Is a butt augmentation something I should consider? (Photo)

This response was dictated. I apologize in advance for grammatical errors.
The combined procedure of liposuction from the body with fat grafting to the buttocks is often referred to as the Brazilian butt lift. A.k.a. BBL.
There are a lot of variables to take into consideration when contemplating having this procedure.
First and foremost is understanding your own candidacy for the procedure.
I generally do not recommend people have virtual consultations whenever possible.
It’s not possible to assess a patient’s candidacy as well without meeting the patient in person.
I also don’t believe that patient can properly vet providers without meeting them in person.
Determining how much fat can be harvested on low BMI patients is tricky.
The amount of fat can be successfully grafted is also highly dependent on how thick to subcutaneous fat is for the “host tissue” where the graft will be placed.
Delivering consistent quality, liposuction and fat transfer results is more difficult than most people realize.
The number of plastic surgeon truly mastered this procedure is quite small.
If done poorly this procedure can very easily leave people disappointed, or even disfigured.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of proper provider selection, and having a clear understanding of your own candidacy for the procedure before even contemplating first selecting a provider, and eventually scheduling surgery.
The fact that you were still contemplating gluteal implants tells me you are probably fairly early in the decision-making process.
At this point, I suggest you take a few steps back and approach this process a little differently.
My recommendation is patients, considering having Liposuction and fat transfer, start the process by first, making a list of local providers who seem to have a lot of experience with this procedure.
Next schedule multiple in person consultations with those providers.
During each consultation, bring pictures of yourself taken the same way plastic surgeons take before and after pictures.
Bringing pictures of your body is very useful as reference when reviewing before and after pictures.
During each consult, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients who had similar body characteristics to your own.
This means they should be About the same BMI, same thickness of subcutaneous, fat and same degrees of skin, laxity, etc.
An experienced plastic surgeon should have no difficulty showing you the before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients.
Being shown a handful of pre-selected images, representing only the best results of a providers career may be insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider, what your results are likely to look like or how many of these procedures they have actually done.
Recognize that fat trans results can look very impressive when taken an early after the procedure.
Early fat transfer results do not represent long-term results in anyway.
Never assume that after pictures are mature final outcome.
Always ask and confirm the timeframe of when after pictures were taken in relationship to the date of the procedure.
In order for after pictures to be representative after fat transfer, they need to be taken at least 3 to 6 months from the date of the procedure.
Being board-certified in plastic surgery with years of experience, and overall good reputation does not mean somebody has mastered every procedure.
It is the patient responsibility and obligation to find the right provider for their needs.
There’s no correct number of consultations needed to find the right provider for your needs.
The more consultations you schedule the more likely are to find the better provider for your needs.
In the hands and the right provider, you are more likely to have a clear understanding of your own candidacy for the procedure, a better understanding of what type of results are possible And are more likely to have a quality outcome with an overall positive experience. Considering how much variation there is in skill among plastic surgeons for both Liposuction and fat transfer I suggest patients consider having five or six consultations before beginning to consider provider selection.
From the pictures you’ve included I did not think you are a candidate for a significant or major body transformation with this procedure.
Your results are going to be subtle.
Your fat layer seems to be only about half an inch or even less in some areas.
This is also true for your gluteal and thigh regions, which will limit how much fat can be successfully grafted in these areas.
It’s very important to understand your candidacy for the procedure and have a clear understanding of what the procedure can and cannot accomplish.
If this is not done, then the chance of being left disappointed or worse becomes fairly significant.
An individual who is an excellent candidate for a surgeon plastic surgery procedure has the potential of having excellent outcomes.
That person can also have poor outcomes if the procedure is done by a provider, lacking skill and experience.
Any individual who is not a good candidate for a certain plastic surgery procedure does not have the potential of having a good outcome regardless of who does the procedure.
Understanding your own candidacy, for the procedure is a major part of maintaining high patient satisfaction.
The biggest mistake. Most patients make is having only one consultation and then scheduling surgery.
The second mistake is assuming that someone who has the right credentials is good at these procedures without vetting or getting confirmation of both skill and experience.
This type of work is highly complex, and there are numerous variables that always need to be taken into consideration.
When in doubt, slow down and schedule more consultations.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD