She has the most famous and photographed butt in the world. Her butt has also changed the way many women think about their butts. Photoshop and surgical manipulations aside, what are we to make of this? Back in the 80s and 90s, when a more Caucasian aesthetic seemed to be in vogue, boobs were it. Pornography was becoming more and more prevalent, and women wanted cartoon boobs. Unfortunately, many plastic surgeons played into this fetish with disastrous results. Placing implants that were too big destroyed the breasts, thinning out skin, subcutaneous tissue (fat) and even denting in the rib cage. Going big was bad, and surgery begat more surgery in the form of revision after revision. For the unscrupulous surgeon, this was a potential boon. All you needed was advertising hyperbole about your expertise in “breast revision surgery.” For the patient, it became a curse and a beast of burden. I now feel that the current fixation with cartoonish and bulbous butts will suffer the same fate with the passage of time.
Just like the breast, if you violate God-given anatomical boundaries and body proportion, there will be a price to pay. Just recently a surgical colleague had to correct a poor patient who had fallen victim to a self-proclaimed buttock implant guru (who also happened to be board certified plastic surgeon). His victim was less than 5’0 and weighed less than 110 lbs. He put in an enormous implant that eventually eroded through her skin requiring removal and a subsequent buttock lift procedure. Similarly, aggressive liposuction and fat grafting of the buttocks is a mixed bag. First of all, over filling the buttocks with fat creates undue hydrostatic pressure and lessens the likelihood of fat survival. Secondly, much like an inappropriately large implant, too much fat will eventually exert pressure on the skin and soft tissue envelope. With age, there is increased skin laxity and weight gain, increasing the probability of your bulbous new butt sagging and looking potentially worse than if you had left it be. You could end up with a big, saggy grandma butt.
At the end of the day, conservative plastic surgery will buy you durable results. Liposuction and fat grafting of the buttocks can improve the silhouette and contour of a woman’s body especially when performed in conjunction with a tummy tuck. Forget about Kim Kardashian and her cartoon butt.
Stick to embellishing or improving what God gave you (if necessary).
Dr. Andrew Gear is a Plastic Surgeon in Charlotte, NC specializing in breast augmentation, breast reduction, brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck, face enhancements, and liposuction. His practice Providence Plastic Surgery is a boutique Charlotte cosmetic surgery clinic with leading Charlotte plastic surgeon, Dr. Andrew Gear.
Our Charlotte plastics office is a Charlotte area plastic surgery facility specializing in breast augmentation, breast reduction, brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck, face enhancements, and liposuction in the South Charlotte area. Delivering premium natural plastic surgery and natural cosmetic surgery services to clients in Charlotte, Ballantyne, Matthews, Pineville, Waxhaw, and all of North Carolina and South Carolina.
