Are hyaluronic acid Butt Injections worth it or is it better to get a BBL?

I have unfortunately had many patients come to me after having their high hopes for buttock/hip augmentation crushed by measly Sculptra results or other "fillers" such as Radiesse, Renuva and Juvederm, etc. Other than the fact that these are not FDA approved for buttock/hip injections, here are some critical points of awareness: 1) they all are temporary, lasting 1.5 - 2 years at very most, 2) if done correctly dermal fillers like Sculptra ir Renuva are cost prohibitive for 99% of potential buttock/hip augmentation patients. In order to create a significant/noticeable result with a dermal filler, at least 200 mls of active product (not just “total ccs of fluid injected” of which contains mostly saline not Sculptra) must be injected into each buttock cheek for a total of 400 mls. At $1000 per ml, this equates to a minimum price of $400,000.00. Thus if your doctor is recommending to put in ONLY 20 or 40 mls of these fillers you will pay $20,000-$40,000 and get an insignificant miniscule result! (eg. like a “drop in the ocean” effect), 3) Do not let anybody tell you that the product is so special that it's going to magically grow over the following months or years...this just doesnt happen to any noticeable degree!, 4) dermal fillers, when injected in large quantities, have a relatively high infection rate, guaranteed tendency to migrate away from the original area they were injected into, and almost always stimulate a lot of inflammation with a subsequent and disastrous amount of scar tissue/hardening, and 5) the one very serious complication that can rarely ( less than 1%) happen is "embolism" in which some of the filler gets into the blood stream and travels up into the lungs, heart, and/or brain causing serious problems, including death.

As well, fat transfer to the hip dips, especially on lean patients, has a poor survival rate and thus often slighted results.

The only relatively safe, reliable, and permanent option for buttock and hip dip augmentation is with implants.

Hope this all helps you make a better informed decision and saves you a lot of your otherwise hard earned money.

HA fillers typically last 1-2 yrs depending on the type and won't give you dramatic results. BBL will give you a more permanent augmentation, although is important to understand that you will loose 20-30% of the fat transferred in the initial postoperative period. But one the fat settles, is there permanently. The most feared risk of BBL is fat embolism, but you can minimize this by using an ultrasound machine to guide the injection in the subcutaneous space.

Dear lauraskyexx,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. Generally speaking, dermal fillers are not a great option for butt augmentation. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery