Forget the face lift. The latest cosmetic surgery craze is the bum lift.
Miami-based surgeon Dr Constantino Mendieta told a conference in London this week there was a steady rise in the number of women who craved curvier bottoms, the UK's Daily Mailreported.
The "Miami Thong Lift" procedure, which was presented at the conference of British Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), uses grafts of fat liposuctioned from the thighs or stomach. The fat is purified and, unlike other cosmetic surgery methods, is injected into the layers of muscle of the buttocks.
This allows the shape of the muscles to change from flat to curvy and high and because the fat belongs to the patient there is no risk of rejection.
The injected fat contains stem cells that can turn into new tissue, meaning that the fat transfer can create new collagen, which will also improve the skin's texture and thickness.
The procedure takes several hours and can be done under a local anaesthetic.
The incision scars left behind by the procedure are hidden "in the grand canyon" Dr Mendieta said, which is how the procedure gained its name.
However, not all surgeons are encouraging the procedure. British plastic surgeon and president of the BAAPS, Dr Rajiv Grover, said these types of procedures can pose a risk.
"It needs to be done by a very experienced surgeon, in a hospital, in sterile conditions with good aftercare," Dr Grover said. "If you get an infection it could cause a very large abscess."
He also said that fat transfer is never 100 percent predictable and some transferred fat will die.
"Fat transfer is most successful when used in small quantities, as it needs to be surrounded by healthy tissue so it develops its own blood supply. Without that it will die and be re-absorbed by the body," he said.
"If this happens unevenly, you could end up with one buttock larger than the other. There will also be bruising and swelling that can last for months. You will have serious hips for some time after the procedure."
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