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Health Sense: Enhancing the derriere: How to get a gorgeous Brazilian butt
Marco Faria-Correa | Wed, 10/08/2008 10:35 AM | Health
Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot may have been the bombshells in the past, known for their voluptuous figures and sex appeal. But it has been J.Lo and Beyonce who have started a real craze in recent times.
What do J.Lo and Beyonce have in common? They have both grabbed headlines for their bodacious backsides that have sent women flocking to cosmetic surgeons to have their derrieres enhanced.
In Britain, it has been reported that the demand for buttock enhancement has increased tenfold over the past four years and on the other side of the Atlantic, The American Society for Plastic Surgery has reported a fivefold increase in the past three years.
The popularity of the "butt lift" is not just a fashion fad. Experts say there are strong reasons why people everywhere are wild about beautiful rears on females and the very feminine inward sweep of the lower back, hips, and waist.
In Brazil, with its sunny weather and postcard-perfect beaches, the attraction of shapely, female buttocks is nothing new.
Women from all over the world used to fly to Brazil to seek the help of Brazil's renowned cosmetic surgeon, Marco Faria-Correa. But since he moved to Singapore a few years ago, the journey to getting a Brazilian butt is just a stone's throw away.
Faria-Correa says the buttocks are one of the most attractive parts of the anatomy -- for both men and women -- as their appearance sends clues to others about one's lifestyle, age and fitness level.
He says butt enhancements are not just about achieving a big behind; rather, augmentation procedures enhances the size and shape of a patient's buttocks to better fit his or her figure.
Although implants used to be the most popular buttock-enhancement procedure, fat transfer has become the method of choice for many patients.
"These days, for every 10 cases I get of gluteal augmentation with fat injection, I'll get only one case of silicon implants," says Faria-Correa.
The three most popular methods to enlarge the buttocks are: 1. Bodysculpting with liposuction and fat transfers (Brazilian butt lift). 2. Implants. 3. Surgical lift.
For a Brazilian butt lift, fat from selected areas of the body are removed and selected donor fat cells are later injected into the buttocks. The procedure is designed to fill the upper quadrant of the buttocks so that it appears lifted, perky and sensuous.
"A patient might not need to fat injections at all," Faria-Correa says. "She might just have a square appearance because she has big hips and big outer thighs. So, by removing some of the fat (through liposuction), we can achieve a nice shape."
In the weeks and months following the procedures, about 30 to 40 percent of the fat that has been injected into the buttocks will be reabsorbed.
Implants are an option for those patients who wish for a more pronounced bottom but do not have enough fat on their body for the Brazilian butt lift procedure.
"There are some cases where the butt is so flat that we use a silicone implant", Faria-Correa says. "There are actually two types of these implants. The first kind is a non-gel implant, which is solid, but soft. The other variety is a bag with gel inside, which is similar to a breast implant in form and function. This one, in my opinion, is nicer, and in Brazil we use this one more."
He adds that different shapes (round and oval) and textured or non-textured options give surgeons the ability to customize the procedure for each individual patient.
"There are three locations into which you can insert the implant," Faria-Correa explains. "The first is under the muscle, which is a technique that has been used ever since the 70s. The second is inside the gluteous muscles and the third is under the muscle fasia."
A surgical lift procedure is almost like a tummy tuck, Faria-Correa says, but it is for the backside. A slit is made around the upper contour of the buttocks and across the lower back. A slice of flabby skin is removed, and the edges are stitched together to give a tighter, lifted result.
A separate surgical procedure involves cutting and stitching of the sub-gluteal region -- that is, those folds of flabby skin directly under the buttocks.
While these techniques may be effective, Faria-Correa says there are drawbacks. "The scars after these (surgical lift) procedures can be quite visible.
"But of course, if you are interested in a cosmetically pleasing, beautiful outcome, you must be able to hide the scars. The scar will always be there, but you just don't want to show it, if possible."
Just like any other surgeries, there are possible side effects for buttock augmentation. The most common is swelling of the are for two to three months. Infections are rare.
"But patients don't usually complain about the pain," Fari-Correa says. "They love to see that their buttocks are up and full."
Articles in this column, which will appear every two weeks, are provided by a panel of doctors from www.flyfreeforhealth.com, a leading multimedia medical tourism platform dedicated to providing adopters of a healthy lifestyle with travel and lifestyle incentives. Email us at info@flyfreeforhealth.com.
