Are My Hip Augmentation Goals Achievable with Custom Hip Implants? (After Having Standard Hip Implants)

Q: Dr. Eppley, I got hip augmentation with implants but i’m not happy with them. The doctor has his hip implants, and although i got the largest, it’s pretty clear they were made for someone smaller (i’m 6’1″ and about 180lbs.) I was doing a bit more research and came across some pics that you posted:

These are much closer to what i am looking for and if they could be scaled for my tall stature…(!!!)

i’ve also got some ideas that i was curious what you’d think….

first the easy stuff: for reference here is one of the pix i sent you post op:

Would my current hip augmentation be similar to breast augmentation, where the first pair stretches the skin a bit so that a larger implant could replace it? in other words, could the fact that I have already had hip implants and that area has already been stretched a bit, mean there is a possibility that I might be able to get implants with a ‘higher superior profile?” I’ve always admired pear shaped women, or women with thick thighs. I am black and there is a lot of emphasis on thicker lower body shapes, so i’m hoping this is the case. I’d love it if i could have a shape similar to Ely Ivy (or as close as we could get to it):

I’d prefer something longer rather than shorter because of my height, if possible. I know you can’t go as high up as the following illustration, but wherever the start, ideally I’d love it if they’d taper at mid thigh like drag queen pads. I’d absolutely love it if they could have the upper thigh curve of the second pic below (and maybe some of the booty shaping on the left side of both pads?)

Speaking of the height of the implant, is there any way to make a small pocket above the implant to make it go up a bit higher? i know usually surgeons make one pocket, then slide the implant in, but i was wondering if something more like a envelope pillowcase would work.

Instead of there just being one pocket there would be two, a smaller one above the incision, and the main one below. This way the implant could be just a little above the incision line. would that work or is it still impractical?

You had some questions about my prior hip implant surgery so i’ll include those with the answers below (to the best of my knowledge):

1) Where are the incisions for the hip implants?

Below the top of the hip. if you look at the pix, you can see the white of the bandages.

2) What type of material for the hip implants?

The same used for butt and calf implants; soft, semi solid silicone.

3) What type of implants were used since there are no standard hip implants?

It was a specific rounded corner triangle shaped implant made specifically for hip augmentation. It is placed downward pointing underneath the fascia, below the top of the hip.

4) What is the tissue pocket for the implants?

It is placed downward pointing (the shortest side of the triangle at the top) underneath the fascia, below the top of the hip. i do know he keeps it at a certain weight to prevent any migration. because i am looking for something longer, that adds to the total thigh thickness as well as hips, i am hoping that a pocket can be made beneath muscle or another implant could be placed beneath his implant and muscle.

So my questions:

What is the approx. cost of your hip implants (including room, anesthesiologist, etc) I know i’ll need a consult, but to plan, i need a ballpark estimate. 🙂
Like breast augmentation, would my first implants allow me to replace them and get bigger hip implants with you, since the skin has been stretched by them?
Do you think we could get anything close to Ely Ivy’s pear shape?
Is implants that go down to mid-thigh be possible, with my question #2 in mind?
Would the double pocket envelope pillowcase idea work?

A: In answer to your secondary hip implant questions:

1) Having existing hip implants is both beneficial and a disadvantage. Stretching the tissues out is the helpful part as that would allow for a greater implant size increase. The negative is that the existing implants have created a scarred capsule which makes extending the tissue pockets, a necessity for larger surface area implants, more difficult, Not impossible but the bottom part of the pocket, which is the furthest away from the incision, is a hard place to reach. But given that you would need a new tissue pocket above the fascia makes your existing implant pocket irrelevant.

2) For your goal standpoint, given where you are now and what your pictorial goals are, I do not think that is surgically achievable in a single operation. Realistically it would likely be about closer to halfway between the two.

3) Going higher with new hip implants is not an issue, it is how far down the thigh one can go that is always the greater challenge. But clearly you have to and can go longer down the hip/thigh that where you are now. Hip implants are unique in that they need to cover a lot of surface area to create their effect. They are not rounder mounds like buttock or breast implants.

4) The incision would be at the same location that you are already have. They may be longer, however, although I don’t know/can’t see how long yours are now.

5) Hip implants in my practice are all made custom out of ultrasoft solid silicone.

6) To cover the larger surface areas of most hip augmentation patients the implants need to be on top of the TFL fascia, not underneath it or in the muscle. Those pockets are much tighter and more restrictive.

7) While you have the general shape of the implant design, the illustration is too big and thick.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana