In a buttock lift, a section of excess skin fat from the hip area is surgically removed. Buttock lifts are ideal for patients who are in relatively good shape with excess skin and fat in the these area. This cosmetic surgery procedure is particularly useful following massive weight loss, such as after gastric bypass surgery.
Buttock lift
Who is a candidate?
People who:
- Have lost skin elasticity of the thigh, hip, or buttock areas.
- Have skin areas that are saggy.
- Have thighs that look dramatically better when they lift the lax skin.
Intended Result
- Tighter, more attractive thigh and buttock skin.
- Improved contours.
- Decreased irregularities in skin surface.
Procedure Description
- The procedure is performed under general anesthesia .
- Your doctor will show you what procedures are available to solve your particular problem. Wide variations in the design of the incisions to meet clothing or personal desires are possible.
- Lifting the inner thighs may require only short incisions extending from the anterior part of the thigh/groin crease around to the buttock crease.
- Lateral or anterior thigh lifts can be performed as separate procedures, if desired.
- Lifting the entire thigh and buttock (circumferential lower-body lift) will require much longer incisions that start in the buttock crease, extend around the groin, come up over the side of the abdomen, and reach over the flank and across the back.
- The buttock can be lifted with upper or lower scars.
Buttock lift and contouring gives satisfactory results
Recuperation and Healing
- The patient is placed in a compression garment (similar to a long-line elastic support girdle) at the end of surgery to reduce swelling and assist in the natural shrinking and tightening of the skin.
- Smaller thigh lifts: Initial discomfort is usually easily controlled with prescription pain medication.
- Larger thigh lifts: One or two nights care in a skilled nursing facility or hospital are usually required. This allows for pain injections and intravenous catheters.
- Bruising and swelling usually subside within a month. Strenuous activities are usually possible in six weeks and almost all symptoms are gone in four to six months.