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Surgeries that aim to make the butt look bigger have become very popular over the recent years, thanks to the likes of Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez whose big butts have made them even more popular. Choosing which technique to use is the first step that must be considered when looking to have butt augmentation surgery. However, a patient also needs to be aware of the risks and complications that come with the augmentation.
Inflammation is the body’s normal response to infection, injury or anything that it perceives to be a cause of damage. Surgery involves introducing a controlled injury to the tissues so patients who undergo any kind of surgical procedure experience signs of inflammation after the operation. Such signs include bruising, swelling and pain on the treated area.
Another common risk of surgery is bleeding. The bleeding can sometimes be excessive depending on what type of surgery was done. Excessive bleeding can lead to extreme pain and swelling. If it persists for a long time, the patient may need to be hospitalized to control the bleeding, get rid of excess blood that has accumulated in the area and prevent formation of blood clots.
Even without excessive bleeding, blood clots and thromboembolism are also possible. This is particularly true if the patient will be incapacitated for a few days. Thromboembolism pertains to the blockage of a blood vessel by a clot that has formed and breaks loose from somewhere else. A clot that lodges in the blood vessels of the lungs, heart or brain can result in serious consequences. To avoid this, patients are advised to do a few minutes of walking each day while recovering from the surgery.
One of the main concerns with getting butt implants is the risk of infection because the incision for implants is made in the gluteal cleft close to the anus. The incision may be created elsewhere but the problem would be more visible scars. If infection occurs, the implant may have to be taken out until the infection subsides. Once that happens, the old implant will be replaced with new ones. The surgeon should provide the patient with instructions on how to keep the incision clean and free from infection.
Complications that are often associated with augmentation using implants include implant migration, extrusion and rupture. Capsular contracture is also quite common. It refers to the tightening of the scar tissue that surrounds the implant causing the butt to have a hard feel. In this case, the scar tissue will have to be “scoured.” If the hardened implant migrates or extrudes, it will have to be removed and fixed surgically. Fat grafting does not produce these complications because the patient is using his or her own tissue and the chance of rejection is very small.
There are also complications that result from fat transfer. These include fat embolism, fat necrosis, seroma and hematoma. Fat embolism, as the name suggests, is similar to thromboembolism. In this case, fat clogs the blood vessel instead of a blood clot. It happens when fat is accidentally injected into the bloodstream. Fat necrosis, on the other hand, is synonymous with fat tissue death. Finally, seroma pertains to the accumulation of fluid in the areas where fat was taken while hematoma is the pooling of blood in the tissues.
A foreign body reaction is common in augmentation using fillers. Filler injections are becoming increasingly popular because they are much cheaper than butt implants and fat grafting. In addition, this method is appealing because it doesn’t require any form of surgery and requires no downtime. However, the risk of suffering from foreign body reaction five to ten years later is high. The reaction is usually due to the preservatives in fillers. If handled improperly, these fillers may even cause death. Butt implants may also elicit a foreign body reaction but this is less likely because the silicone is confined within a barrier.
There is also the risk that the patient will not be satisfied with the results. Some patients might feel that their butt was not augmented enough or that the increase in size was too much and that it looks unnatural. Other patients are not happy with the resulting scars. The dissatisfaction can be prevented early on by discussing the procedure thoroughly with the surgeon.
All cosmetic surgeries carry certain risks and complications and butt augmentation is no exception. Before undergoing butt augmentation, it is extremely important to discuss these risks and complications with a surgeon.
