Delayed Heterogeneous Left Buttock Mass Following Gluteal Augmentation in a Young Symptomatic African American Woman:...

A 41-year-old African-American woman with a history of gluteal fat grafting procedure, also known as a "Brazilian butt-lift (BBL)," approximately seven years prior, with subsequent revision two years later, presented five years after the revision with several months of painful swelling of the left buttock with palpable gluteal mass. Surgery was done to remove a 5.0 x 3.5 x 3.0 cm heterogeneous, yellow-tan soft tissue mass with yellow-green exudate. The mass was sent for biopsying revealing fibroadipose tissue with focal abscess formation, fat necrosis, calcification, and reactive changes on histology. Gram stain, bacterial cultures, and malignancy work-up were negative. These delayed sterile inflammatory changes are only some of the reported complications of gluteal surgical procedures. Our case is unique in that the development of the symptoms was delayed beyond the typical period expected after these types of procedures, and it highlights the importance of longitudinal post-procedural monitoring of patients undergoing these gluteal augmenting procedures to ensure adequate patient recovery and minimize adverse outcomes that may lead to further invasive procedures.