Butt Lift Techniques

By Jerome Edelstein, MD

Our board certified Plastic Surgeons employ a variety of surgical techniques, tailored to the needs and body type of our patients, as well as the degree of buttock sagging, in order to provide an optimal aesthetic outcome from a butt lift. They decide on which techniques to use by carefully analyzing the patient’s skin tone and degree of posterior deformity. They will also assess the extent of buttock sagging, looseness and deflation.Surgical TechniquesUpper Buttock Lift
The upper buttock lift is typically used on patients who have lost a significant amount of weight and possess a great deal of excess skin (often as the result of bariatric weight loss surgery). The patient’s excess tissue and skin are used to anchor the buttocks to deeper tissues and bone. This anchoring process stops the soft tissues from sagging and helps lower the risk of unsightly scar displacement. The excess tissue can also be used to augment the shape of the buttocks.

Lateral Buttock Lift
The lateral buttock lift is an ideal technique for patients who present buttock deformity that affects both the hips and the sides. The patient’s posterior sagginess should be moderate.

Butterfly Buttock Lift
Patients who present only mild to moderate sagging in the central area of the buttocks are ideal candidates for the butterfly lift technique. The butterfly technique is only intended for patients with less severe sagging since it does not lift the inferior gluteal crease (the fold at which the buttocks meet the thigh) in a significant way and primarily works to improve more superficial laxity.

Lower Buttock Lift
We recommend the lower buttock lift for patients who suffer from sagging skin beneath the lower fold of their buttocks (the infragluteal fold). This technique creates a new, more aesthetically pleasing fold in order to resolve dropping skin and the presence of a double skin fold (the “banana roll”) beneath the buttocks.Common Butt Lift FactorsPlease note that scarring will result following a butt lift. We work to minimize scar width and strategically hide the marks by always anchoring excess tissue to the back or hipbone. This approach not only helps create the best possible scar, but also leads to long lasting results.

If a fuller buttock is desired, augmentation may be performed at the same time. Fat transfer or implants may be used.