Service
Buttock augmentation
The buttocks are enlarged in two ways: with an implant or with your own fatty tissue (fat transfer), and most often with a combination of both. An implant gives projection and firmness, fatty tissue gives soft transitions and contour. Which way is right for you depends on how much volume you want and how much fatty tissue you have.
What concerns does it address?
Who is it for?
Women and men who want a fuller profile of the buttocks and a clearer transition from the back to the buttocks, and who do not achieve this with exercise — because the shape of the buttocks is determined by the structure of bone and muscle and the distribution of fatty tissue, not only by training. If you have little fatty tissue, you get volume with an implant; if you have a moderate amount, with fat transfer; a combination gives the most when you want both projection and a smooth contour.
Implant or your own fatty tissue?
Augmentation with an implant
The implant is placed through an incision of about six centimetres in the cleft between the buttocks, where it is not visible later, and under the gluteus maximus muscle — this makes the upper part of the buttock fuller, and the edge of the implant can neither be seen nor felt. We use oval implants of different volumes, with a firmer gel than for breasts, because an implant in the buttock bears the load of sitting and movement. The operation is done under general anaesthesia, lying on your front.
Augmentation with your own fatty tissue (fat transfer)
Fatty tissue is taken by liposuction from the abdomen, flanks or thighs — which also shapes the waist — processed and injected into the buttocks, in the superficial layers. There is no foreign material, people around you do not see that anything has been done, time off work is a few days or none, and it can be repeated.
How do we do it at Barbel? We are not inclined to use large amounts of fatty tissue at once — because of the risk of fat embolism and because the body breaks down a large part of such an amount. We prefer to work in two or three sessions with smaller amounts, only in the tissue under the skin, never deep into the muscle, and we enrich the fatty tissue with your own plasma, because it is then taken up better.
Combination
Along with an implant, we increasingly also do a fat transfer: the implant gives projection, and the fatty tissue softens the transition at its edge and fills hollows at the sides. This is not always possible — some patients do not have enough fatty tissue.
When is the procedure not suitable?
Fat transfer is not possible without enough of your own fatty tissue, and we do not do large amounts at once.
General reasons for postponing a procedure (pregnancy, breastfeeding, inflammation, a clotting disorder, smoking): When is a procedure postponed?
Anaesthesia
Before a procedure under general or regional anaesthesia, you are seen by the anaesthetist, who works full time at the clinic; the same doctor is also present during the procedure. The anaesthetic assessment and the anaesthesia for larger operations are included in the price of the procedure. What happens before, during and after anaesthesia is described on the Anaesthesia page.
Recovery
After an implant is placed, a special garment like cycling shorts with reinforcements is worn. You sleep on your front or side; gentle movement from the first day. After a fat transfer, the garment is worn on the areas the fatty tissue was taken from.
Procedures are grouped into four recovery profiles: A, outpatient (home straight away, no restrictions apart from dressing changes), B, minor procedure (home the same day or after one night, marks are visible for about a week), C, major procedure (one to two nights in the clinic, sick leave and planning in weeks) and D, functional procedure (sick leave and return to work). This procedure belongs to profile C. How long recovery takes and what it depends on is described on the Recovery after surgery page.
What can the procedure not do?
An implant changes the projection and the upper part of the buttock; it does not lift loose skin or remove cellulite. Fat transfer gives a moderate volume — the body breaks down part of the fatty tissue, so the result is built up over several sessions. Neither replaces exercise or prevents changes with weight.
Risks
Expected — tenderness when sitting, a scar in the cleft that is red in the first months; with fat transfer, bruising and swelling at the donor sites as well.
Occasional — a collection of fluid (seroma) around the implant that is drained with a needle, slower healing of the incision in the cleft because of moisture and sitting, a difference between the two sides; with fat transfer, breakdown of part of the fatty tissue and small fat cysts.
Rare — shifting or rotation of the implant, an infection that requires the implant to be removed; with fat transfer, fat embolism — which is why we do not inject fatty tissue into the muscle and do not do large amounts at once.
Expected, and rare but serious → Risks and complications: what is the course of healing, and what is a complication?
Price
| Buttock augmentation with implants | on request |
| Fat transfer to the buttocks | on request |
| Liposuction of the buttocks | €1,900–2,200 |
The price depends on the method and extent and is set at the examination.
Specialist and team
Specialty: plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
When the procedure is done under sedation or general anaesthesia, the anaesthesia is led by a specialist in anaesthesiology, resuscitation and intensive care who works full time at the clinic.
In the operating theatre, the surgeon is assisted by head nurse Martina Šereg, with the help of nurses Kristina Jurešić and Mateja Tomorad, and in recovery the care assistant Mirjana Kovačić is with you. Martina also looks after preparation, scheduling and contact after the procedure.
Who will operate is decided at the examination, based on the findings and the type of procedure. You know the name of the surgeon before the procedure and meet them at the examination.
What happens at the examination?
The first examination lasts 30 to 45 minutes on average. The surgeon examines the area you are concerned about, asks about illnesses, medicines, allergies and previous operations, and talks with you about what you expect. If the procedure is appropriate and likely to help, you receive a plan: which procedure is proposed, under which anaesthesia, what recovery looks like and what is included in the price. If the procedure is not needed or would not give you what you expect, you will hear that at the examination too.
What if the result is not as agreed?
The result of a procedure is assessed at a follow-up visit, once the swelling has gone down and the scar has matured, not in the first weeks. If it differs from what was agreed at the examination, the same surgeon carries out the correction.
→ Poliklinika Barbel's correction policy
In the same visit
- Liposuction — fatty tissue is taken by liposuction from the abdomen, flanks or thighs, which also shapes the waist in the same procedure.
Frequently asked questions
How much fatty tissue is left after a fat transfer? The body breaks down part of it in the first months; what remains after about three months stays.
What happens over time? An implant does not change shape with the years, but the skin and fatty tissue around it change with weight and age. Fatty tissue that has been taken up behaves like the rest of your fatty tissue — it grows and shrinks with weight.
How much does the result depend on care after the procedure? The larger the procedure, the more it depends on it, but it always does. Healing takes weeks and months and happens almost entirely at home, so the instructions you receive when you go home, about the wound, physical activity and the scar, are part of the procedure, not a recommendation.
Who is with me if I stay overnight in the clinic after the procedure? You stay overnight when the doctor judges it necessary and this is agreed with you. You then spend the night in a room in the recovery unit, which has a bed, a television and a bathroom. A nurse is with you all night and a doctor is on call. The overnight stay and night care are included in the price of the procedure.
→ How long do you stay in the clinic after surgery?
Medical review: doctors of Poliklinika Barbel · October 2026.