Dr. TomButtock fat transfer is not a single recipe that fits all ethnic body types, according to cosmetic surgeon Walter W. Tom, M.D., president of the California Academy of Cosmetic Surgeons.
“To ensure patient satisfaction and optimal aesthetic outcomes, cultural variations must be considered,” says Dr. Tom, who presented yesterday on the “The Not So Brazilian Butt Lift” at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery’s (AACS’s) 2017 annual scientific meeting in San Diego, Calif.
Dr. Tom, who practices in Santa Rosa and Napa, Calif., and Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, tells Cosmetic Surgery Times that surgeons performing butt enhancement procedures should consider varying ethnic preferences for buttock shapes, which will help determine appropriate surgical techniques for patients.
“Generally, Caucasian and Asian patients desire full, athletic — but not large — buttocks, no upper buttock shelf, no lateral buttock or lateral thigh fullness,” he says. “This differs from Hispanic and black patients, who desire large buttocks, an upper buttock shelf with lateral buttock fullness. Lateral thigh fullness is usually favored in black patients.”
Dr. Tom offers these three tips for achieving ideal butt lift outcomes in Caucasian and Asian patients, in whom the ideal fat transfer butt lift is based on a subtraction-addition formula, he says.
- The goal is to create an inverted heart-shaped buttock.
- This usually requires dramatic lipo-contouring of the low back and lateral upper hip.
- Buttock fat transfer should accentuate the mid and lower third of the buttock sphere.
Demand for the butt lift is going up, increasing 36% between 2014 and 2015. The procedure is most popular among patients 40 to 54 years of age, according to recent statistics by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Disclosure: Dr. Tom reports no relevant disclosures.
