How old are you required to be to have butt Implants done? How far along does your body development have to be? (Photo)

Question

I'm 16 & I'm naturally quite thin.I went to a doctor & dietitian & asked a few questions on this and they both said I won't be able to get the results I want because of my genetic line and my metabolism.I'm very self conscious of my butt because I live in the Caribbean which is quite hot so we tend to where lots of shorts.I won't be able to get a big bum without surgery.I have parental permission & I have wanted this for a while.Also I would like to know the SAFEST way possible to have it done.

Ryan A. Stanton, MD · Answer

Although I have performed buttock implants in a minor several times, it has been for reconstructive purposes and with the consent of a parent.  For cosmetic purposes, I require the patient to be a legal adult of 18 years or older.  Read on for more general information. 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 that cannot 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 purposely gain weight (i.e. fat) for the procedure, the fat you lose first as you get back to your baseline weight is that very same fat that was transferred into your buttock...so don't fall victim to this recommendation.  Although using your own fat is relatively safe, the one serious complication that can rarely (< 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 the larger amount of fat being transferred. This is even more likely to happen when using fillers like PMMA and hyaluronic acids. Also fillers, 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 a subsequent disastrous amount of scar tissue/hardening.Thus buttock/hip implants become a very good, safe, and long term reliable option for most patients seeking buttock augmentation (at least in my practice). I prefer to insert the buttock implants through a 2 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 is less 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 (in fact both implants and fat transfer so that s/he is not bias). And in this case too, at least in my surgical practice, the infection rate is minimized to ~5%. Glad to help.Depending upon the amount of your current fat reserves and their distribution, you may or may not be a reasonable candidate for fat transfer.  If you are wanting to utilize the fat to further augment your buttock in addition to implants, then I caution you against this.  The reason being that the fat needs to be placed into the buttock muscles for optimal survival, however, this is exactly where the implant needs to reside and thus risks infection and/or death of the fat.  Because of this risk, I frequently avoid fat grafting into a buttock that has an implant.  Bottom line, I recommend consulting with a board certified plastic surgeon specialist in buttock augmentation (BOTH implants and fat transfer) to determine what option is best for you.  Glad to help.

Dhaval M. Patel, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and photo!  Unfortunately you are going to have a hard time finding a doctor that will preform surgery on you at your age.  I suggest you seek a board certified plastic surgeon and wait until you are 18.  Best of luck!Dr Dhaval PatelDouble Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Chicago Hoffman EstatesOak Brook

How old are you required to be to have butt Implants done? How far along does your body development have to be? (Photo)

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How old are you required to be to have butt Implants done? How far along does your body development have to be? (Photo)

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Everything you need to know about Butt Implants

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.