Can Fat Injections To My Buttocks Be Done If There Is Silicone Oil In My Buttocks From Prior Injections?

Q:  I would like to know if Dr. Eppley has any experience in removing free silicone oil from the butt? I had silicone injections in my butt and would like it removed and replaced with my own fat.

A: Once silicone oil is injected into any tissue it can not be removed, from a practical standpoint, from the recipient site. The oil is dispersed throughout the tissues in many islands or droplets (really pools of oil) so it is not just one large collection which can be evacuated. It is not like an implant where it is in just one location as a congealed or formed mass. During buttock lifts I have run across injected silicone oil several times and it just runs out as you hit every subcutaneous pocket that it is in. The only way the silicone oil can be removed would be to completely cut off one’s entire buttocks. Therefore, it is best left alone.

The good news is that the silicone oil is not in the deep muscle but in the fat or subcutaneous tissues under the skin. Buttock fat injections can still be placed with the silicone oil in place as they are placed deeper into the gluteal muscle and deeper fat. I am not aware that the presence of silicone oil causes any problems with doing fat injections to the buttocks or necessarily causes greater problems because it is there.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana