Dr. Katzen and Ariel: Posterior Buttock Lifts

Ariel: Hello, and welcome to another episode of Plastic Surgery: 90210. My name is Ariel, and we're here with Dr. Katzen. Hi, Dr. Katzen.

Dr. Katzen: Hi, Ariel.

Ariel: How are you doing today?

Dr. Katzen: Good, and yourself?

Ariel: Good, thank you. So today, we're going to discuss posterior buttock lifts, also known as butt lifts.

Dr. Katzen: Butt lifts. Yes.

Ariel: Can you tell us a little bit about those things?

Dr. Katzen: Yes. A posterior buttock lift is a surgery procedure to lift the buttock, as its name would imply. And the best way to lift the buttock is with an incision above the buttock. This incision lifts the buttock. There are a couple of ways you can lift the buttock without an incision. And that is the BBL or Brazilian butt lift. I take fat from the tummy, hips, or any place with good fat during a bbl. I take healthy good fat and inject it into the buttock, and by adding volume to it, it does lift the buttock. But today, we're going to discuss the incision we do to lift the buttock.

Ariel: Okay. And when would you usually be performing this procedure?

Dr. Katzen: Yes. Typically, buttock lifts are done for patients that have lost a lot of weight, the buttock is sagging, and the buttock has lost volume. Hanging buttocks and skin does not just happen without loss. A sagging buttock can occur from natural age or genetics. Many People seek a buttock lift because they don't like the appearance of the buttock.

Ariel: This can also be done when you lift your body, right?

Dr. Katzen: Yes. The posterior buttock or buttock lift is the backside of the 360 circumferential lower body lift. The 360 body lift goes all the way around your body; Some people call it a belt abdominoplasty because it's like a belt--IT goes from front to back. So really, the back side of the belt is this posterior buttock lift.

Ariel: Okay. And what would the top benefits of getting this buttock lift be?

Dr. Katzen: Yes. With the buttock lift, I make an incision across the top, dissect down, and lift the buttock. The benefits would be getting rid of many wrinkles or cellulite on the buttock. Also, I lift the buttock and give the buttock a better shape. Shape-wise and volume-wise, I can also reduce the size of the buttock and Make the buttock more proportioned to the rest of the body.

Ariel: And if people want to keep BUTTOCK volume, how would you approach that differently?

Dr. Katzen: Yes. When I approach the buttock, I approach the buttock in a stair-step fashion. First, I ask the patient exactly what their goal is for the buttock shape. Are they looking for a bigger or smaller buttock? Are You Looking To Get Rid of the Skin or lift the buttock skin for a better shape? If the patient has slight skin laxity and a moderate amount of fat and wants a bigger lifted buttock, we can get by with a Brazilian buttock lift. However, if the patient says, "Not really. I want my buttocks smaller, or I'm okay with the size of the buttock,". Then, I am planning to make an incision. So if patients are okay with the size of their buttocks and want to keep the same size, then I'm just going to remove the skin. Usually, I make an incision across the top of the buttock, dissect down, and Remove skin from the buttock. On the other hand, suppose patients are unhappy with the buttock size and want the fat removed. Then I'm going to make an incision and remove buttock skin and fat, raising the buttock.

Ariel: And what's your more common procedure?

Dr. Katzen: Yes, Because I deal with many weight loss patients. The most common procedure I remove is removing skin and fat. However, a subset of my patients (maybe about 20 percent of my practice) has lost the fat in their buttocks because of age and genetics. Therefore, I perform a buttock lift.

Ariel: Okay. And are they usually pleased with the results?

Dr. Katzen: Yes. Most of my patients are extremely happy with the buttock's appearance and shape, and they can finally get their buttocks raised and more firm. Finally, these patients wear clothes, jeans, and dresses. So now they can fill out their clothes, and you can see their buttock under them.

Ariel: People comment on our Instagram about seeing patients before losing 100 pounds, saying, "Oh, it doesn't look like they need surgery, but when we see results, they say, “Oh, I see why. So it makes a difference,” It's not up to anyone to judge people who get these surgeries.

Dr. Katzen: Yes. If you're going to have plastic surgery, do it for yourself. Should you not do it for anybody else? Regardless of what other people or your family say, you often do it just for yourself. Often, the patient is face down when you see these pictures of me in the operating room performing procedures. Often, you don't see what the patient looks like when standing up, which is an entirely different picture. In the operating room, when you see me, you'll see the pictures of them standing up on our big screen TV,

Ariel: Gravity makes a difference.

Dr. Katzen: Gravity makes a huge difference. Absolutely.

Ariel: Yes. All right, cool. So let's talk about recovering from a posterior buttock lift.

Dr. Katzen: Yes. The poster buttock lift, as the name poster buttock lift implies, it's an incision across Any type of incision. You don't want much tension or strain on the incision link. To minimize the tension or the strain of that incision, I want your back nice and straight. You can either stand up or lie down to keep the back nice and straight. However, I do not want you sitting like, you and I are sitting right now because that would put too much tension on the incision. So we do the incision; the patient is face down and does the incision across the buttock and then during recovery. I want them on their tummy. No sitting for two or three weeks. No bending at the waist, exercise, or sit-ups for at least two or three months.

Ariel: Okay. And do you recommend that patients recovering have a nurse with them?

Dr. Katzen: Yes, or any family member or friend.

Ariel: Caretaker of some sort.

Dr. Katzen: Your caretaker, Does not necessarily need to be a doctor, plastic surgeon, nurse, or an LPN. Your caretaker should be somebody who can help you with food and water, get to the bathroom, Change your dressings and drains, and get you to and from my office.

Ariel: Okay. And how many times do patients usually see you after surgery?

Dr. Katzen: Yes. It depends on the nature of the surgery, but you'll see me at least a couple of times. Usually, My team and I will see you at least a couple of times afterward to make sure everything is healing.

Ariel: And you have a lot of patients who travel out of state and internationally. How long do you recommend they stay?

Dr. Katzen: Typically, I want you in Los Angeles for about two weeks for my out-of-state patients. So you come in, I Perform the posterior buttock lift, and follow up with you multiple times. Ideally, we get the drains out before you go back home, and then you can go back home if you are coming to Los Angeles from overseas. So typically, I would like you to spend three weeks in LA. Usually, Three weeks is enough time to heal up, get the drains out, and sit for that long flight.

Ariel: Okay. About two weeks?

Dr. Katzen: Domestic for patients within the US for two weeks. Three weeks for international people.

Ariel: Okay, great. And what can the buttock lift be combined with?

Dr. Katzen: During the buttock lift, I can extend around the hips to lift and Reduce the hips. I can extend the incision to incorporate the tummy, a 360 body lift. You can do the posterior buttock lift with a thigh lift, breast augmentation, breast reduction, facelift, and arms. The only thing I wouldn't combine with the posterior buttock lift is the upper back lift (bra strap lift, braplasty) or horizontal torsoplasty. Because The tors are pulling the same way, I am pulling the buttock up and the upper back down.

Ariel: Okay. And what about insurance coverage?

Dr. Katzen: It's challenging, but sometimes the buttock lift is covered by insurance. It depends on the quality of your insurance. The best insurance you can purchase, the quality of the letter your plastic surgeon sends to the insurance company, the nature of your anatomy, corresponding unfortunate rashes and skin problems, and difficulties sitting. You should mention all those problems (if you have them) to your doctor. The complaints should be incorporated into the letter sent to the insurance company.

Ariel: Okay. Great. And let's also talk because you also do silicone injection removal open technique, which is also a posterior buttock lift of a different story. Right?

Dr. Katzen: It's the same approach. The approach is the same whether it's a posterior body lift or a cosmetic buttock lift. For patients who have had silicone injected into the buttock, whether it's into the buttock fat or the buttock muscle, the approach is. It is the same: I make that incision, and I dissect down and pull that area out.

Ariel: Okay, great. So we talked about posterior buttock lifts, also known as butt lifts, and a little bit about BBLs and silicone injection removal open technique.

Dr. Katzen: Yes, We did.

Ariel: Do you have anything else to say about this topic?

Dr. Katzen: Yes, the recovery usually is about two or three weeks if you have a sitting job. Suppose you have a physically active job for about three or four weeks. You'll have a drain on each buttock. The Buttock drain comes from underneath the buttock. To minimize post-pain, you will also have a pain pump. Typically, drains and the pain pump last a week to 10 days. You will take pain medication for a couple of weeks. The scars usually fade over several months.

Ariel: Okay. Great. Awesome. So if you guys have any questions about buttock lifts or anything else. Please DM us at @drkatzenmd on Instagram or call the office. AT (310) 859.7770

Ariel: All right. Thank you, Dr. Katzen. I will see you next week.

Dr. Katzen: Thanks, Ariel. I'll see you next week.

Ariel: Bye-bye.

Dr. Katzen: Bye-bye.

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