BUTTOCKS (HIP) ENHANCEMENT PROCEDURES

Hips are possibly the most attractive part of a female body. Round, full, toned and firm buttocks on long legs is every woman’s and man’s dream. Distinct waist loin, two small dimples, a slim waist and stretched abdomen support this appearance. Leg length and hip width are defined genetically and they are unlikely to be changed. However, it is possible to create a more proportional and aesthetic appearance by preserving the existing, correcting the deformation and reshaping the soft tissue.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding buttocks (hip) enhancement procedures:
What is buttocks enhancement?
All hip, outer thigh and waist-oriented procedures can be collected under the “Buttocks Enhancement” title. The aim is to reshape and raise the buttocks, remove the surplus fat in the hips, carve and slim the waist. To this purpose, fat is removed from the concerned areas with liposuction, the upper part of the buttocks is supported with fat injections. In cases where fat is not sufficient, silicone prostheses may be used. This procedure ensures the buttocks to have a higher, prominent appearance. In patients who had lost a lot of weight, loosened skin can be removed around the buttocks in a belt-like shape and the entire hip area can be lifted. In this case, the patient’s own tissue can be reshaped under the skin (the same way as a breast lift) to create a tight and stretched appearance. My preference is to reshape the loosened skin and sagging hips with this technique without implants.
Who is a good candidate for buttocks enhancement procedures?
The procedures can be done on anyone who is unsatisfied with the shape of their hips. The patients usually complain of flat, sagging or excessively large buttocks.
How are buttocks enhancement surgeries done?
There are several procedures that can be done in the hip area. Depending on the patient’s need, these procedures can be done separately or together.

• Liposhaping: Fat is collected from the waist and the outer lower buttocks with thin cannulas. The collected fat is concentrated with special procedures and injected to the upper part of the buttocks, thus slimming the waist and narrowing the hips. Accumulation under the buttocks is eliminated, slenderer buttocks are lifted. Fat injections plump, curve and lift the buttocks.
• Buttock implants: Buttock implants may be used in patients with flattened buttocks, who do not have sufficient fat tissue. These implants are designed for the hips. In the recent years they have been most commonly placed in the muscle, considerably reducing the hip implant-related issues. The implants are inserted from a small incision well-concealed in the buttock cleft (midline of the buttocks.)
• Buttock lift: Particularly following a substantial weight loss, the hips sag, along with the entire skin of the leg. The emptied, loosened skin is removed on the hip area or, if necessary combined with an abdominoplasty on the front, in a belt-shape. This procedures are called belt lipectomy. The scar is similar to the trace of a G string and will be concealed in the underwear. If the surplus is located in the lower part of the hips, skin removal is possible, leaving a scar that will be concealed in the lower fold of the buttocks.
• Suture Suspensions: Moderate sagging that appear over time in slim patients with thin skin and small buttocks can be reduced with suture suspensions. Special sutures used in Silhouette lift are used for suspension. The effect duration of suspension procedures are weak and temporary.
• Fillers: Hyaluronic acid fillers may be used in patients with flattened buttocks, who do not have sufficient fat tissue for fat injections and who do not desire prostheses (implants). The best-known brand is Macrolane. Macrolane fillers can least for approximately a year.

Is there a non-surgical solution for the hips?
Exercising regularly and avoiding weight gain is beneficial for the hips as well as the entire body.
Do’s and Don’ts before the surgery?
Same as every surgery, in buttocks enhancement procedures, aspirin and cigarettes should be avoided during 3 weeks before the operation. During the last week, avoiding blood thinners and similar, anticoagulant substances should be avoided as well, including:

• Pain killers,
• Multivitamin pills containing substances such as Ginseng, ginkgo biloba, co-enzyme Q,
• Herbal products such as green tea, flaxseed, cherry stalk, tomato seeds,
• All weight loss products.

Buttocks (hip) Enhancement Surgeries
Buttocks enhancement surgeries are performed in hospital environment and under general anesthesia. Macrolane procedures can be done with sedation. Depending on the procedure(s) to be done, the surgery takes between 1 – 3 hours.

Buttocks implants may cause some amount of pain and discomfort. The patients may have difficulty sitting following the operation. Liposhaping can also cause pain. Lifting and macrolane procedures are not painful.

The patients are generally discharged the same day. In buttock lift cases where belt-shaped skin is removed, the patients stay in the hospital for a day. They can bathe two days later. As all the sutures are underneath the skin, they will not be taken out. The patients should wear a corset for the first 3 weeks, be careful when they sit in cases of buttock implants. Exercising is allowed after the third week, with the exception of running. All activities are unrestricted after the sixth week.

No serious issue is expected following fat injections. A part of the transferred fat is lost and hips lose a small amount of volume over time. In buttock lift cases where belt-shaped skin is removed, long scars may worry the patients, however the scars will fade over time and become indistinct. Placement of the prosthesis in the muscle considerably reduced the issues often encountered in the past following buttock implants such as the implants being visible to the naked eye and development of capsules. As for the suture suspension buttocks lift, its biggest issue is the temporariness. Body may sometimes react to fillers, therefore dissolvable materials and well-known brands should be preferred. Macrolane, a hyaluronic acid composition, is one of the safest products. But even Macrolane may cause reaction.

Approximately 30% of the fat injected during liposhaping is lost, however the given shape of the waist and buttocks is permanent. The same way, the effects of buttock implants are permanent. Lifting procedures with skin removal are radical and effective surgeries, their results are also permanent. The effect of suture suspensions is short-lived. The effect duration varies upon patient’s anatomical structure. Bigger hips tend to sag faster. Macrolane injections disappear completely within 1 year. To preserve the results of surgical interventions, the patients should watch their weight, exercise and have skin treatments regularly.