The Final Contouring Frontier: Butt Augmentation

No doubt the rising star in aesthetic plastic surgery is buttock augmentation. Massive spikes in interested patients have colored statistics sheets over the past two years for the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The allure of a well-curved behind is not completely foreign, but for some reason, it is now quite popular, and wanted.

Dr. William P. Adams, Jr., a board certified plastic surgeon in Dallas, Texas, hosts the latest episode of No Spin Live, where some of the nation’s leading plastic surgeons discuss not only buttock augmentation, but the contouring done to assure patients not only a satisfactory butt, but the proper ratio to their waist.

Is the Rise in Buttock Augmentation Cultural?

Not only has the number of buttock augmentation procedures risen in the US, but worldwide. Some countries took longer than others to embrace the “new” aesthetic, but embrace it they have. “The buttock augmentation craze has taken over the world,” explains Dr. Dan Del Vecchio of Boston. “It’s not just cultural – I think it initiated in the US, culturally, with a new middle class of people who are more interested in butts than they are in breasts. That’s the aesthetic in a lot of cultures. It’s taking over Europe, it’s taking over South America. Everyone loves the butt.”

The “craze” is leading many patients into plastic surgeons offices to receive a boost to their behind, something that statistics seem to show is a growing competitor to a culture often associated with placing an importance on the breasts.  “Yeah, I think it’s a big craze,” shares Dr. Richard Restifo of Connecticut. “I think we’re going to ride it and give patients what they want.”

There is something unique about the buttock – and most importantly it’s relation to the waist. Because of this, Dr. Richard Zienowicz of Rhode Island thinks it’s rise is because a majority of the US population is just now understanding the aesthetic. “I totally think the Caucasian part of the population is late to the table to this; they’re going to catch on real fast.”

Where True Beauty Shines – The Buttock to Waist Ratio

Buttock implants have been a thing in the past and present, although they come with issues. One being that most people spend significant time seated, potentially causing problems by literally sitting on medical implants. Perhaps the bigger, aesthetic issue is buttock implants do nothing to address the buttock to waist ratio, which is what creates the beauty of a figure.

“The butt to waist ratio is actually very important: you want a really wide hip and a really snatched or narrow waist,” shares Del Vecchio. Instead of only augmentating the breasts, surgeons remove and replace fat via liposuction from the flanks, saddlebags, and other areas and move it into the buttock. The waist region is then “sculpted” to create an aesthetically-pleasing ratio between it and the buttock, the ratio that drives what we tend to describe as a beautiful backside.

Dr. Steven Camp of Fort Worth notes that this focus on contour is what matters, and is what patients are seeking out as the interest continues to spike. “The buttock is kind of the last frontier of contouring. We’ve found new, innovative strategies that work to give patients a ratio that makes them feel more in balance and pretty. So long as that’s done with taste that suits the patient in a safe way, I think it’s a great thing.”