Weight loss empties the buttock. The fat that gave it projection goes, the skin that held it does not recover, and the result is a buttock that is flat, sagging and sits lower than it did — often with loose skin above it at the lower back.
The correction is a lift, and where projection also needs restoring, it can be done with your own tissue rather than an implant.
The two components
| Problem | What addresses it |
|---|---|
| The buttock has descended; loose skin above it | A lift — skin excised at the upper buttock, the tissue resuspended |
| The buttock has lost projection and looks flat | Auto-augmentation — tissue that would be discarded is kept and turned under to rebuild fullness |
Most patients after major weight loss have both, which is why the two are usually done together in the one operation.
Auto-augmentation, in plain terms
In a lower body lift, a band of skin and fat is removed from around the trunk. Rather than discarding the portion over the buttock, it can be de-epithelialised, folded under and secured to give projection. It is your own tissue, in one piece, on its own blood supply.
It has real limits: how much projection can be achieved depends entirely on how much tissue you have there to work with, and some settling is expected as it heals. It is not a way of producing a larger buttock — it is a way of restoring shape while removing the excess.
Why it is part of a body lift
The buttock is rarely a problem in isolation after weight loss. The skin excess runs continuously from the abdomen around the flanks to the buttocks and outer thighs, so the buttock is corrected as part of that circumferential operation rather than on its own. Lower body lift.
The scar sits in the same place — a band around the trunk, positioned under a waistband.
What about fat transfer?
Fat grafting to the buttock is a different procedure with a different risk profile, and Dr Kumar’s practice does not offer it. Auto-augmentation during a body lift is a different operation: the tissue stays attached and is repositioned rather than harvested and injected.
If restoring projection is your priority, that distinction is worth raising directly at your consultation.
Recovery
As for a lower body lift: two weeks off work, a gradual return over the following four weeks, full clearance at around twelve. Drains are used and a compression garment is worn for six weeks.
The specific point here is sitting. You will be advised how and how long to limit direct pressure on the buttocks, which affects work, driving and travel more than most people expect. The week-by-week timeline.
Medicare
Where the operation is a circumferential excision after weight loss, item 30179 applies. Where a smaller non-abdominal excision is performed, item 30169. Auto-augmentation performed for shape is part of the operation rather than a separately rebated item. The criteria.
Common questions
Will it make my buttocks bigger? No. It restores shape using what is there.
Will it last? Repositioned tissue responds to gravity and weight change as any tissue does. Further substantial weight loss is what most often undoes it.
Can it be done alone? Rarely sensible — the excess is continuous around the trunk.
Are implants an option? Not in this practice for this indication.
Am I a candidate? It depends how much tissue remains, which needs examination. You can send photos first.
Next step
Bring a GP referral — it is required to see Dr Kumar — and ask for a plan covering the whole trunk. He operates at Westmead Private Hospital. Call 1300 267 726. More about body contouring after weight loss, and timing at My Weight Loss Journey.
The initial consultation with Dr Kumar is $400, with a Medicare rebate of approximately $88 where you have a GP referral. Surgical fees are quoted individually after your consultation, in a written itemised quote.
All surgery carries risks, and individual results will vary. Read more about the risks of surgery here. A GP referral is required to see Dr Kumar.
Dr Rohit Kumar (MED0001630444) Registered medical practitioner, specialist plastic surgeon (specialist registration in surgery – plastic surgery).
