Can I get a butt lift (no fat transfer/bbl/implants), just a butt lift to get rid of the weight loss ripples? (Photos)

Thank you for your question regarding you can get a butt lift (no fat transfer, BBL, implants) just a butt lift to get rid of the weight loss ripples. Thank you for your history and your pictures. Congratulations on your weight loss. However, with weight loss comes excess skin, which cannot contract. A most experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in reconstructive plastic surgery after significant weight loss would suggest a buttock lift or upper thigh plasty done through an infra-gluteal incision. Basically, this means an incision will be placed underneath your buttocks where your buttocks meet the back of your thighs, and wedge shaped area of skin will be removed. This would be extended from the inner thigh underneath the buttock towards the hips. The longer the incision is extended over the hip, the more skin and fat can be removed. Another name for this procedure is a banana roll excision for a buttock lift. Another alternative is to do a buttock lift over the upper aspect of the buttocks. That means the incision would be made from the top of the buttock crack out over the hips. This would also lift the butt. One advantage of this upper buttok incision procedure is that the scar can be concealed under reasonable clothing. The disadvantage is that it may not remove as much skin as the previously mentioned infra-gluteal incision. Good luck. I hope this helps answer your question regarding whether you can get a buttock lift to get rid of excess weight loss ripples.
If you have any more questions regarding buttock lifts or infra-gluteal fold excisions, contact an experienced plastic surgeon. Since the infra-gluteal fold surgery is a big procedure, please seek an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon with significant experience in performing the infra-gluteal fold reduction or lift. Do your research.   If you cannot find an experienced tummy tuck plastic surgeon in your neighborhood, consider traveling out of state.  Most plastic surgeons offer free virtual or in-office physical consultations. Therefore, explore what other plastic surgeons have to say.
Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. ( Plastic Surgeon, President of  the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, and International College of Surgery and ​member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, RealSelf Hall of Fame, and RealSelf Doctor Advisory Board for Medical Review and Consumer Panel.)

Allow me to answer your question as best i can based upon your photos. However, please keep in mind that an in-person, or at least a virtual, consultation with physical exam is first necessary before any legitimate evaluation or final surgical recommendations can be made.

Buttock “sagging” and/or loose skin is usually a combination of loss of volume or deflation (after weight loss, liposuction, or post-BBL) and/or the effect of aging and gravity. So, I personally first treat patients like you by restoring volume to the buttock with a buttock implant. This will create a more desirable smooth and rounded perky buttock profile. If not adding volume with an implant, the buttock will most certainly always appear more flat if just a buttock lift from above is performed. On the other hand, an “autologous buttock lift” usually provides very little volume and projection, and almost nothing to the lower 2/3rds of the buttock.

A lower buttock tuck is usually then performed at six months following implants. Coincidentally, a lower buttock tuck also doubles as a thigh lift, removing loose wrinkled skin from this area as well. In this sequence, the implants have fully settled into final position so that any remaining loose skin can be most accurately identified and removed with the lower buttock tuck. Any “non-surgical” treatment or device as well as exercise, unfortunately, will have little to no effect on this problem area. Furthermore, fat transfer and “fillers” perform very poorly in this area and usually result in just a waste of hard earned money.

Please note, because an extremely few number of board certified plastic surgeons specialize in buttock implants, you may have to travel away from your local area to seek consultation with this particular type of surgeon. Getting it done right the first time around is not only the best chance for success, but also will save you from a lot of headaches and money in the future. Glad to help.

The extra hanging skin can be corrected by a buttock lift or posterior thigh lift. A curvilinear incision is made analogous to a tummy tuck incision only on the posterior surface of your body. This will harvest extra skin and turn it down over the buttocks and augment the buttocks at the same time as it is lifted. This is not like a Brazilian butt lift. Fat is not injected but a flap is rotated to give you more fullness, pull the buttocks higher and give you more projection.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.