The buttock lift
Body surgery
The appearance of orange peel skin on the buttocks is very often wrongly considered as cellulite by patients. These dimples do not have adipose origin. In fact, they are the result of sagging in the buttock area, caused by the tensioning of the attachments between the skin and the gluteal muscle, responsible for this appearance of « cellulite ». This skin laxity in the buttock region can be related to ageing or a loss of weight.
The buttock lift enables to treat droopy buttocks and eliminate their cutaneous dimples. It also enhances the contours of the buttocks.
Procedure steps
- Dr. Petit will begin with questioning your medical and surgical histories, your weight and your size, as well as your tobacco consumption.
- He will listen to you in order to understand your discomfort and your specific requests relating to the buttock area.
- He will carry out a clinical examination of the shape, volume and contour of your buttocks in order to suggest the most appropriate strategy of treatment corresponding to your anatomy and to your request.
- Dr. Petit will provide information on the scar positioning, treatment process and procedure limits, post-operative recoveries as well as main risks, so as to make an informed decision.
Procedure limits
- The buttock lift does not act on « the banana rolls on the lower buttocks », corresponding to excess cutaneous fat sometimes present underneath the buttock crease, which will involve a lower buttock lift.
- The buttock lift does not enable to treat fat rolls along the back located above the waist. These ones will involve an upper body lift.
Good candidates for a buttock lift are those
- Having discomfort with their droopy, flabby and saggy buttocks.
- Wishing firmer, smoother and plumper buttocks.
- Accepting the scarring price.
- And having understood the procedure limits.
General pre-operative instructions relating to aesthetic surgery
- Smoking cessation 1 month before and after the procedure.
- Discontinuation of medicines which increase bleeding 10 days before and after the procedure: aspirin, anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant medicines, vitamin E.
Specific pre-operative instructions relating to the silhouette surgery
- To be at your stable and ideal weight for 6 months at least.
- Discontinuation of oral contraception 1 month before the procedure in order to decrease the risk of thrombo-embolism (phlebitis and pulmonary embolism).
- Purchase of a compression garment.
Procedure stages
Pre-operative markings are carried out by Dr. Petit before the procedure.
This one is achieved under general anesthesia requiring hospitalization of one night at the clinic.
The procedure begins with the liposuction of the hips and the saddlebags in order to reshape the contour of your buttocks. Then, a horizontal cutaneous spindle is removed from the upper half of the buttocks while preserving the fat in this region, which is mobilized downward (in the central area of the buttocks) in order to give volume and to make the buttocks more curved.
A scar concealed in the panties is necessary, located above the bottom and extending from the gluteal furrow up to the flanks.
The skin closure is performed with sub-cutaneous resorbable sutures.
A dressing modeling the buttocks is performed at the end of the procedure.
What to expect after surgery
The buttock lift is a little or moderate painful procedure. Pains are well soothed by analgesics.
Ecchymosis (bruises) are classical and subside within 2 to 3 weeks after the operation. An oedema (swelling) is constant and of variable duration, gradually subsiding within a few months.
Daily nursing care after your shower with a soft soap are necessary over 15 days.
Three preventive measures against phlebitis are established after the procedure: the affected leg elevated as well as the walk, the wearing of compression stockings and the daily injection of an anticoagulant (medicines which thin the blood) over 15 days.
The sitting position is not recommended over 10 days to limit the cutaneous tension on the scar, especially in the intergluteal furrow area, a fragile area for the healing. The standing and lying positions should be preferred initially.
The wearing of a compression garment is recommended during 1 month in order to reduce the post-operative œdema and fostering a good retraction of the skin in the treated areas.
The resumption of daily activities is possible the day following the procedure.
The resumption of professional activities is possible two weeks following the procedure.
The resumption of sports activities can be done within 6 weeks following the operation.
Procedure risks
The complications of a buttock lift are weak and will be mentioned by Dr. Petit during the consultation.
Main risks are the following
In the first hours following the surgery:
A haematoma (blood pooling), a rare complication requiring a revisionary process in order to drain it.
In the post-operative month:
- Healing problems, resulting in one or several localized disunities (opening of the scar) requiring a directed healing.
- A seroma (collection of fluid), requiring a drainage in consultation.
- Transitory troubles of skin sensitivity.
- An infection, a cutaneous necrosis: rare complications.
- A phlebitis, a pulmonary embolism: exceptional complications with the preventive measures established previously.
In the long term:
- A scar expansion, requiring a revisionary procedure.
- A pathological scarring (hypertrophic scars or keloids).
Long-term result
The final result of buttock lift surgery is obtained between 3 to 6 months after the procedure, when the post-operative oedema has disappeared.
The scars initially are inflammatory (red and swollen) the first months, then they will fade gradually without disappearing. The final aspect of your scar is not predictable and will be known at the end of the scarring maturation (between 1 and 2 years after the procedure). The result is long-lasting except in case of significant changes in body weight or pregnancy.