Are buttock implants dangerous?

Buttock implants is an operation that started to be popular in the 1980s in South America and then gradually came to Europe. Nowadays, the larger, shapelier derriere is increasingly popular on social media and in celebrity culture, which could be down to the Kardashian-effect. But it begs the question for those who want to enhance their bottom with surgical help; is it really safe to insert silicone into your butt muscles?

Plastic surgeon Dr Gary Horn performed his first case of buttock implants 21 years ago and believes that there's been a learning curve with buttock implants. Here, he shares his expert opinion on how to ensure successful implant surgery.
 

What makes for successful buttock implant surgery?

The first thing is that the surgeon needs to have good experience. Secondly, I would say that the size of your implants matter. The patient has to understand that we put the implant inside a muscle and if it’s too big, it’s not going to work. It really has to be smaller than the size of the muscle itself. Finally, for a safe and successful butt implant procedure, I would say that post-operation there are some really important instructions that you need to follow. You really need to rest for about three weeks and come back for the different check-ups that you will have. The immediate aftercare may be as important as the surgery itself.
 

How long do buttock implants last for?

Buttock implants, just like any other body implants, have a life expectancy. It’s probably 15 years, but we're not sure about this and because it’s unpredictable the best thing to do is to come back once a year for an annual check-up. If they're fine, you would just keep them. Personally, I have experience with about 200 patients and most of them actually kept their implants for minimum 10 years.
 

Are buttock implants worth it?

I would say that buttock implants are still a very good operation when you want to reshape the buttocks. In the right hands, it can give you a very natural result and I’ve seen it make a lot of patients very happy.
 

What happens if I have my butt implants removed?

If one day you decide to have the butt implants removed, it's actually not going to be very bad. You would just come back to how they looked like before. It won't be flatter than what you had before the surgery.


Do not hesitate to book a first consultation with Dr Horn if you would like to discuss having buttock implants.