Buttock augmentation has grown in popularity over the past decade from a scant few patients who received implants to large numbers of patients today that receive fat injections. Regardless of the augmentation technique, enhancement of the derriere has been almost exclusively the domain of women. Fashion trends, particularly amongst certain ethnicities, has made having a shapely buttocks a top feature of body attractiveness.
But very men on a percentage basis undergo any type of buttock procedure. Many men have flat or non-existant buttocks, and may even be ridiculed for it, but it is uncommon that they would subject themselves to surgery to change it. Statistically only about 6% of all cosmetic buttock procedures done in the U.S. currently are done in men. This may be a function of the lack of awareness that buttock augmentation can be done in men as well as the general fear that men have about surgery in general.
While the goal of buttock augmentation in many women is to have a much larger size, a man’s goal is usually much more modest. They are not looking to be profoundly big but rather to have something to hold up their pants. Anything less than being completely flat is usually viewed as an improvement. Thus buttock augmentation in men is a lot like buttock augmentation in thinner women.
The flat butt in many men as they age is so common it is a well known piece of comedy. As men age they often lose fat in the face and buttocks while gaining it in the stomach. The older man with a big protruding stomach and a non-existant butt is not a rare sighting. Even weight lifting can not do much for increasing the mass of the gluteal muscles.
The fashion and clothes industry has taken notice to this male anatomic deficiency. Like padded bras for women, a select few manufacturers make buttock-enhancing underwear for men. These usually consist of pads sewn into the briefs to give a volume boost. While perhaps somewhat effective, widespread use amongst men in not likely even amongst the most ‘needy’.
While men have the definitive option of implants for buttock augmentation, it is not usually chosen due to fear of pain and a prolonged recovery. Fat injections are a far more popular option as the simultaneous benefit of abdominal and flank contouring for fat harvest and less buttock discomfort after surgery is more appealing. Unfortunately many younger men with flat butts also have little fat to harvest for injection. Unless they are willing to have intramuscular implants placed, this leaves them with the only option of wearing a tighter belt to keep their pants.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana