Have you ever looked in the mirror and seen small, gentle curves below your hips and above your thighs? Those are called hip dips, and they’re just small indentations on the sides of your hips. There’s nothing medically abnormal about having hip dips, but they may have an impact on your self image and levels of confidence.
Hip dips are naturally occurring inward curves that occur when your skin becomes attached to the deepest part of your thigh bone, known as the trochanter. They’re sometimes called violin hips because they resemble the curves on the instrument. They can be more or less prominent depending on the width of your hips or the shape of your pelvis as well.
Sometimes, these are more noticeable in individuals who have different amounts or distribution of fat and muscle in their body composition. Not to mention, they can be more noticeable if you wear tight clothing such as leggings.
Again, having hip dips poses no risk to your health, but you have the right to live inside of your best body. There are a few different ways you can try to get rid of hip dips, including cosmetic surgery and hip exercises.
How to Get Rid of Hip Dips
Fixing the gaps on the sides of your thighs actually typically involves two different procedures: liposuction and fat grafting. You’ve probably heard of liposuction before, but contrary to popular belief, it’s not just about sucking out fat from a specified area. It’s about reducing levels of fat and reshaping the skin to contour areas of the body.
Fat grafting involves taking fat from another part of the body and injecting it elsewhere. For example, a plastic surgeon might take some fat from your belly and inject it into the indentations to try to smooth out your hourglass figure.
Both liposuction and fat grafting are common cosmetic procedures.
What to Expect During Hip Dip Surgery
Because of how popular liposuction and fat grafting is, plastic surgeons are very experienced when it comes to performing hip dip surgery. However, it’s normal to feel anxious before the procedure. Here is everything you can expect from beginning to end.
Before
Before you can get any plastic surgery done, you’ll need to meet with a plastic surgeon for a consultation. This is an important step to ensure that you’re comfortable before going through with the procedure.
During your consultation, the plastic surgeon will ask you a number of questions in regards to your goals and desires for getting plastic surgery, medical history, allergies, or any other health concerns. It’s important to be honest here so that the surgeon can best suit your needs.
Your surgeon may also assess your overall health and take some photographs for the before and after so you can see the results. They may also mark your body with circles and lines so they know exactly where to make incisions. This can also help you visualize what the end result will look like.
Finally, you may be asked to stop taking certain medications, and you may need to get some lab tests done before you can continue with the surgery.
The consultation is the prime time for you to ask any and all questions you may have. Your plastic surgeon is here to help you be as comfortable as possible.
During
The procedure itself is pretty routine. First, you’ll be numbed with some form of anesthesia. Local anesthetics are popular for liposuction as they generally don’t require large incisions. However, general anesthesia may be administered if your surgeon feels it may be necessary.
Your plastic surgeon will then make small incisions on your thigh so they can insert a tube called a cannula. This helps dislodge some of the fat so it can be removed with a vacuum. This suction device may be attached to the cannula, or it may be separate.
In some cases, liposuction may be all you need to remove hip dips, as it can smooth out the area and flatten it down. However, fat grafting can be done if need be.
During fat grafting, the same liposuction process is used, just in a different area of the body. Once the fat has been extracted, it is processed with a centrifugation device to remove any excess fluids or debris.
Finally, the fat is injected in small droplets into the recipient area. In the case of hip dips, the fat will likely be injected into the area of the indentation to help make it look fuller and more voluptuous.
After
The recovery process for hip dip surgery will usually last anywhere from four to six weeks. You will likely be swollen for a bit, so you won’t really see the full scope of your results until after the recovery period is over.
During the initial week, bandages and drains may be placed around the surgical site to remove excess blood and fluid. Additionally, compression bandages will be applied to help your body adjust to its new contour and shape.
You’ll need to limit your activity for around two weeks, but you’ll probably be able to return to work after that period. Still, you’ll want to avoid exercising and straining your hips to a large degree.
After around a month, you can return to light exercise. You can resume your normal range of activities after the six week mark unless otherwise specified by your surgeon.
Should You Get Hip Dip Surgery?
If you have clear goals in regards to how you want your body to look, and you feel that removing your hip dips will boost your confidence and self-image, then getting a hip dip surgery might be right for you.
Cosmetic surgery is one of the greatest ways to make you feel confident in your own skin.
Additionally, if you’re generally healthy and are working hard to lose excess fat, liposuction on your thighs and hips may be a good way to help you cross the finish line. Speak with a plastic surgeon to see if liposuction and fat grafting treatments are right for you.
Exercises to Tone Your Hips
There are plenty of exercises that can help you achieve a more defined hourglass figure as well. Even after getting a liposuction or fat grafting procedure, you’ll want to continue engaging in exercises that will maintain the physique that you’re happy with.
Keep in mind that hip dips are the result of skin and muscle attaching to your thigh bone. While exercises can help reduce their appearance, a cosmetic surgery may be the best way to physically reduce them.
However, you can try to burn some fat around your hips and smooth out the appearance of hip dips with high intensity fat-burning exercises. Lunges and squats are great workouts for your quadriceps and hips, but you can add some fat-burning cardio by incorporating fast, jumping movements to them.
Additionally, you can work to tone your upper legs, hips, and glutes by adding weights to those same workouts. Try using a ten to fifteen pound dumbbell in each hand as you go for a squat. You can also do deadlifts to strengthen your leg muscles and try to balance out the indentations on your hips.
Finally, you can’t just stop at exercise. Eating a proper diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats is a way to shave some fat and keep fat off. On top of that, it can just help you lead a healthier lifestyle overall.
A combination of exercise, proper nutrition, and body contouring techniques is the ultimate way to help you become your best self.
Wrap Up
Hip dips are normal indentations on the sides of your body between your thighs and hips. They’re caused by skin attaching itself to the inner thigh bone. Fat distribution throughout your body can affect how prominent these appear.
Hip dips pose no medical risk, however, getting rid of them may help you boost your confidence.
A surgical procedure to reduce your hip dips can be done, and it usually incorporates a mixture of liposuction and fat grafting. Using liposuction, fat is removed from a donor area of the body, such as your belly. Then, the fat can be grafted, or injected, into the indentation to fill in the gap and give you that desirable hourglass look.
On top of that, completing fat-burning or strength building exercises to improve the tone of your hips may be able to reduce the appearance of hip dips. It’s important to maintain an active lifestyle even after cosmetic surgery to ensure that the procedure remains intact.
Liposuction is a common cosmetic procedure, and PH-1 Miami specialized in body contouring techniques. If you’re looking to fill in your hip dips for a voluptuous, defined body contour, then click here to get started.
Sources:
Fat grafting history and applications | American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Cardiovascular Training Vs. Strength Training | Beaumont Weight Loss
