I am 17 years old and I do not have enough fat for a Brazilian butt lift, so I would like implants?

Although it sounds like you are indeed better suited for buttock implants compared to fat transfer, until you turn 18 y.o., you will need authorization/consent from at least one of your parents before you undergo any surgery. Additionally, allow me to share with you some information that you may not hear elsewhere. There are only two proven safe and relatively effective methods for Buttock Augmentation and Hip Augmentation: 1) Autologous Fat Transfer (using your own fat, transferring from one area of the body to the other) and 2) Buttock/Hip Implants (semi-solid silicone rubber implants thatcannot rupture &/or leak). Both are very good options so what it comes down to, like any surgery, is proper patient selection. Indeed because at least 50+ % of the fat transferred will melt away within a year, most patients are not good candidates because they lack an adequate amount of fat to harvest. Another tip is that if you gain weight for the procedure, the fat that you lose first when you go back down to your baseline weight after surgery is in fact that fat that you originally gained and transferred into your buttocks...so don't fallvictim to this recommendation.Although using your own fat is relatively safe, the one serious complication that canrarely (< 1%) happen is "fat embolism" in which some of the fat gets into the blood stream and travels up into the lungs, heart, and/or brain causing serious problems. This complication is more likely to happen with thelarger amount of fat being transferred. This can also happen when using fillers like PMMA and hyaluronic acids. Alsofillers, when injected in large quantities, have a relatively high tendency to migrate away from the original area they were placed and tend to stimulate a lot of inflammation and subsequent scar tissue/hardening.Thus buttock/hip implants become a very good, safe, and long term reliable option for most patients seeking buttock augmentation (atleast in my practice). I prefer to insert the buttock implants through a single 2 ½ inch long incision over the tailbone (concealed within the crevice between the buttock cheeks) and the hip implants through a ~ 1 inch incision just below the beltline above the hip region. The buttock implant should always be placed under or within the gluteus maximus muscle. In this position, the implant isless palpable, less visible, and does not sag or shift/migrate over time unlike implants placed on top of the muscle. Therefore it is extremely important to seek consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in this procedure. And in this case too, at least in my surgical practice, the infection rate is minimized to ~5%. Glad to help…

Thank you for your question! I suggest you seek a board certified plastic surgeon who preforms these regularly.  Best of luck!Dr Dhaval Patel Double Board Certified Plastic SurgeonChicagoHoffman estates Oak Brook

Dear Joanna, Congratulation on your decision to have butt implants, because fat injection to the butts do not last beyond 6 - 12 months as I have seen in many of my patients who had fat injection to the butt by other plastic surgeons and came to my surgery center to hve butt implants surgery. Butt implants do not disappear and are very safe when done by an experienced plastic surgeon. With the implants you have the flexibilty of size and shape to you desire. In my opinion, based on hundreds of butt implants surgeries, the best method of butt implants surgery is oval round implants placed on top of the muscle and under the fascia. As far as your age you realy have to options : parents consent or wait until you are at the legal age of 18 and can make your own decision. In any event, consult with experienced board certified plastic surgeons who are familiar with the above mentioned technique. Check their before and after pictures to make sure that you like the results. Best of luck, Dr Widder