Silicone Implants for Hip Dips
What Are Hip Implants?
Hip implants are solid silicone prostheses placed under the tissue over the trochanteric depression. They are custom-shaped to the patient"s anatomy and inserted through an incision, usually hidden in the bikini line or natural skin crease. Unlike breast implants, hip implants are solid silicone — they do not have a shell filled with gel or saline. They are a single piece of medical-grade silicone.
When Implants Are the Right Choice
Implants are the less common surgical choice for hip dips. They are typically recommended when:
- The patient is very lean with insufficient donor fat for fat transfer
- The patient has already had liposuction and has no viable donor sites
- The patient wants guaranteed, predictable volume — implants do not resorb, unlike transferred fat
- The patient had unsuccessful fat transfer and wants a more reliable result
Advantages of Implants
- Predictable volume: What you see at surgery is what you keep. No fat resorption uncertainty.
- No donor site needed: No liposuction, no donor site scars, no donor site recovery.
- Symmetric result: The implant is manufactured to precise dimensions. Asymmetry from uneven fat resorption is not a concern.
Disadvantages of Implants
- More invasive: Deeper dissection and larger incision than fat transfer.
- Palpable: Implants can sometimes be felt through the skin, especially in very lean patients.
- Risk of displacement: Though rare, implants can shift over time and require revision surgery.
- Less natural feel: Solid silicone is firmer than transferred fat and does not feel like natural tissue.
- Longer recovery: 4-8 weeks vs. 2-6 weeks for fat transfer.
- More expensive: $14,000-$30,000 total.
Recovery
- Days 1-3: Significant pain, medication required.
- Weeks 1-2: Return to office work if job permits standing. No exercise.
- Weeks 4-8: Gradual return to exercise. Compression garments typically discontinued at 4 weeks.
- Month 3: Final result.