Should I Get Implants Or Fat Injections For My Buttock Enlargement?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I want a fuller butt to compliment the rest of my body. I don’t have any pictures at this time but I’m a black female with what they call a flat butt that doesn’t go with the rest of my body. What are my options for getting a bigger butt?

A: Buttock augmentation can be done by two techniques; implants and fat injections. Each as their own advantages and disadvantages. By far the most common buttock enlargement method today is fat injections also known as the Brazilian Butt Lift. Fat injections offer the advantages of simultaneous body contouring from the liposuction fat harvest and a natural method of enlargement that has a fairly quick recovery. It’s one disadvantage is that there is no predicting how much of the fat will survive. As a general rule, fat injections can produce only a modest enlargement in buttock size. Synthetic implants have the advantage of a permanent method of buttock enlargement that can produce a larger result that is maintained. Its disadvantage is that it requires a small intergluteal scar and has a longer and more difficult recovery.

While many patients can choose between implant or fat injections, some will have no choice but to have implants. If one has little or inadequate donor fat to harvest, then fat injections can not be performed.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana