Q: Does Fat Transfer to the Buttocks Fade Over Time?
A: “Fat transfer to any part of the body, including the buttocks, may or may not be permanent,” says Newport Beach, CA, plastic surgeon Sanjay Grover, MD. “It depends on whether or not the fat cells that are transferred to a particular area develop an adequate blood supply and the cells survive. I expect to see roughly 50-percent survival in my patients.”
Beverly Hills, CA, plastic surgeon Ritu Chopra, MD, adds that surgeons should take special care to reduce the amount of possible loss by choosing donor areas to extract fat from that are not tenacious, such as the lower abdomen and knees.
Still, Oxnard, CA, plastic surgeon Yuly Gorodisky, MD, believes that the benefits of fat transfer are impressive. “The advantage of this procedure is not only to enhance the buttocks, but also the contouring that is involved to harvest the fat for injection, adds a frame to the buttocks by enhancing the waist and hips for a more feminine, curvy shape.” He adds that fat transfer is a safer procedure than buttock implants, because unlike the implants, which come with a host of risks related to implanting foreign material into a very active area, there are no risks of rejection and the risks of infection are much lower.
Weight fluctuations also play into how big or how small your buttocks look post-procedure. “The buttocks may look larger when the patient gains weight, and may get smaller when the weight is lost,” says Dr. Gorodisky.
