Press release September 2001
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

New York, NY (September, 25, 2001) -- The Victorians wore bustles. Then Frederick's of Hollywood gave us padded girdles. Now, fit women from Brazil to Brooklyn flaunt their curves in thongs and spandex. In the quest for the fuller "gluteal aesthetic unit," women today are turning to cosmetic surgery.

According to a report published in the July/August issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal, a publication of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), there has been a paucity of treatments for the woman troubled by flat buttocks. Although solid and semi-solid buttock implants have been recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and may be a good option for some patients, these implants pose a number of disadvantages including significant scarring and the possibility that the implants will shift. But now, say the study's authors, a rounder, fuller buttocks can be achieved using the safe, effective micro fat grafting technique. The report, written by Thomas L. Roberts III, MD, Luiz S. Toledo, MD, and Ana Zulmira Badin, MD, is based on the authors' experiences with 566 cases of buttocks augmentation using this technique. It further notes that approximately 50% to 75% of the fat grafted remains long term, resulting in high levels of patient and physician satisfaction.

To achieve the desired effect, surgeons infiltrated the buttocks area with a tumescent solution. Fat was then harvested from a donor site either manually with a syringe or with a liposuction pump that allowed precise control of the vacuum. Two crisscrossing entry points only about 1/10 of an inch in diameter were used on each buttock to ensure even distribution and the fat was injected into the desired area.

The typical augmentation averaged 300cc to 400cc per side, but ranged from 175cc to about 800cc depending on the patient's desires and the amount of donor fat available. A compression garment was then worn for approximately 6 weeks, as in traditional lipoplasty (liposuction) procedures. Depending on the extent and areas of fat harvesting, patients were able to resume most normal activities in 2 to 5 days, though some mild discomfort may persist for 1 to 2 weeks postoperatively. Surgeons found that complications from buttock micro fat grafting augmentation procedures were minimal and easily remedied. In fact, the report further states that approximately 10% of the patients requested further augmentation.

The report concluded that buttock augmentation by micro fat grafting is a safe, simple aesthetic technique which, combined with careful liposculpting, can enhance the feminine appearance.