How to save your buttocks after weight reduction

 Losing twenty, thirty or even fifty kilos has become easier after the introduction of modern diets and stomach reduction surgeries.  Dr. Raul Gonzales has studied in depth techniques of gluteal remodeling. He tells the readers of Plastica & Beleza more information about these revolutionary methods.

 Losing weight is the dream of every chubby girl. When they achieve this dream, sometimes it is necessary for a plastic surgeon to intervene to remodel and firm several parts of the body. In some cases one technique isn’t good enough to give the patient the expected result. The implant associated with lifting can guarantee truly spectacular changes.

 Due to his experience in both techniques, we invite Dr. Raul Gonzales, Sao Paulo, in this interview, to explain more about this subject for the readers of Plastica & Beleza. 

What is the indication for a Buttock Lift?
There are two kinds of Buttock Lifting. One with the incision on the base of the buttock and the other with an upper incision. It will all depend on how much skin is going to be taken off. When the skin excess that advances to the thigh is little, an injection into the inferior gluteus can be made to remove the excess of skin in a minor surgery. But, when the excess of skin is also spreading throughout the lateral part of the thigh, due to the great weight reduction, usually more than 20 kilos, a superior incision will be necessary.

 In some dramatic cases is it necessary to associate both types of lifting?
Yes, the more the patient loses weight, the more skin excess will be left, making it necessary to associate both operations. In some cases, where the buttocks were very large before the weight reduction, the inferior incision is necessary to reshape the buttock.

 Can the lifting be associated with an implant?
Yes, the superior lifting incision, as well as the inferior lifting incision. The indication for the implant in this situation is frequent.

 Can this implant be replaced by a bioplasty?
Absolutely not. The lifting requires a detachment, and whenever a detachment occurs, it is not possible to apply any type of material other than the proper implant.

 Do all cases of post weight reduction require implants?
No. Many times the skin that already exists can be placed underneath the lifting and be modeled in the shape of an implant, creating what we call a “natural implant” that can perfectly replace an implant. As strange as it seems, the more skin there is, the easier it is to build this “natural implant”, because of the quantity of excess skin.

Are these operations possible even on people that have lost more than 120 pounds?
Yes, perfectly. The more skin excess there is, the more the patient can accept the scars that are hidden behind the bikini. The change is dramatic, from a flaccid buttock to a nice and firm one.

What about recovery after the operation?
These procedures are not weekend surgeries. They require at least 30 days for recovery. They are not small surgeries and must not be done by doctors that have no experience. Therefore it is necessary that the patient looks for a plastic surgeon, avoiding miracle-performing doctors that promise to solve these kinds of problems with injections or other things, which will prove to be particularly awkward in a future surgery. 

How to choose a plastic surgeon for this operation?
First of all, the surgeon must be a member of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery. The upper lifting operation, for an example, is a big operation, and in most cases we take off 8 inches of skin, which requires not only an experienced surgeon, but a well synchronized team in order to obtain good results.

The above article appeared in the magazine, PLASTICA & BELEZA ( Plastic and Beauty )
Year 7 - # 65 - Author: Renata Menezes