Some plastic surgeons
are calling buttock implants the new "it" surgery.
Such a new development, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery does not even have statistics for buttock implants prior
to 2002. In 2003, the number of buttock implants increased 533
percent from the year before, with around 3,885 procedures performed
compared to the 533 in 2002. Popular in South America, like
breast implants have been to Americans, buttock implants have
just started to make waves in the U.S.
Starting in South America in the 1960s, the popularity
of buttock implants has finally reached the U.S. due in part to
the quickly growing acceptance of cosmetic surgery procedures and
the fashion trend shifts. The availability of buttock implants is
believed to be just at its taking off point, with more surgeons
learning how to perform the surgery and more awareness among patients
increasing. Buttock implants are achieved by having a cosmetic surgeon
place implants into the patient's gluteal area so that a fuller,
more rounded behind can be enjoyed.
The procedure is very complicated and expensive, and
surgeons caution patients not to jump into the surgery without first
fully evaluating the risks and benefits. A reputable and qualified
cosmetic surgeon will not perform buttock implants on a patient
until full consideration has been weighed and the patient completely
evaluated. The tremendous surge in cosmetic surgery has resulted
in a high number of unqualified doctors trying to cash-in on the
highly lucrative market. As always, if considering buttock implants,
a patient should make sure he/she becomes educated about the procedure
and about the surgeon chosen.
A cosmetic surgeon will usually create a vertical
incision between the cheeks in order to insert the implant or the
patient's own fat under or over the gluteal muscles and under the
connective tissue. Silicone gel is not approved for use in the U.S.,
so semisolid implants are used in buttock implants, which has its
drawbacks. The buttock implants do not have a soft, natural feeling
to it, rather a harder, more muscular feel, though the look will
be very pleasing to patients.
Buttock implants are very risky and require a lengthy
recovery period. Since the incisions are made for the surgery in
easily infected areas, potential complications can occur. Patients
must understand that following buttock implants they will not be
able to sit down for at least ten days and will not be able to resume
most normal activities for a month. More rigorous activities will
not be able to be enjoyed for about two months after the buttock
implants. Still, for patients unhappy with their backside appearance,
the growing availability of buttock implants has allowed them to
achieve a more pleasing figure.
According to a prominent buttock implants surgeon,
there appears to be two different groups of patients seeking the
procedure. One group of patients is younger and has goals of transforming
their bodies into more curvaceous figures like popular Hollywood
stars J. Lo or Beyonce Knowles. The other group of patients is women
that have aged and would like to restore a more youthful backside
with buttock implants to replace now sagging areas. Men have also
been requesting buttock implants as well.
