“The hip bone connected to the thigh bone . . .” That old spiritual, Dem Bones, said it all. And, as it turns out, it explained why so many women have what we sometimes refer to as hip dips. Even if you’ve never heard that term, you know what it means – those gentle inward curves found below the hips and above the outer thighs.
Especially if you’re slender, you may notice this at a young age, explains Dr. Elizabeth Hernandez, because it is part of your genetic build. However, many women notice that the subtle dip becomes more pronounced as they age. As a result of changes in our tissues due to aging and changes in weight, the fat and muscle sinks-in in this area.
Hip dips reflect the shape of your skeleton underneath. You cannot exercise them away. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take action to smooth away those indentations. At Eterna Cosmetic Surgery, we offer three options for hip augmentation – fat transfer, or Renuva or Bellafill injections.
Re-Contouring to Erase Hip Dips
The most long-lasting options to correct hip dips are fat transfer or Renuva adipose matrix, though all three options can add volume to the sunken-in areas and can create the same look. However, the cost varies.
- Fat transfer. In general fat transfer is the most cost effective for patients that have more severe dips and need more volume in these areas. For this procedure, Dr. Hernandez usually harvests fat from the abdomen, waist or flanks. Fat transfer takes approximately 2 to 3 hours depending on how many liposuction areas are needed.
- Renuva Adipose Matrix. This is an off-the-shelf injectable option that can be the most cost effective option if you have more subtle hip dips or you don’t have excess fat in other areas or you prefer not to undergo liposuction to harvest fat from other body areas. Choosing Renuva allows you to skip liposuction and required downtime for recovery.
- Bellafill. This is another option to add volume to the hips, for patients who prefer to use their own fat for fat transfer rather than using Renuva Adipose Matrix. (Some patients are reluctant to use Renuva because it is derived from donated human fat.) However, hip augmentation with Bellafill is the least cost effective option because more product is needed to achieve similar results.
Adding Extra Oomph to Your Hips
Hip augmentation is gaining attention because the Brazilian Butt Lift is so well-known and has popularized having an ultra-curvy figure below the waist. Dr. Hernandez says that patients who are interested in getting a Brazilian Butt Lift (which is fat transfer to the buttocks) are often also interested in correcting hip dips. She can do both procedures during the same session.
She notes that patients who have undergone buttock augmentation with fat transfer or buttock lift can develop hip dips as they age. In this case she can restore smooth contouring using hip augmentation with fat transfer, Renuva or Bellafill. In addition, patients who undergo gluteoplasty (a surgical buttock lift) can also undergo hip augmentation or buttock augmentation to add volume once they are healed from surgery.
Because there is so much interest, she regularly brings up the option of hip augmentation during patient consultations about buttock augmentation options such as Brazilian Butt Lift, Renuva or Bellafill treatments.
Transgender patients who desire more obviously rounded hips can also benefit from hip augmentation with fat transfer, Renuva or Bellafill (if you prefer collagen).
To learn more about hip augmentation, simply schedule your own personal consultation with Dr. Hernandez.
