Hybrid gluteal augmentation — sculptural imagery symbolizing the PRS Editor's Pick technique

Hybrid Gluteal Augmentation · PRS Editor's Pick paper — the world's leading plastic surgery journal

Historically, gluteal augmentation has been dominated by implant-based methods. Their strengths are definitive volume and lifting, but they struggle to cover the hip dip depression visible from the side and the natural continuous line from waist to buttock. Hybrid gluteal augmentation was developed to overcome these limitations by combining implant + autologous fat grafting, and it has now become the standard of gluteal augmentation1.

Bong Bong Plastic Surgery's hybrid gluteal revision technique was published in the world's most authoritative plastic surgery journal, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Impact Factor: 3.784), and was selected as an Editor's Pick paper2. This article walks through the mechanism of hybrid gluteal augmentation, its three effects, and recovery.

The 3-minute summary

Procedure
Hybrid Gluteal Augmentation
Mechanism
Implant + autologous fat grafting performed together
Surgery time
About 1 hour · sedation anesthesia · same-day discharge
Recovery
Suture removal at 7 days · grafted fat integrates over 3 months
Academic evidence
Published as PRS Editor's Pick SCI paper (IF 3.784)

What is hybrid gluteal augmentation

Hybrid gluteal augmentation adds fat grafting to conventional implant-only gluteal augmentation, and it has become the standard technique. It delivers the desired volume enlargement and the natural curve and feel simultaneously.

Implants create hip volume, but they cannot fill the hip dip depression. That area is precisely filled with autologous fat, and love handles and saddlebag fat are refined, completing the flowing line from waist to hip to thigh.

The flowing curve from the waist, through the hip, to the thigh. It cannot be completed with a single material — that's why hybrid is needed.

Dr. Seongsoo Park · Chief Director, Bong Bong Plastic Surgery Clinic

PRS Editor's Pick SCI paper

Bong Bong Plastic Surgery's hybrid gluteal revision technique (Hybrid Gluteal Augmentation) was published in the world's most authoritative plastic surgery journal, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Impact Factor: 3.784), and was selected as an Editor's Pick paper2.

Gluteal augmentation is known as a technically demanding surgery with a very high level of complication management difficulty. The paper was recognized as a new and refined surgical technique that minimizes complications and side effects.

SCI paper evidence

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is the official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and one of the highest-authority journals in the field. An Impact Factor of 3.784 places it among top journals, and Editor's Pick is a further recognition awarded only to outstanding papers within it.

3 effects of hybrid

Hybrid gluteal augmentation produces three visual effects simultaneously.

01
Long Legs

Legs appear longer

The gluteal fold lifts, creating a lifting effect that makes legs appear longer.

02
Reshaping

Dual reshaping effect

Fat is removed from areas of excess and redistributed to areas that need volume — full-body reshaping.

03
Body Line

Ideal waist · hip · thigh connection

Maximizes the connected line effect across the three zones that complete the rear silhouette.

Who it's suited for

Surgical process and recovery

Hybrid gluteal augmentation is completed in about 1 hour under sedation anesthesia, with no hospitalization required and same-day discharge. Sutures are removed at day 7.

  1. STEP 01

    Detailed Consultation

    3D body analysis · hip dip evaluation · fat harvest site assessment.

  2. STEP 02

    Custom Design

    Implant size · fat graft locations · liposuction zones individually planned.

  3. STEP 03

    4-Step Safety Anesthesia

    Local · pain nerve block · tumescent · sedation combined.

  4. STEP 04

    Implant Insertion · Fat Harvest

    Performed concurrently to minimize time.

  5. STEP 05

    Precision Fat Grafting

    Micro-grafts into hip dip zones and line-refinement areas.

  6. STEP 06

    Aftercare

    Suture removal at day 7 · 3-month posture management · regenerative treatment.

Curious whether hybrid gluteal augmentation suits you? Book a consultation.

Diagnosed personally by the chief director of Bong Bong Plastic Surgery. Consultation and diagnostics are complimentary.

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Frequently Asked Questions

QIf I'm getting implants, do I really need fat grafting too?
Implants create the hip volume, but they cannot fill the hip dip depression — that's why hybrid surgery is needed alongside. Trimming love handles and saddlebag fat to further highlight the hip shape produces significantly higher satisfaction.
QDoesn't grafted fat get absorbed quickly?
Unlike facial fat grafting, body fat grafting in areas with low muscle motion achieves 60–70% survival.
QCan I lie on my side after fat grafting?
Grafted fat needs time to integrate, so for up to 3 months you should avoid maintaining a single posture for extended periods.
QWhat's the difference between implant and fat grafting?
Implant hip-up places a dedicated implant through a gluteal cleft incision, delivering definitive volume and lifting. Fat grafting harvests fat from areas of excess and redistributes it to areas that need volume — because it's your own fat, it's natural, permanent, and leaves minimal scarring.
QIs the scar noticeable?
Because only a minimal incision is made at the implant insertion site (gluteal cleft) and at the fat harvest sites (thighs, abdomen), the scar is very inconspicuous. It's further improved through our aftercare system.
References
  1. Concept Hybrid Gluteal Augmentation — Implant + Autologous Fat combined technique. Combining the definitive volume of implant gluteal augmentation with the natural line and feel of autologous fat grafting to complete both hip dip and line simultaneously. Established as the standard of modern gluteal augmentation. Back
  2. SCI Paper Bong Bong hybrid gluteal revision technique — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Editor's Pick paper. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Official journal of ASPS, Impact Factor: 3.784). Paper on Bong Bong Plastic Surgery's Hybrid Gluteal Augmentation revision technique. Recognized as a new, refined surgical technique that minimizes complications and side effects — selected as an Editor's Pick paper. PRS → Back
  3. Peer Review Editor's Choice — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. A recognition awarded only to outstanding papers within PRS. Evaluated based on clinical impact, technical innovation, and complication management. Bong Bong's hybrid gluteal paper is a verified technique that received the Editor's Pick designation. Back

Closing thoughts

Hybrid gluteal augmentation combines the certainty of implants with the naturalness of autologous fat. It fills the hip dip and completes lines that a single method cannot, and Bong Bong Plastic Surgery's technique is a verified approach published as an Editor's Pick paper in the world's most authoritative plastic surgery journal, PRS.

More hip-up clinical columns are available on the Bong Bong Plastic Surgery Blog.

#HybridGlutealAugmentation #HipUp #PRSPaper #HipDip #BongBongClinic