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What is actually inside butt injects and implants?

Dr Schulman: Buttock implants are made of solid silicone. They cannot break or leak and there is no risk for allergic reaction to the implant. Buttock injections should consist of your own purified fat that was harvested from you during a liposuction procedure. Despite what some physicians think, this fat survives very poorly outside the body, so your fat should be reinjected into you immediately, and not stored in a freezer for future injections.

Dr. McKnight-Baron: The patient’s pure fat when used after liposuction. Gluteal implants contain a more form stable silicone gel than what is found in breast implants. When silicone is safely contained within an implant shell as in breast, gluteal, or calf implants it is safe to use. Other substances that are not yet FDA approved for use in the United States include free liquid silicone, hydrogel, polymers, PMMA, etc.

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What makes silicone and other street injections so dangerous?

Dr. McKnight-Baron: Free or liquid silicone is dangerous because it can migrate throughout the tissue in which it is injected and cause open wounds, nerve damage, infection and pain. When not covered with a capsule, it stimulates the body to form a foreign body reaction to it, which can also lead scar formation around the material. This phenomenon can cause intense hardening of the soft tissues along with painful deformities and disfiguring abscesses. Street injectors are dangerous because they often do not know the composition of and are not concerned about the safety of materials they are injecting (i.e. Fix-a-flat, rubber cement). They also do not know how to practice appropriate sterile technique to avoid infection. Those that are not appropriately trained also have inadequate knowledge of human anatomy and therefore don’t know how to avoid important structures in order to prevent injury.

How do the buttocks feel after surgery?

Dr. McKnight-Baron: One should wait around 3-6 months for all postsurgical swelling to go down before assessing their final result. After this period the buttocks should be soft and supple, and occasionally a little firmer following fat injections and gluteal implants. In some instances a patient can develop a capsular contracture with gluteal implants which leads to a hardened feel of the area around the implant oftentimes with a visual deformity.

What alarming signs should a patient be looking for post-surgery?

Dr Salzhaeur: Alarming signs after surgery include, fever, redness, warmth indicating potential infection. Pain in the calf or leg may indicate a deep vein thrombosis. These blood clots can dislodge and cause pulmonary embolus which can be life threatening. Any difficulty breathing, chest pain or other serious signs and symptoms should be reported to your surgeon immediately and activate emergency medical services if needed.

Are there any other approved methods (outside of exercise) that  can produce the same results?

Dr Schulman: Unfortunately exercises such as lunges and squats will never give the appearance of an enlarged booty. Yes, you can build up the gluteus muscle, but the muscle only makes up a small portion of the buttock and the majority of the buttock volume is fat.  Lunges and squats may round your butt slightly but will never significantly increase the overall volume.

Dr Salzhaeur: No.

Dr. McKnight-Baron: Being cornbread fed!…I jest. Genetics play a huge role in fat distribution and body shape. Most African-American and some Latino women are blessed with curvier derrières than women of other ethnicities. Good old exercise is the only tried and true natural way to shape, tone and lift your way to a more attractive behind, aside from being born with a predisposition to a curvy backside.

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Butt Injections Can Kill: Everything You Need To Know Before Committing To The Procedure  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com

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