For example, Latin American women tend to prefer much more buttock volume than European women.

Other aspects are also assessed such as the weight of the patient, the flaccidity of the tissue and the muscle tone. The quality of the skin will also determine to a great extent the final result.

To carry out the new buttock surgery some aesthetic rules are to be observed. For example, it is considered that the ratio between the circumference of the waist and hip should be 0.7. Anthropological studies have observed that this ratio is considered beautiful in all cultures. However, now, ratios of 0.6 and even 0.5 are being sought.

This is a recurring question that patients tend to ask. It’s logical that when a person decides to go in for buttock augmentation (butt lift) surgery there is a feeling of uncertainty. And here is where computer simulations come into play as they let you see a before & after result. Recent progress in photography software allows the patient to get an idea of what will be the final result that they are trying to get after the surgery.

When the surgeons use the computer simulation, it is usually so that the patient and surgeon reach an agreement on the result that they want to achieve with the surgery. But the computer simulation should in no way be considered as what the final result will be.

Undoubtedly the surgeons and the patients are the most interested in getting the desired result. But we should not forget that the plastic surgery involves working with living tissue. To change the appearance of something specific on the computer is a matter of seconds, but the computer doesn’t take into account the quality of the tissue, the thickness of the skin, how aged the skin is, and the wound healing of the tissues during the procedure nor the possible complications.

In this regard, the majority of the scientific societies don’t recommend the publication of before/after images on web pages, as there is always the question as to whether they have been manipulated. It is precisely for the adherence to these ethical principles and to avoid speculation that we don’t show photos on our website.