The proven and effective method for buttock augmentation is through the use of soft flexible synthetic implants or fat injections. While each of these two approaches is not perfect and has their own advantages and disadvantages, they are safe medical therapies. But like in every other cosmetic procedure, patients do seek easier and less expensive methods that are not surgery to get more instant results. Buttock augmentation is no exception.
The past few years has seen the rise of non-surgical buttock augmentation procedures in the news, all using different non-medical filler materials. The recent arrest of Philadelphia’s Black Madam highlights this disturbing practice which is seen most commonly in major metropolitan areas and in susceptible African-American and Latino female populations. Some of these news reports have involved caulking compounds obtainable at the local hardware store which should suggest to even those most medically naïve that this would be problematic. But many other unreported buttock injection shops involve the use of silicone oil. On the surface this seems less risky but silicone oil is not FDA-approved for use as an injectable filler in the U.S. and its risk of granuloma, lumps and skin pigmentation changes are well known.
The use of any form of injectable filler for large volume body augmentation, such as the buttocks and breasts, is not under study in the U.S. Fat remains the gold standard for such uses even if it is far from yet perfected. But outside the U.S., other countries have been exploring and developing medical-grade fillers for body contouring. These materials are different formulations of those that are commonly used in the face, usually of the hyaluron-based family or hydrogel compounds.
Recognizeable by such names as Juvederm or Restylane, hydrogels are synthetically-created sugar-like compounds that are chemically similar to what our bodies already haveand are very familiar. Thus they are well tolerated and is why they are more biocompatible than any collagen-based injectable filler to date. But their other interesting feature is that they attract water, hence the hydrogel name, and through this sponge-like effect is why they last as long as they do.
While the use of hydrogels for injectable buttock augmentation would seem to make sense, the sheer volume of material needed makes it too expensive. This expense combined with their short duration of effect has led to the development of more concentrated hydrogels. The higher the concentration of a hydrogel the longer it will last. Such international hydrogel materials like Aquamid are being tested but their long-term results and what side effects may exist as body fillers is not yet known.
No matter what is done in different countries, including the use of hydrogel injections, there is no good evidence of their effectiveness and safety. This certainly applied to silicone oil as well. Patients considering buttock augmentation should only consider what is medically proven and remember…you often do get what you pay for. There is no cheap and easy method to larger buttocks that is not fraught with significant risks of potentially unsolveable complications.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana