Are butt implants more dangerous than a fat transfer?

Question

I was thinking of having butt implants instead of just fat transfer because I go up and down in weight and want my bum to always be there but aren't butt implants dangerous?

Ryan A. Stanton, MD · Answer

If performed by a buttock implant specialist, buttock implant are no more dangerous than fat transfer or breast inplants:Risks and potential complications of buttock implants are very similar to breast implants. One main difference is while breast implants have a nearly 20% risk of hardening from excessive scar tissue formation surrounding the implant (aka capsular contracture), in my experience buttock implants have ~2% risk of this. On the other hand , because at least 80+ % 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. Even those patients that had adequate amounts of fat pre-operatively, still end up seeking buttock implants after a year or so because most of the fat transferred melted away leaving them with minimal result.

Although overall using your own fat is relatively safe, it not infrequently melts away unevenly leaving one butt cheek bigger than the other or with dimpling or hard fat cysts.  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 liquid silicone, PMMA, Sculptra, and hyaluronic acids. Also fillers, when injected in large quantities, have a relatively high infection rate, guaranteed tendency to migrate away from the original area they were injected, and almost always stimulate a lot of inflammation with a subsequent and 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/hip augmentation (at least in my practice).

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

It is very difficult to determine the exact size and shape implant you will require to best match your ideal butt image without an examination by a board certified plastic surgeon. Not just any board certified plastic surgeon, but one with many years of frequently performing breast augmentation surgery including different approaches, techniques and implant choices. This is because several measurements not to mention your breast characteristics are needed to determine the optimal implant size to obtain your goals. Without knowing these dimensions it would be difficult to make this determination. For example, the existing base width of your buttock will determine, in many cases, the maximal volume per implant profile that you can accommodate. Liposuction of your lower back and fat transfer is also helpful as an adjunct to implants. Using “want to be” photos however are useful if simply provided to the surgeon.

Arian Mowlavi, MD, FACS (license on probation) · Answer

Butt implants are not dangerous; free silicone injections are dangerous; we have been performing butt implants for over 10 years and have not  had a single implant extrusion. Please see link below for more information.

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Are butt implants more dangerous than a fat transfer?

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