Buttock (Gluteal) Aesthetics

All procedures directed at the buttocks, hips and waist can be grouped under the heading of buttock aesthetics. The aim is to shape and lift the bottom, remove the excess on the hips, and deepen the curve of the waist and make it slimmer. For this purpose, while fat is removed from the necessary places with liposuction, the upper part of the bottom is supported with fat injections. When there is not enough fat, silicone implants can be used. This procedure makes the bottom project backwards and sit high. In patients who have lost a lot of weight and whose skin has become loose, skin can be removed in a belt fashion from below the abdomen and above the bottom, and the entire buttock region can be suspended upwards.

Buttock aesthetic procedures can be performed on all patients who are not satisfied with the shape of their buttocks. Patients generally complain that their bottom is flat, low or too wide.

There are many procedures that can be performed on the buttock region. These can be applied alone or together according to the patient's needs.

• Liposhaping: Fat is removed with thin cannulas from the hips, the waist, and the lower and outer parts of the bottom. The removed fat is concentrated with special processes and given to the upper part of the bottom. In this way the waist curve deepens and the waist becomes slimmer, and the hips narrow. The accumulation at the lower part of the bottom is eliminated, and the lightened bottom rises. Fat injections make the upper part of the bottom fuller, rounder and higher.
• Buttock implants: In patients with a flat bottom and insufficient fat tissue, silicone buttock implants can be used. These implants are products designed for the buttocks. Recently, implants have been placed inside the muscle. This practice has greatly reduced problems related to buttock implants. The implants are inserted through a short incision placed in the groove between the buttocks, and the surgical scar is not visible.
• Buttock lift: Especially after massive weight loss, the buttocks sag downwards together with the skin of the whole leg. The emptied and loosened skin is removed in the form of a belt, together with a tummy tuck at the front. These procedures are called belt lipectomy. After the operation, a circumferential scar remains, all of which stays within the underwear. This procedure tightens the buttocks and the skin of the legs. If the looseness is at the lower part of the buttock, skin can also be removed so that the scar lies in the groove at the lower part of the buttock.
• Suture suspensions: In thin patients with thin skin and a small bottom, minor sagging that forms over time can be reduced with suture suspensions. For the suspension, the special sutures used in the Silhouette lift are used, and the suspension is performed in two sessions 3 months apart. In the first session, the sutures are placed and allowed to integrate with the tissues. In the second session, the suspension is performed. The effect of suspension procedures is weak and short-lived.
• Filler treatments: In patients with a flat bottom who do not have enough fat for fat injection and who do not want implants, hyaluronic acid fillers can be used. The best-known brand is Macrolane. Macrolane fillers last about 1 year.

Exercising regularly and not gaining weight are beneficial for the buttocks, as they are for the whole body. With certain exercises the buttocks can become higher and fuller. Lymphatic drainage and radiofrequency treatments are also effective for tightening the skin in this area.

As with all operations, in buttock aesthetic operations aspirin and smoking must be stopped 3 weeks before surgery. In the last 1 week, it is necessary to stay away from drugs and similar substances that may thin the blood.

Things that should not be used:

• Painkillers such as Apranaks, Voltaren and Vermidon (when a painkiller is needed, Minoset or Novalgin can be used),
• Multivitamin pills containing substances such as ginseng, ginkgo biloba and coenzyme Q,
• Herbal products such as green tea, flaxseed, cherry stalk and tomato seed
• All slimming products

Buttock aesthetic operations are performed in an operating theatre and under general anaesthesia. Macrolane treatments can be performed under sedation alone.

Buttock aesthetic operations take between 2 and 4 hours, depending on the procedures performed.

Buttock implants may cause some pain and discomfort. Patients may have difficulty sitting after surgery. There may also be some pain with liposhaping procedures. Suspension procedures are not painful.

Patients are generally sent home on the same day. Patients who have had a buttock lift with belt-shaped skin removal stay in hospital for one day. After two days patients can shower. Since all the stitches are under the skin, there is no need for stitch removal. For the first 3 weeks patients need to wear a compression garment. After buttock implants they need to sit carefully. After the third week, sport is allowed except for running. After the sixth week, all kinds of activity are allowed.

If fat injection has been chosen for buttock aesthetics, no serious problem is expected after the procedure. Part of the injected fat is lost and the buttocks become somewhat smaller over time.

In buttock lifts performed by removing skin in a belt shape, the long scars may worry patients, but over time the scars will fade and become less noticeable.

After buttock aesthetic operations performed with buttock implants, problems such as the implant being visible from the outside and capsule formation used to be encountered frequently, but placing the implant inside the muscle has greatly reduced these problems.

The biggest problem with suture suspensions is that their effect is short-lived.

In buttock aesthetic procedures performed using filler substances, the body may sometimes react to the fillers used. For this reason, dissolvable substances and well-known brands should always be preferred. Macrolane, a hyaluronic acid compound, is one of the safest products. However, even Macrolane can cause a reaction.

The permanence of buttock aesthetic surgery varies according to the method chosen. About 30% of the fat injected during liposhaping is lost, but the shape given to the waist and bottom is permanent. Likewise, the effect of buttock implants is permanent. Lifts performed by removing skin are radical and effective operations, and their results are permanent. The effect of suture suspensions is short-lived. This period varies according to the patient's anatomical structure. Heavy buttocks drop again in a shorter time. Macrolane injections disappear completely within 1 year. To maintain the result achieved with surgery, it is important for patients to watch their weight and to keep up regular exercise and skin care.