Do you feel your bottom looks flat from the side? Do you wish your bum filled out clothing better?
Lots of women find their buttocks lose volume and become flatter as they age. In this article, we look at the reasons for a flat backside and lay out four solutions for you to consider…
What causes a flat butt?
The most likely cause of your flat buttocks is a combination of genetics and ageing. Your genes dictate the general shape of your bottom, while your age influences how much fat is stored there. During childbearing years, estrogen causes women to collect fat in the hips, buttocks and thighs. However, hormonal changes that occur as you age result in fat being shifted from the back to the front (maybe you also have a rounder tummy than you used to?).
Lifestyle factors can also contribute to a flat bottom, including sedentary jobs or activities that require you to sit for extended periods. Prolonged sitting can result in the gluteus maximus muscle becoming weak and shrinking in size. In addition to giving you a poorly-defined butt, weak glutes can also cause back, hip and knee pain.
What can you do about a flat bottom?
Shapely buttocks have become very desirable for women in the last few years, which may make you want to add shape to your derriere. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to improve your silhouette.
Exercise
First and foremost, you can improve the appearance of your buttocks through building muscle. Strong gluteal muscles will add considerable shape to your rear and will also help you develop better posture, increase mobility, and avoid injury.
There are lots of exercises that you can do to get a more rounded, perky butt, like lunges, squats and leg lifts. You can also target your glutes through walking - especially uphill. Exercising regularly will absolutely have an impact on your bum, but while you can shape muscle through exercise, you cannot shape fat. Where extra volume is required, you’ll need to consider a surgical option.
CoolTone
If your main issue is lack of muscle definition in your buttocks, you can boost the results of your exercise with a new device to tone muscles called CoolTone. It uses Magnetic Muscle Stimulation (MMS) technology to penetrate below the fat layer, strengthening, toning, and firming the muscles beneath.
CoolTone can also be combined with Coolsculpting, which is another non-surgical technology for fat reduction. Fat can be precisely targeted in order to sculpt and shape around the bottom and make it appear more pert.
Fat transfer
When you have strong gluteal muscles but not enough fat on top, fat transfer to the buttocks can be a great solution. Also known as a Brazilian Butt Lift (or BBL), this procedure involves taking fat from a donor site/s and meticulously grafting it into place in the buttocks, where it becomes permanent.
The fat is removed via liposuction and can be taken from anywhere on the body there is an excess, so it’s like two surgeries in one. The surgeon will aim to remove fat from the waist and flanks (i.e your love handles and muffin tops) in order to sculpt around the buttocks and give the illusion of a more accentuated backside.
In the photo above, the patient (a 55-year-old female) had liposuction in the abdomen, hips, flanks and back, with the fat transferred to her buttocks. There is no visible scarring with this procedure, since the lipo only requires tiny incisions.
Gluteal implants
If you are very slim, with little fat available for transfer to the buttocks - or you desire a more accentuated lift - you can choose to have gluteal implants. Silicone implants are inserted through an incision placed in the middle fold of the buttocks, leaving a single scar between 5-6 cms long.
There are different sizes, shapes and projections of butt implants, which your surgeon will help you select depending on your anatomy and aesthetic goals. Liposuction will be used to sculpt around the buttocks to achieve more prominence and definition. Meanwhile, the fat that’s been removed will be used to smooth over the implant and add further shape.
In the photo above, the patient has undergone gluteoplasty with 270cc anatomical gluteal implants. The implants are made from high resistant silicone that does not rupture, and placed under the great gluteal muscle, meaning they are not detectable under the skin.
Want a rounder, perkier bottom? Contact Ocean Clinic for a consultation or
check out more before & after photos of buttock augmentation
