Altering the shape of a woman’s body has been a part of plastic surgery for over fifty years. This has traditionally meant such procedures as breast augmentation, liposuction and tummy tucks. In the most contemporary forms of female body contouring the role of the buttocks and hips, once deemed undesirable, have become popular. This has added buttock and hip augmentation using either fat transfer and implants to the options available for body reshaping.
The hourglass figure shape is one in which there is larger breasts, a narrow waist and hip widths similar to that of the breasts. In its most extreme form it has an appearance to that of an actual hourglass with a wide upper and lower half and being narrow in circumference between the two halves. Some deem such a female body shape as more desirable than others. Between the options available in plastic surgery and the use of traditional corsets the hourglass shape today is more attainable than it has ever been.
One newer addition in hourglass figure surgery in is that of rib removal. Reductions in the lengths of ribs #10, 1 and 12 removes the last rigid anatomic restriction to maximal horizontal waistline reduction. This procedure is only appropriate when the more traditional use of liposuction has already been done to reduce any fat collections around the waistline. When combined with other body contouring procedures such as buttock augmentation (in this picture with buttock implants), the hourglass figure may become a reality.
Hourglass figure surgery has numerous options to both augment the upper and lower half as well as narrow what lies in the middle. Larger breast implants, custom buttock implant designs and rib removal represent options for those women that seek a maximal approach to altering their body into more of the hourglass shape..
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana