Do prior issues with glycemic control preclude me from being a good butt implant/fat grafting candidate?

Hello, excellent questions! 1. Not really. If your A1C is good like it was last time you had it checked, your levels are good. 2. Liposuction is the only procedure that really hurts. A tummy tuck without lipo is not that bad as far as pain goes. The butt implants do hurt but it might be more uncomfortable then it s painful, so I would say these procedures are comparable. 3. Your BMI can certainly be around 30. Not a problem!

Best of luck,
Dr. Miguel Mota

Dear tss1680,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you 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

If your blood sugar is under good control and your A1c is good your prior issues with transient hyperglycemia should not be a factor. However it is best to speak with a board certified plastic surgeon about this as well as your medical history. This information will be combined with your examination and discussion of your goals to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure.

Great questions... Would have been nice to see posted photos? You must obtain preop written medical clearance to have lipo 360/BBL. Additionally, best to use private practice boarded Plastic Surgeon NOT a clinic! Fee $6,000. Best to virtual consult with...

Most plastic surgeons in the United States don’t offer gluteal implants. There’s a pretty good rationale why most of us don’t offer the procedure.
Gluteal implants have one of the highest complication and side effect risks of any cosmetic operation. The number of patients who have quality long-term outcomes and are happy with the procedure is pretty low and I would say overall long-term patient satisfaction is borderline dismal.
Not only can implants fail and require removal but the process of doing so can lead to disfigurement.
For patients who are serious about getting gluteal implants I suggest selecting only one of the handful of plastic surgeons in the United States who specialize exclusively on the procedure.
Those who have mastered the procedure will have far better success rates.
It seems like the key to getting consistent quality results with gluteal implants is based on exclusively placing implants intramuscularly, choosing implants that anatomically fit within the gluteus muscle.
And plants that are not of the appropriate size increases complication rates drastically. if the implants are not intramuscular then the edges of the implant and will shower, the implant will migrate and while not a complete failure patients often regret having the procedure.
Doing fat transfer simultaneously with gluteal implants is probably pushing the envelope and I’m guessing that those who really know how to do gluteal implants well will have you stay away from doing fat transfer at the same time.
Well done Liposuction and fat transfer in the hands of the right surgeon is probably a better way to go.
That said there is a dizzying array of outcomes based purely on who does the BBL procedure.
No other plastic surgery procedure has such a variety of outcomes purely based on provider selection.
Delivering consistent quality liposuction and fat transfer results is far more difficult than most people believe. simply choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon with overall good reputation is insufficient to confirm someone has mastered both Liposuction and fat transfer. as long as your blood sugars are under control and your A1c comes back within normal limits you should be fine to have surgery. If not you you may need to get clearance from an endocrinologist or internal medicine doctor.
BMI is only one measure. A lot depends on fat distribution and considering you’ve had previous surgery a BMI of 30 may look very different then then those who have not had previous procedures like a tummy tuck with Liposuction.
What you really need is a quality assessment and to get that requires having Quality consultations.
For anything other than gluteal implants I suggest consulting with local board-certified plastic surgeons in your community. For gluteal implants there may or may not be someone who specializes in that procedure in your community. there simply aren’t that many plastic surgeons who have the experience and skill to do gluteal implants well on a regular basis.
The plastic surgeons who are pro gluteal implants tend to speak poorly of fat transfer and those to do fat transfer tend to recommend patience stay away from gluteal implants.
I personally specialize exclusively in liposuction and fat transfer and do not have experience with gluteal implants. I have however seen enough bad outcomes to recognize the procedure comes with a multitude of red flags.
It is not to say a gluteal implant cannot be done with high patient satisfaction.
It’s unlikely you’ll find someone who can both master gluteal augmentation with implants and with fat transfer.
During in person consultations ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures. Being shown a handful of preselected pictures is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like at the hands of each provider.
Having had previous surgery including Liposuction will have some inherent limitations on what can or cannot be accomplished. At the same time you probably don’t have skin laxity on the front of your abdomen so that’s probably an overall plus.
I suggest all patients begin the process by taking pictures of their own torso similar to have plastic surgeons take before and after pictures. Are used to timer on your camera or have someone else take the picture for you. Try taking the pictures from about 8 feet away standing straight in a neutral position with your arms down showing your side front and back side wearing revealing undergarments. The pictures should show your torso from your shoulders to your knees.
When reviewing before and after pictures online use your own pictures as a reference pictures and try to find previous patients who had similar body characteristics to your own.
Bring the same pictures of yourself printed for in person consultations and ask providers to show as many pictures as possible of patients with similar body characteristics.
Being shown results of patients who had a completely different candidacy for the procedure does not give you quality information in regards to understanding what can or cannot be achieved with the procedure.
Your goal is also to determine what average results look like in the hands of each provider and how many of these procedures he or she has actually performed.
This is why being shown a handful of sample pictures most likely representing the best results of the providers career is insufficient when it comes to vetting providers.
For reference I think an experienced provider should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 sets up before and after pictures of commonly perform procedures like a BBL.
That’s the provider to show you a variety of outcomes including excellent outcomes, average outcomes and less than outcomes.
Specifically ask them to find as many pictures as possible of patients who have similar body characteristics to your own. Look for similarities in regards to skin laxity, thickness of subcutaneous fat, fat distribution, age, body habitus etc. etc.
Ask if surgeon what the revision rates are and what they revision
Take notes during the consultation and come prepared with a rating or a grading system for each plastic surgeon. Vetting plastic surgeons is a skill that is acquired by having lots of consultations.
Recognize that you are hiring the surgeon not the other way around. You are the one who needs to confirm that the individual provider has the skill and experience to deliver results consistent with what you’re looking for.
Do you have a right to see numerous before and after pictures to get reassurance of the providers skill and experience.
Make a notes of how thorough each provider is regarding all aspects of the consultation including physical examination, assessment, review before and after pictures, review of medical history, discussion of preparation and recovery, risks and benefits, discussion about turning to procedures etc. etc.
I don’t know how many consultations most people need to find the right provider. A lot depends on your ability to press select providers who have the skill and experience necessary.
Recognize that these procedures are in many ways permanent and irreversible.
Gluteal implants can be removed but once Liposuction is done if it isn’t done correctly it is virtually impossible to improve on the outcome.
Different plastic surgeons have very different views of what the ideal female torso should look like.
There are far too many providers delivering cartoon caricature looking results that seem suspect in regards to being desirable at least in my opinion.
Continue having consultations until you feel like you found the right provider for your needs. When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.
Find the right plastic surgeon and everything falls into place.
For liposuction and fat transfer I cannot over emphasize the importance of finding the right plastic surgeon or how difficult these procedures are to get the best results consistently.
Good luck,
Mats Hagstrom MD