Gluteoplasty with autologous fat tissue: experience with 106 consecutive cases.

BACKGROUND: The female waist-hip ratio of around 0.7 is reachable through liposuction and gluteal fat grafting. The authors evaluated the reliability of this technique.

METHODS: Prospective evaluation was performed of all female patients subjected to gluteoplasty with autologous fat tissue between July of 2010 and July of 2013 without a weight change greater than 10 percent during follow-up. Results were evaluated through photographs. The degree of satisfaction (patient and surgeon) was assessed on a scale of 1 (poor outcome) to 4 (excellent improvement), and agreement was measured by Kappa statistics. The technique involved epidural anesthesia, tumescent infiltration, liposuction around the buttocks, fat decantation, and grafting with retrograde injection in different planes.

RESULTS: A total of 106 patients were included. Patient age ranged between 18 and 62 years (mean, 33 years). The preoperative body mass index was between 19 and 31.6 kg/m (mean, 24.8 kg/m). The volume grafted to the buttocks ranged between 180 and 840 cc (mean, 505 cc). There were no medical complications. Five patients (4.7 percent) had seroma in the donor area, 103 patients felt satisfied (97.1 percent), scoring 3 and 4, one patient (0.94 percent) complained of volume resorption 4 months postoperatively, and two patients (1.88 percent) asked to diminish their lateral gluteal volume (score 2) and underwent revision surgery 6 months postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS: This gluteoplasty technique is simple and inexpensive, with minimal morbidity and excellent results. A good result depends on harmoniously combining fat elimination by liposuction and fat grafting for buttocks sculpting, with lasting results.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.