Is having a butt implant really dangerous?

Well i perform over 250 buttock implants per year and have no higher complication rate than those quoted nationally for breast implant surgery.  Please read on for more general details:Regarding buttock augmentation, let me start off by saying that I currently see at least 1 - 2 patients per week that failed "brazilian buttock lift" (i.e. the fat melted away after 10 - 12 months) and are now seeking a more reliable and permanent option (i.e. buttock implants). 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 options but 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 1 1/2 inch long incision along the inner curve of each upper buttock cheek at the level of the tailbone, similar to two opposing parentheses ")(" (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 <2% (much lower than and contrary to popular belief by many other surgeons not experienced in buttock implants).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. 

Thank you for your question. The procedure may be done safely with minor complications, depending on what surgeon you choose and his/her experience. Just make sure you choose a board certified plastic surgeon. However, I prefer a fat transfer to the buttocks for patients because it is more natural and pretty much a two in one surgery (lipo and fat transfer). Plus it is your own fat so you wouldn't have to worry about an implant. Best of luck!Dhaval M. PatelDouble board certified Plastic surgeon Hoffman Estates BarringtonOakbrook Chicago

That is a good and very commonly asked question. Unfortunately, buttock implants can be associated with a higher complication rate in the hands of an inexperienced surgeon. It is critical that you find a surgeon who not only is board-certified, but has extensive experience in buttock augmentation using both fat transfer and implants to ensure that if you get the best possible outcome. An excellent outcome can be expected in those experienced hands. I wish you the best, Dr. Gabbay.

Hello, Thanks for your question. I completely understand your concern, but what I am about to tell you may really impress you: much more people die from fat grafting (it's not a big number either) than from a butt augmentation with implants (aka Gluteoplasty). Actually, it is very unlikely to die from placing butt implants inside your glutes. That also goes for ending up on a wheelchair, etc. The butt augmentation with implants has suffered a pretty bad reputation because until not more than 10 years ago, the available techniques had very poor and/or fake outcomes. So, patients would end up getting the implants removed. Present techniques actually are very safe and the outcomes are very positive. The key here is to actually dominate the technique well in order to make sure of a correct implant placement. I can't (nor anyone can) guarantee that any surgery has no risks because it's simply not true, but I can tell you that a liposuction represents a higher risk for a patient than a gluteoplasty. Hope this calms you a little and answers your doubt. If not, feel free to contact me. Take good care of yourself, Dr. Fernandez Goico

Thank you for the question.In a straight answer, No. as any surgery the procedurehave risks and the need to be done by a experienced surgeon.what you need to understand is that you need more preparation and follow all of the recommendations of your surgeon about after the surgery.