How Satisfied Are Custom Hip Implant Patients?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I understand there aren’t ‘after’ photos for hip implant augmentation procedure- totally relate to wanting to be discreet on that front. But would you say the patients who get this procedure are usually satisfied / happy with their results? Are there any common complaints / problems after surgery for most patients who have this done?

Thank you!!

A:In answer to your hip implant questions:

1) Patient satisfaction with hip implants, barring any complications (infection,seroma) is generally good. It is important to mention, like most implants in the body, perfection is rarely obtained and there are always some aesthetic deficiencies. (enough projection?? is there any visible edging??) But if one can live with less than ‘perfect’ results then it can be a good body contouring operation. However for the perfectionist this is not a good operation as secondary attempts to make such changes are never a good idea. This is best way I know to stir up trouble, of which infection and seromas can appear, in a secondary operation when manipulating an unnatural substance in the body. Getting the body to accept an implant the first time is a blessing. But I don’t advise patients to ‘spin the roulette wheel’ the second time. As my motto goes with implants anywhere in the body…’an uncomplicated 70 to 80% result is much better than a 100% result with a complication’.

2) I would also add that implants at different anatomic locations in the body have higher risks than others. (thus lower satisfaction rates)  Breast implants, for example, while far from being complication free, have the lowest risk of implant-related complications of any body implant. (extracting implant related deflation/ruptures which are mechanical device complications and not systemic reactions to the implant) The point being is one should not judge the fate of hip implants by the more familiar breast implant. They are much more compatible to buttock implants.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana