Buttock Enhancement
Mommy Makeovers: Top 5 Procedures.
Dec 1st
Mommy Makeover Specialist
Scottsdale – A mommy makeover refers to the unique combination of plastic surgery procedures designed to counteract the physical effects of pregnancy and childbearing. These procedure are used to restore and enhance your body. If you are a woman, have children and are not happy with the effects of pregnancy, then the mommy makeover is for you. The combination of procedures listed below gives you the best opportunity to regain the body you love.
3. Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty).
4. Liposuction.
For more information on mommy makeovers check out our websites at www.MyFaceAndBody.com and www.TheMommyMakeover.com or give us a call at (480) 970-2580 to schedule a complimentary consultation (model used in illustration).
5 Quick Facts: Buttock Enhancement by Fat Injection.
Nov 28th
Buttock Augmentation Specialist.
1. Results in a more natural appearance, as the sculpted buttocks uses the patient’s own fat.
2. When compared to implants, smaller incisions are utilized, leading to less scarring.
3. There is a shorter healing time and less pain, when compared to implants.
4. It is your own tissue and there is no chance of rejection.
5. The body is sculpted in other areas which donate the fat for your buttocks.
For more information on buttock enhancement by fat injection check out our website at www.MyFaceAndBody.com.
(model used in illustration).
5 Quick Facts: Body Contouring after Major Weight Loss.
Nov 18th
Major Weight Loss Options
1. The most common procedure includes a circumferential incision beginning low in the front going around the hips and ending in the middle above the buttocks.
2. The procedure is most often performed in a hospital operating room with a 2 or 3 day stay after surgery.
3. The length of the procedure is between 4 to 6 hours.
4. The average downtime is about 2 weeks.
5. The complication rate is about 50 percent, but most complications are minor wound healing problems.
For more information on plastic surgery after major weight loss check out our website at www.MyFaceAndBody.com.
(model used in illustration).
Combined Medial and Lateral Thigh Lift with Buttock Augmentation.
Nov 10th
Scottsdale – There is a procedure that can lift the inner thigh, outer thigh and buttocks using a single operation. The procedure is called the Spiral Lift. The technique is interesting because it addresses these anatomic areas using a single incision. As a bonus, the tissue from the hips can be repositioned in order to augment the buttocks.
The article describing this operation was published in the journal Aesthetic plastic Surgery. The authors say that use of the technique in their practice was infrequent. Of 253 patients only 5 had the Spiral Lift. The results are indeed impressive, especially considering that surgery is carried out as an outpatient with a 23-hour stay, combined with an average of 5.3 liters of lipo and a relatively low blood loss of 220 ml. They report no major complications, re-operations and acceptably low complications. In fact, the patients only experienced minor complications.
The procedure is similar to circumferential body surgery, minus the anterior abdominal incision. This could be advantageous as the patient avoids an incision there. However, this could be considered a disadvantage if the patient requires abdominal skin resection or muscle tightening. The need for skin resection and muscle tightening in today’s society is very high. A bodylift would be more successful in these cases because it tightens the anterior abdominal wall, lifts the outer thighs, and buttocks.
Patients with the type of body contour deformity, the so-called “violin” shape, in which the Spiral Lift is used, are very rare indeed. The procedure might appeal to persons without abdominal excess skin or muscle laxity, but who may have saggy inner and outer thighs with small saggy buttocks. The authors should be commended for their ingenuity in the design and application of the Spiral Lift.
Review: Assessment of Gluteal Fat Grafts with MRI.
Oct 31st
Scottsdale – Many people desire fuller round buttocks. One popular procedure that has a high success rate involves the use of lipoinjection technique, sometimes referred to as the Brazilian Buttock Lift. With this surgery, fat tissue is removed from the body using a specialized technique to preserve the fat cells. Because of their low metabolism, fat cells can survive outside of the body for a short period of time. Meanwhile, the fat cells are prepared for re-injection. I have used this technique since 2002 with excellent success.
I advocate fat grafting over implants for several reasons. First, it is your own tissue and it is more natural looking and feeling than implants. Second, there is the additional benefit of loosing fat from other parts of the body and donate your fat; you get thin in heavy areas and gain volume into a flat buttock. Third, implants are not life-time devices and have unique complications. Patients can avoid implant related complications using fat grafts and have a better opportunity to achieve long-lasting results. An article from the journal Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, discusses an objective method to assess fat cell survival after lipoinjection using MRI.
The article has some problems. First, it only includes 10 patients with MRI examinations. This number of patients is usually too small for us to use this data and apply it across a larger number of patients. Second, the follow up period is too short, only 3 months. A longer follow-up period would have been better to assess longevity of the results. Third, the average injection volume is relatively small amount, 350 mililiters per buttock. On the positive, we clearly see evidence of viable fat grafts within the gluteal muscle and an increase in the size of gluteal circumference. The authors noted some significant findings that validate what patients and surgeon see clinically. For instance, at 2 weeks after surgery, the circumference of the buttocks was increased about 1 to 3 centimeters and greater than the circumference seen at 3 months after the procedure. This likely represents the phenomenom of fat reabsorption and resolution of post-operative swelling.
The most valuable information in the article has to do with the relation of gluteal volume seen on MRI before and after surgery. The average volume increase from before to 3 months after was from 687 ml to 765 ml. The increase in circumference, on average, was from 94.7 before to 95.5 centimeters after gluteal lipoinjection. Importantly, the researchers estimated that an average of 28 percent of the injected fat volume is reabsorbed at 3 months.
It is important for patients contemplating this surgery to know that swelling and recent surgery will make your buttock look bigger in the first few weeks when compared to 3 months later. The research estimates that about 30% of the fat will go away by 3 months from surgery. I recommend an over-correction for that reason on all my patients. Basically, if the patient’s ideal volume increase is 700 ml, then I inject 1000 ml knowing that approximately 30% of the volume will go away due to reabsorption. As long as the patient has the fat to donate, we can use as much of it to counteract the effects of reabsorption. If you examine the volumes used in patients on my photo gallery at www.myfaceandbody.com you will notice the range is between 600 to 1000 ml. In some cases I have injected as much as 1400 ml in a single operation.
Composite Body Contouring: Safety is demonstrated in new study.
Oct 27th
Scottsdale – Composite body contouring is relatively new on the plastic surgery scene. The composite body contouring procedure includes a tummy tuck along with a certain amount of lipo, based on the patient’s desires and needs and fat grafting to deficient areas. In many cases, the liposuction can be circumferential and can include lipo of the upper and lower back, love handles and extremities. A modified technique is used to perform the tummy tuck which can reduce the risks of wound healing complications. Restoration of body contour with fat transfer can be used to give better shape to the buttocks or thighs. I have been performing composite body contouring since 2005 and have been impressed with the outcomes.
It is very important to provide the greatest amount of safety for our patients when performing such cases and the key with this set of procedures is to perform them only in a surgical facility that can admit patients for recovery and observation for at least 24 hours after surgery. I use a specialty surgery hospital that is specifically designed to meet the needs of cosmetic plastic surgery patients.
In many ways, “the composite” is a variation of the “mommy makeover” concept of combining multiple procedures to reverse the changes associated with pregnancy. Previously published studies demonstrate that the combination of cosmetic breast surgery and abdominoplasty is safe when performed in an appropriate environment. That combination of surgery is the classic “mommy makeover” duo I have used since 2003. On the other hand, the “composite” mostly excludes breast surgery, but targets different areas that can affect women either post-pregnancy or with weight gain or loss, including the tummy, back, thighs and buttocks. I report here on a recently published study that documents the safety and efficacy of composite body contouring.
The article was published in the July issue of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The study included 64 consecutive female patients who underwent tummy tuck and circumferential liposuction with fat grafting to the buttocks (45), thighs only (6), and buttocks and thighs (13). The surgeons report a 90% satisfaction rate with the surgery, with 63% of patients judging the results as excellent or very good after a follow-up time of 3.2 years. Approximately 10% of patients were dissatisfied with their results.
The group reported that, on average, they removed 2478 milliliters (range 1500 to 4600 ml) of fat with lipo. The average injected volume into the buttocks was 346 ml (range 165 to 625 ml) and into the lower limbs, it was 195 ml (range 75 to 270 ml). The revision rate was 14% for the entire group, but a good number of these were related to the abdominal scar, which can often times be revised under local anesthesia. The major immediate complications after surgery included infection (3%) and bleeding with hematoma formation (2%).
I find that the complication and revision rate is acceptable for this extensive set of procedures. Patients should realize that there is no perfection in plastic surgery. Even these world-renowned experts had a dissatisfaction rate of 10% in their patient population. The more procedures you have, the more likely a revision will be required. Revision in this study included the need for additional liposuction, fat grafting and scar revision. Two patients requested silicone buttock augmentation.
The authors should be congratulated in keeping the number of immediate post surgery complications at a low level. Patients should realize that a bleeding complication usually requires immediate re-operation to evacuate the trapped blood collection, probable blood transfusion and a possible hospital admission. Infection may also require admission for the administration of intravenous antibiotics. This review goes to show that no surgeon or technique is free from complications and patients should be thoroughly prepared for the known potential complications before undergoing composite body contouring. This article is an important contribution to the advancement of plastic surgery techniques.
The case above demonstrates the typical results with composite body contouring. In this case the patient had a tummy tuck and liposuction, including her back performed elsewhere 5 years before consulting with me at the AB Guerra Plastic Surgery Center. The patient is shown before and 6 months after composite body contouring procedure with revision tummy tuck, circumferential liposuction, and buttock fat grafting. The benefits of the surgery are a flatter and tighter tummy, a smoother back with a significant reduction of the rolls, and firm round buttocks. For more before and after photographs please see our main website at www.myfaceandbody.com
