Butt Implant Removal: Reasons, Options and Recovery

Yes, butt implants can be removed. Butt implant removal is an operation to take out silicone buttock implants, usually through the original incision in the crease between the buttocks, with the scar tissue capsule left, trimmed or removed depending on what your surgeon finds. On its own it usually takes 1 to 2 hours. Many people restore volume at the same time or later, with new implants or their own fat, and a buttock lift can address any loose skin that remains.

This guide explains why people have their buttock implants removed, how common the complications are, what the operation involves, whether to replace your implants, when fat transfer can be combined with removal, what your buttocks may look like afterwards, and recovery. If you are still weighing up the two main types of buttock augmentation, our comparison of BBL vs butt implants sets out the differences in safety, feel and recovery.

Can You Get Bum Implants Removed?

You can. Buttock implants are not lifelong devices, and you do not need a complication to have them taken out. Some people have their bum implants removed because something has gone wrong; others no longer like the size, the feel or the way the implants look in clothes, or their body has changed with age, pregnancy or weight change. Removal is also an option for men, and for people who had their implants fitted abroad and now want care closer to home.

The right operation depends on why the implants are coming out, how long they have been in, which layer they sit in and how much natural tissue you have. Removing injected silicone or permanent filler is a different problem, as these spread through the tissues rather than sitting in one pocket.

Why Do People Have Butt Implants Removed?

The buttock is a demanding place for an implant. You sit on it, it moves with every step, and the incision sits close to the anal area, which makes healing and infection harder to control than in most parts of the body. The main reasons for gluteal implant removal are:

• Capsular contracture. The scar tissue capsule around the implant thickens and tightens, making the buttock hard, distorted or painful, especially when sitting.
• Malposition or rotation. An implant can drop, move sideways, rotate or sit unevenly. Larger implants and shallow pockets are more likely to shift.
• Infection. Early infection may settle with antibiotics, but established infection around an implant often means it has to come out.
• Seroma. Fluid around the implant causes swelling and discomfort. Most settle or are drained, but a seroma that keeps returning can lead to removal.
• Wound breakdown and exposure. Wound separation in the buttock crease is the most commonly reported complication. It usually heals with dressings, but an exposed implant generally needs removing.
• Rupture or wear. Buttock implants are usually solid or highly cohesive silicone, so they cannot leak like a liquid-filled implant, but the silicone can wear, crack or fragment over the years.
• Visible or palpable implants, particularly in slim patients.
• Pain or nerve symptoms, such as pain when sitting or sciatic-type pain down the leg.
• Dissatisfaction with the size or shape, or a feeling that implants no longer suit your body or lifestyle.

A systematic review of gluteal implant pocket position found the most common complications to be wound dehiscence (10.3%), seroma (2.5%), wound infection (1.1%) and haematoma (0.2%)^[1]. A 2026 systematic review of infection after gluteal implant augmentation, published in JPRAS Open ↗, covering 25 studies and 4,937 patients, found that infection seems to be rare but can be serious, with treatment ranging from antibiotics to implant removal^[2].

How Common Are Butt Implant Complications?

Complications after buttock implant surgery are more common than after most cosmetic operations, which is why removal and revision come up so often:

• Around one in five patients. A 2016 systematic review of 44 studies in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ↗ found an overall complication rate of 21.6% in 2,375 patients with silicone buttock implants, compared with 9.9% in 3,567 patients who had fat grafting^[3].
• Around one in four in a UK-led review. A 2023 systematic review by UK plastic surgeons found a 25% complication rate after implant procedures, mostly wound dehiscence (9.2%), excessive palpability (5.9%) and seroma (3.8%), against 13% after gluteal fat grafting^[4].
• Higher still in surgeon surveys. A multicentre survey covering 2,226 patients recorded a complication rate of 38.1%^[5].

Most of these complications are managed without taking the implant out. In a 2025 meta-analysis of 32 studies and 2,682 patients in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ↗, the overall implant removal rate was 1.05%^[6]. Technique made a clear difference:

• Implant surface. Textured implants had more seromas (7.5% vs 2.6%), more wound dehiscence (14.0% vs 6.6%) and more capsular contracture (2.1% vs 0.6%) than smooth implants.
• Pocket position. Implants placed just under the muscle’s outer covering (subfascial) had the highest seroma rate (22.3%), dehiscence rate (27.1%) and removal rate (5.2%). Implants within or beneath the muscle did better.

The earlier pocket-position review found the same pattern, with total complication rates of 18.1% for intramuscular and 54.8% for subfascial placement^[1]. At Centre for Surgery, buttock implants are placed within the gluteal muscle, and the complication risk is discussed openly at consultation. It is also one reason the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is the first choice for most people with enough spare fat.

How Long Do Buttock Implants Last?

There is no fixed expiry date. If your implants are comfortable, symmetrical and you are happy with them, there is no need to replace them on a schedule. Over time, though, the chance of capsular contracture, malposition or wear builds up, and many people will need or want further surgery at some point.

Have your implants checked if you notice a change in shape or position, new firmness, one-sided swelling, pain when sitting or down the leg, redness or discharge from the scar, or an implant you can newly see or feel. If imaging is needed, a scan is arranged after your surgeon consultation.

How Is Butt Implant Removal Done?

At Centre for Surgery, butt implant removal is carried out under TIVA (total intravenous anaesthesia), so you are fully asleep. The steps are usually:

• Planning. Your surgeon examines you, reviews any scans, and asks for your previous operation notes and implant details if you have them.
• Incision. Most buttock implants are placed through an incision in the intergluteal crease, the natural fold between the buttocks, so removal is usually done through the same scar.
• Removing the implants. Each implant is freed and lifted out. A worn or fragmented implant is removed piece by piece and the pocket washed out to clear debris.
• Managing the capsule. A thin, soft capsule can often be left. A thick, hardened, calcified or infected capsule is partly or fully removed (capsulectomy), decided on what your surgeon finds.
• Closing the pocket. The pocket is washed out and closed in layers. Drains may be placed for a few days to stop fluid collecting in the empty space.

Removal alone takes around 1 to 2 hours and is usually a day case: you go home the same day with a responsible adult who stays with you for 24 hours. Adding fat transfer, new implants or a lift makes the operation longer.

Should You Replace Your Butt Implants or Just Remove Them?

Removal does not have to end your buttock augmentation. There are four main options, which can be combined:

• Removal alone. Suits people who want a natural shape and have reasonable skin and muscle tone, or who have had an infection that must clear first.
• Removal with replacement. Suits people who still want implants but need a change: a different size or shape, a smooth implant, or a deeper pocket within the muscle after malposition. Replacement is usually not done at the same time if there is infection.
• Removal with fat transfer. Suits people with enough spare fat who want a softer, more natural result without a foreign material.
• Removal with a buttock lift. Suits people whose skin has stretched and will not shrink back, often after large implants or major weight loss.

In one series of 14 secondary gluteal operations, implants were removed in 5 patients, moved to a deeper intramuscular pocket in 8, combined with fat grafting in 5 and combined with a buttock lift in 2^[7].

If you choose new implants, the plane matters. A 2026 meta-analysis of combined implant and fat procedures found a pooled implant removal rate of 1.7%, lower within the muscle (0.5%) than beneath it (1.7%), although intramuscular placement had more wound dehiscence and submuscular placement a 3.9% risk of sciatic nerve symptoms^[8]. Our butt implants page explains the solid silicone implants, sizes and intramuscular technique used at Centre for Surgery.

Can Butt Implant Removal Be Combined With a BBL?

Yes, in the right patient. Butt implant removal with fat transfer, sometimes called removal with a BBL or a revision BBL, takes out the implants and then uses liposuction to harvest your own fat, which is processed and injected to rebuild volume and shape. The advantages are:

• Volume is restored straight away, rather than living with deflated buttocks for months.
• One anaesthetic and one recovery instead of two.
• Donor areas such as the abdomen, flanks and back are slimmed at the same time.
• No foreign material goes back into tissue that has already had an implant problem, and fat can soften dents left by the pocket.

Safety depends on where the fat goes. Fat must be placed only in the subcutaneous layer, the fat under the skin above the gluteal muscle, never into or beneath the muscle. That matters even more after removal, as buttock implants usually sit inside the muscle, so the empty pocket lies in exactly the layer where fat must not go. A 2017 ASERF Task Force report in Aesthetic Surgery Journal ↗, based on 198,857 gluteal fat grafting cases, found that surgeons who injected into the deep muscle had significantly higher rates of fatal and non-fatal fat embolism, and recommended avoiding deep muscle injection^[9]. Fat left in a cavity also has no blood supply and is likely to die.

At Centre for Surgery, every BBL places fat above the muscle under real-time ultrasound guidance with a blunt cannula, and the same applies when fat transfer follows implant removal. Our guide to ultrasound-guided BBL explains how the scan shows the cannula tip in the safe layer.

You also need enough donor fat; a BMI of around 23 to 28 usually gives enough for a full BBL. Around 50 to 70% of transferred fat survives, and fat placed into tissue that has held an implant for years may survive less well, so a top-up is more often needed. If you are slim, our article on what happens if you don’t have enough fat for a BBL explains the alternatives.

Butt Implant Removal and Fat Transfer: One Stage or Two?

This is a clinical decision, and your surgeon decides at consultation, and sometimes during the operation, whether a one-stage procedure is safe. Removing the implants first and adding fat once the tissues have healed is usually safer when:

• There is active or recent infection, or the implant is exposed. The infection must clear fully before any fat or new implant is placed.
• The capsule is thick, calcified or heavily scarred, or the pocket is large.
• There is a persistent seroma in the pocket.
• The skin is thin or damaged by previous surgery or wound problems.
• You need to change weight first, to gain donor fat or reach a stable weight.

The second stage is usually planned at least 3 to 6 months later, and longer after infection, once your surgeon can see how your buttocks have recovered. Some people are happy with removal alone and decide against a second stage. When removal and fat transfer are combined, the operation usually takes around 3 to 4 hours, depending on how much liposuction is needed.

What Do Buttocks Look Like After Implant Removal?

After butt implant removal your buttocks will be smaller and may at first look flatter or more deflated than before your original surgery. How much they recover depends on implant size, how long the implants were in, your skin quality and age, any weight change or pregnancy since, and the state of the capsule and pocket, as a large or scarred pocket can leave a hollow.

Swelling settles over the first weeks and the skin and muscle continue to tighten over about 3 to 6 months, so it is worth waiting before judging the final shape. Some people return close to their original shape; others are left with flattening, mild sagging, a lower buttock fold or contour irregularities.

If loose skin remains, a buttock lift removes the excess and can be combined with fat transfer or auto-augmentation using your own tissue. Our guide on how to get rid of saggy buttocks compares exercise, fat transfer and lift surgery.

Butt Implant Removal Recovery: What to Expect

Recovery after removal alone is usually easier than after the original implant operation, as no new pocket is created. Your surgeon gives you written instructions, but typical advice is:

• Day of surgery: home the same day with a responsible adult for 24 hours; pain is usually moderate and controlled with prescribed painkillers.
• Drains: if used, they usually come out after a few days.
• Sitting and sleeping: avoid direct pressure on the buttocks for around two weeks and sleep on your front or side, then build up sitting as your surgeon advises.
• Compression: a garment helps the tissues settle and reduces fluid collection.
• Wound care: keep the crease incision clean and dry; a nurse-led wound check is usually arranged at 7 to 14 days.
• Work, exercise and driving: most people return to desk work within 1 to 2 weeks; exercise and driving resume once you can sit and move comfortably and your surgeon agrees.

If fat transfer is added, BBL recovery rules apply: no sitting directly on your buttocks for 2 weeks (have a BBL cushion ready before surgery for unavoidable sitting), sleeping on your front or side for 2 weeks, compression on the donor areas day and night for 6 weeks, walking from day 1, light cardio from week 3, nothing strenuous until 6 weeks, and no driving for 4 weeks. Our guide on when you can sit after a BBL explains the sitting rules. Most of the result shows at 3 months, with the final shape at 3 to 6 months.

Call 999 if you develop breathlessness, chest pain or cough up blood. Contact the clinic, or NHS 111 out of hours, if you have calf pain or swelling, a fever, or a red, hot or leaking wound.

What Are the Risks of Butt Implant Removal?

Removal is generally a smaller operation than implant placement, but it still carries risks:

• Seroma or haematoma in the empty pocket, which is why drains and compression are often used.
• Infection and wound breakdown, particularly in the buttock crease.
• Asymmetry, contour irregularities, flattening and loose skin.
• Numbness or altered sensation, usually temporary, and scarring, though the crease scar is usually reused.
• Blood clots (DVT or pulmonary embolism) and the general risks of anaesthesia.

Fat transfer adds the risks of liposuction and fat grafting: lumps from fat necrosis or oil cysts, uneven fat survival, donor-area irregularities and, rarely, fat embolism. Our article on BBL risks explains how subcutaneous, ultrasound-guided placement reduces the most serious of these. Stop smoking and nicotine, including vaping, for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after surgery to protect healing and fat survival.

Can Butt Implants From Abroad Be Removed in the UK?

Yes. Many people seeking butt implant removal had their original surgery overseas, often with little information about the implant. Bring any operation notes, implant cards or scan reports you have; otherwise your surgeon plans from examination and, where needed, imaging. Signs of infection, an open wound or a visible implant need prompt attention. Our article on BBL in Turkey covers the wider risks of buttock surgery overseas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Butt Implant Removal in London

Butt implant removal at Centre for Surgery is performed by GMC-registered surgeons at our CQC-regulated Baker Street hospital, rated Good overall by the CQC. Your surgeon will assess why your implants need to come out and recommend removal alone, implant exchange, removal with fat transfer, a buttock lift or a staged plan, explaining whether a one-stage operation is safe for you. Operations are carried out under TIVA, and any fat transfer is placed above the muscle under real-time ultrasound guidance. The consultant who assesses you is the consultant who performs your surgery, further consultations before surgery are free, and we recommend a two-week cooling-off period before you go ahead. Your initial consultation is £100, redeemable against the cost of surgery if you go ahead. If your implants were placed at another clinic, a different consultation fee applies, and it is not redeemable against treatment.

Phone: 020 7993 4849 | Address: 95–97 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6RN
Contact us to schedule a consultation

References

1. Flores-Lima G, Eppley BL, Dimas JR, Navarro DE. Surgical pocket location for gluteal implants: a systematic review. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2013;37(2):240–245. doi:10.1007/s00266-012-0018-8 ↗
2. Bertulla E, Scura FM, Raposio E. Postoperative infections following silicone implant-based gluteal augmentation. JPRAS Open 2026;52:557–568. doi:10.1016/j.jpra.2026.09.017 ↗
3. Sinno S, Chang JB, Brownstone ND, Saadeh PB, Wall S. Determining the safety and efficacy of gluteal augmentation: a systematic review of outcomes and complications. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2016;137(4):1151–1156. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000002005 ↗
4. Oregi P, Khatib M, Cavale N, Rahman SM. Comparing the safety profiles of implants and autologous fat grafting in gluteal augmentation: a systematic review. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery 2023;83:463–474. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2023.04.066 ↗
5. Mofid MM, Gonzalez R, de la Peña JA, et al. Buttock augmentation with silicone implants: a multicenter survey review of 2226 patients. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2013;131(4):897–901. doi:10.1097/PRS.0b013e3182818ec0 ↗
6. Elsaftawy A, Bonczar M, Jagosz M, Ostrowski P. Complications following primary implant-based gluteal augmentation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2025;156(6):894–907. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000012213 ↗
7. Abs R. Secondary gluteal surgery augmentation: surgical techniques and outcomes [article in French]. Annales de Chirurgie Plastique et Esthétique 2019;64(5–6):653–659. doi:10.1016/j.anplas.2019.06.013 ↗
8. Elsaftawy A, Bonczar M, Bonczar T, et al. Characteristics and complications of combined implant and lipoplasty techniques in primary gluteal augmentation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2026;46(7):720–727. doi:10.1093/asj/sjaf208 ↗
9. Mofid MM, Teitelbaum S, Suissa D, et al. Report on mortality from gluteal fat grafting: recommendations from the ASERF Task Force. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2017;37(7):796–806. doi:10.1093/asj/sjx004 ↗

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