Body contouring in Alicante
Adding volume and a better shape to the buttocks using your own fat (fat transfer) or implants. Dr Navarro assesses your body and what you are hoping for, so he can recommend the option that suits you and explain its limits.
Anaesthesia
General
Duration
2 to 3 hours
Hospital stay
Usually one night
Compression garment
Around 1 month
No sitting on the buttocks
About 3 weeks
Result
At around 6 months
Approximate figures. They are confirmed at your consultation for each case.
The techniques
There are two ways to augment the buttocks. Fat transfer to the buttocks (lipotransfer), or augmentation with your own fat, combines two procedures in a single operation. First, fat is collected by liposuction from areas where there is excess, such as the abdomen, flanks or thighs, through incisions just a few millimetres long. It is then purified, for example by centrifuging, and injected into the buttocks with fine cannulas to add volume and shape. Some of the fat is reabsorbed over the first few months, so there is a limit to the volume that can be achieved.
With implants, the incision is made in the crease between the buttocks (the intergluteal fold), so the scar is hidden between them. Through this incision a pocket is created and a silicone implant designed specifically for the buttocks is placed, centred in the buttock. It is usually placed within the gluteus maximus muscle (intramuscular plane), which covers and protects it; in some cases the plane beneath the muscle fascia is used. Dr Navarro will explain which plane he recommends in your case.
In fat transfer, the fat is injected only into the subcutaneous plane, that is, under the skin and above the muscle. This is the current recommendation of plastic surgery societies, because deep injection, close to the large blood vessels in the area, has been linked to fat embolism, a rare but serious complication.
Suitability
If your main concern is sagging buttocks caused by excess skin, augmentation alone will not correct it and a different technique may be needed. Very large volumes are not advisable either: they increase the risks and the result looks less natural.
If you smoke or your weight is not stable, Dr Navarro will ask you to wait before considering it.
Before you decide
At your first consultation, Dr Navarro sees you personally. Your body is assessed as a whole, not just your buttocks, to decide which technique and how much volume make sense for you.
01
What you would like to improve (volume, shape, projection or asymmetry) and what result feels natural to you.
02
The shape of your pelvis and buttocks, the quality of your skin and how much fat is available in other areas for fat transfer.
03
Which technique Dr Navarro recommends and why, what volume is realistic, where the scars will be and what recovery will involve.
04
You take the information home in writing, together with the quote and the risks. You can raise any questions before you decide.
On the day of surgery
Beforehand
Pre-operative tests and an assessment by the anaesthetist. On the day of surgery, with you standing, the liposuction and grafting areas, or the position of the implant, are marked.
To begin
The procedure is carried out under general anaesthesia and usually involves one night in hospital.
With fat
The fat is collected by liposuction, purified and injected in small amounts and in several directions, always in the subcutaneous plane.
With implants
Through an incision in the crease between the buttocks, a pocket is created in the chosen plane and the implant is placed, centred in the buttock. The wound is closed in layers.
To finish
A compression garment is fitted, which you wear for around a month.
Afterwards
Days 1 to 3
Discomfort in the buttocks and in the liposuction areas, which is controlled with the prescribed medication. You sleep face down or on your side, and you walk from the first day.
Weeks 1 to 3
Relative rest, avoiding sitting on your buttocks for about 3 weeks, as Dr Navarro advises.
Around 1 month
You keep wearing the compression garment for around a month. Many patients return to work that is not physically demanding from about 3 weeks.
Months 1 to 3
Sport is resumed little by little. With implants, exercises that work the glutes usually have to wait a little longer.
Around 6 months
With fat, some of the volume is reabsorbed over the first few months and the result is assessed after that. With implants, the shape settles as the tissues adapt.
Comparison
No single technique is right for everyone. It depends mainly on your body, how much fat is available and the volume you are looking for.
| Buttock implants | Your own fat (fat transfer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | Slim people with little fat available. | People with excess fat in other areas. |
| Volume | More predictable, depending on the size of the implant. | Moderate; some of the fat is reabsorbed and a second session is sometimes needed. |
| Scar | In the crease between the buttocks, hidden from view. | Incisions just a few millimetres long in the liposuction areas. |
| Things to consider | It is a foreign body: it can shift, be felt or need replacing over the years. | It also improves the contour of the areas the fat is taken from. |
| Recovery | Around 3 weeks of relative rest without sitting on your buttocks. | Similar, around 3 weeks without sitting on your buttocks. |
Important information
Like any surgery, buttock augmentation carries risks. Some are common to both techniques and others are specific to each one:
Dr Navarro will go through them with you at your consultation, and they will be set out in the informed consent form.
Common questions
It depends on your body. If you have excess fat, fat transfer uses your own tissue and improves other areas at the same time; if you are slim, implants are usually the more realistic option.
The most serious is fat embolism, which is rare and has been linked to injecting fat into the muscle. That is why it is injected only under the skin, in the subcutaneous plane, as plastic surgery societies recommend.
Some of it is, during the first few months. The fat that remains after that is usually stable, although it changes with your weight.
In the crease between the buttocks, so it stays hidden.
For about 3 weeks you need to avoid putting your weight directly on your buttocks. Dr Navarro will explain how to manage this in your case.
They are not replaced on a fixed schedule, but they are not for life: over the years, or if a complication arises, they may need to be checked or replaced.
The change is noticeable from the start. With fat, you need to wait until reabsorption has finished, at around 6 months, and with implants until the tissues have adapted.
It depends on the technique and the liposuction areas. You will receive a personalised quote after your first consultation.
Your surgeon
Plastic surgeon in Alicante, focused on facial, breast and body surgery. He sees you personally at the first consultation, during surgery and at every follow-up.
“Every procedure is unique. My commitment is to combine advanced technique with sound medical judgement, with one clear aim: natural results in harmony with your face and body.”
Clinic at Carrer de Velázquez, 2, 03560 El Campello (Alicante)
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