Buttock lift at Tees Hospital

What is a buttock lift?

A buttock lift, also called a butt lift, bum lift or gluteal lift, reshapes your buttocks by taking away excess skin and fat, so tone and firmness improve. Unlike other buttock procedures, it isn't designed to add volume or make your buttocks bigger.

What conditions can a buttock lift treat?

A buttock lift addresses sagging, loose or dimpled skin, most often caused by:

• ageing, which gradually breaks down the elastin and collagen that keep skin firm
• dramatic weight loss, including after weight loss surgery
• pregnancy
• genetics
• sun damage.

These factors can leave the buttocks looking unbalanced, saggy or 'square' in shape, sometimes with loose skin that causes discomfort or affects how you move.

What are the benefits of a buttock lift?

A buttock lift takes away excess skin and tissue, smoothing sagging skin into a firmer, more toned contour. Tightening loose or uncomfortable tissue can also make moving, standing and sitting more comfortable, and the surgery can even out any drooping or unevenness left behind by an injury or a previous operation.

You'll usually notice some change straight after surgery, though the full effect takes around three to six months to settle, and it can be as long as two years before scarring has faded as much as it's going to.

Results tend to last for as long as you maintain a stable body weight.

Are there different types of buttock lift?

There are four main surgical techniques, and your surgeon will recommend one based on how much excess skin you have and the result you want:

• upper buttock lift: a cut running horizontally across the upper buttock area removes excess tissue and lifts the skin; this gives the strongest lift but the longest scar
• lower buttock lift: a cut in the natural crease under the buttocks removes tissue from the lower area, with a scar that tends to be easier to hide
• butterfly buttock lift: a cut starting at the central crease and fanning outwards and upwards, named for its resemblance to a butterfly's wings; effective for tightening skin, though less effective at lifting and toning the whole shape
• lateral buttock lift: a cut running along each buttock’s outer edge, suited to moderate sagging where there isn’t a large amount of excess skin or fat to remove, leaving only minimal scarring.

Liposuction is sometimes added into a buttock lift too, clearing excess fat and loosening the skin beforehand, and the operation is often paired with a tummy tuck or a leg-lifting procedure so the whole mid-section is reshaped together.

What happens before a buttock lift?

You'll usually have one or two consultations with your surgeon beforehand to discuss your goals, undergo a general health check, and have measurements and photographs taken. In the run-up to surgery, you'll typically be asked to:

• complete pre-operative paperwork covering your medical and psychological history
• stop smoking or vaping for 6 weeks beforehand
• cut down on alcohol
• in the week before surgery, avoid herbal supplements and anti-inflammatory painkillers, including aspirin and ibuprofen, since these raise your bleeding risk
• sort out a lift home with someone who can also stay overnight with you.

For the 6 hours leading up to your arrival, solid food, juice and milk are off the menu, although small sips of clear fluids remain fine right up until 2 hours before you're due in.

What happens during a buttock lift?

1. You'll arrive at the clinic around an hour before surgery to ask any final questions and have the treatment area marked.
2. You're given a general anaesthetic, so you're fully asleep throughout, and you may also be given an antibiotic to help prevent infection.
3. Your surgeon removes excess skin and tissue through a cut, positioned according to the technique being used.
4. Your buttocks are lifted and repositioned, then the cut is closed with stitches, tape or a similar material and covered with a dressing.
5. Small drainage tubes may be left under your skin for a short time afterwards, to carry away any excess blood and fluid.
6. The procedure usually takes 1 to 2 hours in total, running longer if additional surgery is being carried out at the same time.
7. You're then moved to a recovery area to come round from the anaesthetic, where a nurse keeps a close watch on your blood pressure, pulse and temperature as you wake.

What does recovery look like?

Once you're awake and comfortable, you'll be given something to eat and drink and shown how to care for your compression garment and any medication, before being discharged into the care of whoever is taking you home. Length of hospital stay depends on the extent of your surgery. You may stay one to two nights.

The first few days can be a little uncomfortable, and pain relief will be provided if you need it. Most people are walking about again within a day, with a normal bath or shower usually possible from around day 3 onwards.

• a supportive compression garment helps limit swelling and holds your buttocks in place while they heal
• sleep on your front, avoiding sleeping on your back for the first 2 to 3 weeks
• avoid sitting for long periods, or use a cushion to take pressure off your buttocks, for 2 weeks
• avoid sport and strenuous exercise for 4 weeks, then reintroduce activity gradually, with contact sports and weightlifting possible from 6 to 8 weeks.

You'll usually have a follow-up appointment with a nurse after 1 week to check your incisions are healing well, and with your surgeon after 6 weeks to check your progress and discuss your results. Most people take 1 to 2 weeks off work, while full recovery takes 6 to 8 weeks.

What are the risks and complications?

Possible risks and complications of a buttock lift include:

• haematoma (a build-up of blood under the skin)
• seroma (a fluid-filled lump under the skin)
• poor wound healing or infection
• uneven results, with one side looking different in size or position from the other
• chronic pain
• numbness
• scarring
• swelling that doesn't settle.

As with any surgery, there's also a small risk of excessive bleeding, an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic used, an infection where the cuts were made, or a blood clot forming in a vein (deep vein thrombosis).

A buttock lift may not be right for you if you're managing a serious ongoing illness, such as a heart condition or poorly controlled diabetes, are hoping to lose a substantial amount of weight in future, have a BMI above 32, currently smoke, or have a mental health condition that isn't yet stable.

Get in touch with your surgeon without delay if your heart rate changes noticeably, you develop chest pain, bleeding or swelling becomes heavy, pain is severe or won't ease off, you run a fever, or you become short of breath.