the-art-of-gluteal-sculptingEditor: Constantino G. Mendieta, MD
Illustrator: Cynthia Turner, MA
Publisher: Quality Medical Publishing – 379 pages
Book Review by: Nano Khilnani

This is the first book on sculpting of the gluteal region that has been reviewed in the Books Section of BIZ INDIA Online News. When we did a search on Amazon typing in the word gluteal this book came out on top! There were only two other books below it: one was Lower Back and Gluteal Pain, and below it was Body Contouring.

We strive to feature books on topics that are rare, and so here we are with this book. This one, on the augmentation, or as some desire, slimming of the buttocks, is rare one indeed. Dr. Al Aly, writes in his Foreword to this unusual book that Dr. Mendieta, whom he has known since he was a medical resident, is the ‘world’s premier buttocks contouring surgeon’ because he first delineates the ‘beautiful normal,’ his starting point. Knowing what ‘beautiful’ looks like also enables him to delineate the deformity.

Dr. Mendieta and Dr. Aly were mentored by Dr. Ralph Mallard who laid out s number of basic surgical principles pertaining to the gluteal region, particularly what constituted an attractive contour of the buttocks. One of these, as discussed in chapter 1, Evaluation Based on Anatomical Landmarks, is: “volume removal must always be balanced with volume enhancement when performing body contouring surgery.”

Gluteal sculpting then, is not just a science but truly an art because one has to know what the beautiful normal is, and what it looks like. For any sculptor, it is important o visualize what the outcome has to be. But unlike any sculpting of inanimate objects, sculpting buttocks requires a thorough knowledge of the anatomical components of the region, as well as expert surgical skills. You will discover when you go through this work. It is organized into just seven chapters, as shown below:

  1. Part I – Basics
    1. Evaluation Based on Anatomic Landmarks
    2. Patient Selection: Clinical Decision-Making
  2. Part II – Technique
    1. Aesthetic Liposculpting and Fat Grafting for the Buttock and Torso
    2. Intramuscular Implant Augmentation
    3. Subfascial Implant Augmentation
    4. The Miami Thong Lift for Inner Gluteal Fold Excision
    5. Circumferential Body and Buttock Lifting

Dr. Constantino Mendieta writes in his Preface that he got into gluteal sculpting after initially performing fat transfers in 1998 under the tutelage of his friend and fellow plastic surgeon Dr. Fabio Castro. Over the years he developed and honed his surgical skills as well as his ability to visualize the outcome ahead of beginning his work. He has also formulated a system of thoroughly evaluating patients’ physical attributes and anatomy, as well as listening closely to their desires and expectations after the surgery.

A critical first step before performing gluteal sculpting (medical term: gluteoplasty) is to evaluate the anatomy of the patient. One of the most important chapters is chapter 1, and a key section in this chapter is Components for Evaluation. This section presents three Parts that the surgeon must master:

  1. Anatomic Structure Analysis
  2. Relationship Analysis of Anatomic Structures
  3. Aesthetic Unit Analysis

Let us take a look at what is presented in a typical chapter and how the contents are organized. Chapter 3, Aesthetic Liposculpting and Fat Grafting for the Buttock and Torso (pages 150-244) shows you the techniques for trimming or augmenting the buttocks and torso.

Introduction

  1. Facts About Fat
  2. Candidates for Gluteal Fat Grafting    
  3. Planning
  4. How Fat Characteristics Influence Technique
  5. Anatomic Considerations: Deep and Supe4rficial Fat Layers
  6. Preoperative Preparation
  7. Overview of Liposuction Approach
  8. Fat Grafting Technique
  9. Drains
  10. Postoperative Care
  11. Complications
  12. Results

Suggested Readings

Appendix

Numerous full-color and some black-and-white images (photographs, charts, sketches, etc.) provided by illustrator Cynthia Turner add value to this book. This is an excellent work on gluteal sculpting by the highly experienced and expert surgeon Dr. Constantino Mendieta. Six contributing doctors named below share credit for this unique product.

 

Editor:
Constantino G. Mendieta, MD, FACS, FICS is in private practice in Coconut Grove, Florida

Illustrator:
Cynthia Turner, MA, CMI

 

Contributors:

Al S. Aly, MD, FACS is Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Institute of Plastic Surgery in Mexico City, Mexico.
Jose Abel de la Pena, MD, FACS is Director of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Institute of Plastic Surgery in Mexico City, Mexico.
Jose Fernando Lopez-Salguero, MD is Associate Professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Institute of Plastic Surgery in Mexico City, Mexico.
Constantino G. Mendieta, MD, FACS, FICS in sin private practice in Coconut Grove, Florida
Sejal M. Patel, MD is Chief Resident in the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Institute at the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine in Irvine, California.
Miguel Angel Soto-Miranda, MD is Aesthetic Surgery Fellow in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Institute of Plastic Surgery in Mexico City, Mexico.