Hip Dip Filler Before and After: 4 Real Cases

Hip dip filler before and after photos usually look most striking on the day of treatment, and they also show the least about how the result will settle. Hip dip filler is an injection of body filler into the inward curve on the side of the hips, between the pelvis and the thigh, to smooth out the outline. In Korea it is usually called pelvic filler. Below are four real hip dip filler cases from Kondae PPEUM Clinic in Seoul, with what each photo does and does not show. You will also find the answers our Medical Director, Dr. Park Hwonham, a surgeon trained at Seoul National University Hospital, gives patients in consultation. Before you book, keep three facts in mind. Hip dips are mostly a normal body shape that comes from your bones. Body filler uses far larger amounts than facial filler. And neither the US FDA nor Korea’s MFDS has approved any filler for increasing the size of the buttocks.

Hip Dip Filler Before and After: 4 Cases from Seoul

All four patients had hip dip (pelvic) filler at Kondae PPEUM Clinic. Every after photo was taken right after the injection, so swelling or slight unevenness can show. These photos are not the settled result. Our records for these photos do not include the amount injected, the product batch or how the result looked weeks later, so we describe only the visible change in the outline at the side of the hips, where the dent sits between the pelvis and the thigh. Swelling right after treatment usually settles over the following weeks, and how the final shape looks varies from person to person. Lighting, camera distance and posture also change how a hip outline reads in a photo.

Case 1: Hip dips from behind, both sides

• Before: on both sides, the outline curves inward below the hip bone before it widens again at the upper thigh, which gives a visible notch at the side of the hips.
• After: the line from the waist down to the thigh is rounder and runs more continuously, and the notch on each side is much shallower.
• Keep in mind: the after photo is brighter and warmer in tone, which makes the skin look smoother. Compare the side outline, not the skin.

Case 2: Hip dip below the hip line, back view

• Before: the sides of the hips step inward below the waistband, and a hollow sits where the buttock meets the outer thigh.
• After: the side outline is fuller, and the curve from hip to thigh looks rounder and more even on both sides.
• Keep in mind: the lighting and the patient’s stance differ slightly between the two photos, and swelling right after injection adds to the fullness.

Case 3: Wider hip outline, back view

• Before: there is a mild inward dip on each side between the hip and the upper thigh.
• After: the outline at the sides is fuller and the hip line looks wider and more continuous.
• Keep in mind: uneven texture on the lower buttocks in the after photo may reflect swelling right after injection or existing skin texture under different light.

Case 4: Hip dips seen from the front

• Before: seen from the front, the outline narrows inward just below the hip bone on both sides before the thighs begin.
• After: the outline from the waist to the upper thigh is straighter and fuller at the sides, with a smaller inward step.
• Keep in mind: the color tone and framing differ a little between the two photos, so judge the side outline rather than overall size.

For more body cases from the clinic, see our Onda Lifting before and after for upper arms and abdomen. For facial volume, our dermal filler guide explains how facial filler differs.

DR.BAQUO’s Answers on Hip Dip Filler

In November 2026, Dr. Park Hwonham, Medical Director of Kondae PPEUM Clinic, answered the questions patients ask most often about hip dip filler. His answers are below.

What Causes Hip Dips?

Cleveland Clinic describes hip dips as an inward curve on the side of the body between the hip and the thigh. The term came from social media. It is not a medical diagnosis.

• Two curves made by bone: the top of the pelvic bone (ilium) makes the first rounded line of the hips. The femoral neck and the bony bump on the outside of the thigh bone, the greater trochanter, make the second. The hollow left between these two curves is the hip dip. How deep it is depends on pelvic width, femoral neck length and the size of the greater trochanter.
• Muscle and fat: muscle mass and fat distribution can make hip dips stand out more, but they are not the cause. A report by Brazilian doctors adds that exercise-shaped muscle contours or ageing can make the depression deeper.
• What surrounds it: the dip sits on the side of the buttock below the greater trochanter. It is framed by the attachments of the gluteus medius, vastus lateralis, quadratus femoris and gluteus maximus, in an area with few ligaments holding it firmly.
• Is it a health problem? Cleveland Clinic says hip dips are nothing to worry about. Treating them is purely a choice about shape.

Hip Dips Exercise: Can Training Fix Hip Dips?

Hip dips come from bone shape, so Cleveland Clinic says that losing weight or building muscle will not “fix” them. Glute exercises can make the hollow look a little less visible, because muscle and fat change how much the bone shape shows. They cannot change the pelvis or the thigh bone. That is also why a hip dip shaped by bone may not become completely flat after filler, and it is worth discussing this before treatment.

What Is Hip Dip Filler? Hyaluronic Acid, Sculptra or Fat

Material	How it fills	What the studies show
Hyaluronic acid body filler	Fills straight away with the gel’s own volume. Body products are firmer and have larger particles than facial ones.	Mostly small studies with short follow-up. The gel is absorbed gradually, so it needs repeating.
PLLA (Sculptra, a collagen-stimulating injection)	Thickens the dermis and fat layer over several weeks rather than filling at once. It takes several sessions a month apart.	One randomised hip dip study (15 people). Body use is off-label.
Your own fat (fat transfer)	Fat taken by liposuction elsewhere is moved to the hips.	The most studied option. The fat that survives stays. Injecting into muscle carries a risk of fat embolism.
Polyacrylamide, liquid silicone and similar	Non-absorbable materials.	Cases of abscesses and serious injury. The FDA has not approved injectable silicone for any cosmetic use.

• Body hyaluronic acid is not facial filler: a comparison of four body fillers found that they fill larger volumes and face greater mechanical stress than facial fillers. Their firmness (elasticity) also varied widely between products, so the product has to suit the area. In the Brazilian hip dip report, a firm, large-particle product went into the middle layer of the subcutaneous fat through an 18G cannula, 10 mL per side per session.
• Sculptra (PLLA) for hip dips: in a randomised study, 15 women with hip dips had PLLA on one side and saline on the other, three times a month apart. Only the PLLA side thickened: the dermis by 26.1% and the fat layer by 27%. In records of 498 people treated off the face at nine US centres, 60.3% of PLLA sessions were for the buttocks and hip dips. Bruising occurred in 5.0% and nodules in 0.2%. For facial use, see Sculptra in Korea.
• How strong the evidence is: a review of 52 buttock augmentation studies (7,834 people) found only 69 people treated with hyaluronic acid injections. It described the effect as real but temporary and expensive. A second review found only 12 usable reports on filler buttock augmentation, mostly with low-level evidence, and warned that it is not as simple and harmless as advertised. Several of the studies were supported by manufacturers or importers, or had company staff as authors.

Is Hip Dip Filler FDA Approved?

• US FDA: the FDA advises against using fillers for body contouring and gives increasing the size of the buttocks as an example. It has not approved these uses. Injectable silicone is not approved for any cosmetic use.
• Korea’s MFDS: its 2019 guidance says cosmetic fillers are mainly approved for facial wrinkles and facial volume. It lists volume enhancement of body areas such as the buttocks and calves as an unapproved purpose, and says no product had been approved for it.
• PLLA and calcium hydroxylapatite: a 2026 review says most body uses of these collagen-stimulating fillers, including the buttocks, are off-label.

Off-label use does not automatically mean the treatment is illegal or dangerous. It does mean that the product’s effect and safety for that use were not reviewed in its approval. Ask which product will be used and what it is approved for. MFDS also advises checking the label and package insert.

How Much Hip Dip Filler Do You Need?

Study	Who	Amount
Hip dip report (Brazil, 2024)	11 women, hip dips	10 mL per side per session, one more session after 15 days if needed
Multicentre study (Brazil, 2025)	30 women, buttocks	Up to 60 mL, mean 43.6 mL
Marking technique study (Mexico, 2025)	26 women, buttocks	Up to 100 mL, mean 40.4 mL
Four-hospital study (Italy, 2025)	35 people, buttocks	Mean 85.1 mL
Korean clinic study (2026)	26 women, buttocks	200–360 mL in total
MRI study (2013)	8 people, buttocks	Mean 163 mL per buttock

The amount depends on whether only the hip dips are filled or the whole buttock is enlarged. In the Mexican study, about 40 mL on average increased buttock circumference by 1.1–2.2 cm right after treatment. The more you inject, the more foreign material goes into your body. In the Brazilian multicentre study, blood hyaluronic acid rose briefly at day 30 and was close to baseline by day 90. At Kondae PPEUM Clinic, the total for both sides usually goes up to about 100–300 cc (1 cc is 1 mL). Bone shape, fat thickness and the shape you want make a big difference, so the amount is set at an in-person consultation.

How Long Do Hip Dip Fillers Last?

Hyaluronic acid does not stay forever. It is broken down and absorbed gradually, so the shape is fullest right after treatment and shrinks over the following months.

• Measured by MRI: in the study with a mean of 163 mL per buttock, the gel remaining was 56% at 6 months, 36% at 12 months and 24% at 24 months, mostly in the subcutaneous fat. Even so, 60% rated their buttocks as improved through 24 months.
• Satisfaction over time: in the Brazilian multicentre study, satisfaction fell from 90% at day 30 to 62% at 12 months. The authors read this as consistent with the hyaluronic acid breaking down. On ultrasound, the filler was gradually absorbed, with no migration, fibrosis or nodules.
• Repeat treatment: the authors of the hip dip report said the result needs repeat treatment to be maintained.
• In practice: at Kondae PPEUM Clinic, some people keep the shape for three to four years or longer, and others come back for a top-up after about a year. It depends on the amount, the product and changes in your body.

Before

A few weeks later

After Hip Dip Filler: Swelling, Pain and Lumps

Time	What usually happens
Right after	Swelling, bruising and tenderness are common. Follow the clinic’s advice on sitting, lying down and exercise.
2–7 days	In studies, swelling, bruising, pain and redness usually settled by this point.
2–4 weeks	Lumpy contours gradually settle. For some people it takes longer.
Months to a year or more	Hyaluronic acid is absorbed gradually. If the volume falls short, a top-up is discussed.

In the four-hospital Italian study, adverse events were mostly mild or moderate and settled within two to seven days. Swelling, pain and redness were the most common. In the hip dip report, mild bruising and pain lasted two to three days. In the Korean clinic study, 5 of 26 women (19.2%) had mild swelling, bruising or temporary firmness, and these resolved on their own. The buttocks carry your weight when you sit. When you can sit for long periods, lie on your side or exercise depends on the amount and placement.

Hip Dip Filler Side Effects

The studies above reported no serious adverse events. However, most had a few dozen people and six to twelve months of follow-up, which is too small to catch rare complications. The side effects of filler listed by Korea’s MFDS are itching, inflammation and pain, bruising and swelling, skin necrosis, blindness or reduced vision, leakage of the injected material, migration to unintended areas, and temporary or long-lasting nodules.

• Late inflammation or infection: late reactions to hyaluronic acid filler usually appear three to four months after treatment. Experts name three causes: the filler’s own properties, a biofilm introduced during treatment or already latent, and immune dysregulation. Non-infectious reactions are treated with hyaluronidase. If it is an infection, drainage, culture and antibiotics are needed first.
• Migration: in one case, hyaluronic acid injected into the buttocks moved to the inner thigh and showed up as a soft lump. The authors reported it as very rare.
• Blocked vessels and embolism: filler that enters a vessel can block it and cause skin necrosis. In one reported case, a woman had buttock hyaluronic acid injections at a non-medical beauty facility. Within hours she developed reduced consciousness, low blood oxygen, and lesions in the lungs and brain.
• Non-absorbable materials: in another case, a woman needed surgery for abscesses running from the buttocks to the calves after polyacrylamide filler in the buttocks.
• If something goes wrong: ultrasound can show which filler is in the buttocks and where it sits, and can help diagnose complications early.

Hip Dip Filler vs Hip Dip Surgery: Hip Dip Fat Transfer

The usual hip dip surgery is fat transfer. Fat is taken by liposuction, for example from the thighs or belly, and moved to the hips. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons says subcutaneous gluteal fat grafting is used to correct trochanteric depressions (hip dips) and flat buttocks.

	Hyaluronic acid hip dip filler	Hip dip fat transfer
Method	Injection through a cannula	Liposuction plus injection (surgery)
What stays	MRI study: 36% left after one year, 24% after two	Subcutaneous-only study: thickness fell 18.16% over 12 months. 3D-measured retention was 64.7% at 6 months.
Evidence	Mostly small studies with short follow-up	The most studied option (meta-analysis of 22,151 people)
Main risks	Rarely infection, migration or blocked vessels	Rarely fatal pulmonary fat embolism when fat is injected into muscle
Approval	No filler approved for buttock volume (FDA, MFDS)	Surgery performed by a doctor

• Fat embolism: a 2017 US survey reported 32 deaths from pulmonary fat embolism among 198,857 gluteal fat grafting cases. Embolism was significantly more common when fat was injected deep into muscle. Vessels inside the muscle are larger and denser than those under the skin.
• After the recommendations: once surgeons were advised to avoid injecting into muscle, mortality trended down from 1 in 3,448 to 1 in 14,952. BAAPS puts the risk at about 1 in 15,000, similar to abdominoplasty. In a meta-analysis of 38 studies, pulmonary embolism occurred in 0.04%, and complications were fewest with subcutaneous-only or ultrasound-guided injection.
• Other risks: seroma (2.03%) and contour irregularity (2.29%) were reported. Hypothermia, sepsis and skin necrosis have also been reported, with higher risk in poorly regulated facilities and medical tourism.
• When filler alone falls short: the filler review notes that body contouring may need removing volume as well as adding it.

No studies compare the two directly. As Dr. Park explains above, both can add overall buttock volume. For a local curve shaped by the skeleton, such as hip dips, he sees filler as the better option.

Getting Hip Dip Filler in Seoul: What to Check

• Which product: ask for the product name and what it is approved for. Find out whether it is a body hyaluronic acid, PLLA or a non-absorbable material.
• Who injects: MFDS advises getting filler from a doctor experienced in injections. The embolism case above happened at a non-medical beauty facility.
• Expectations: MFDS advises discussing the result you expect in advance and not deciding on impulse.
• Your flight: swelling and tenderness are common in the first days, and you sit on a long flight home. Ask how many days to stay before you book (see our Korea medical tourism guide and first-time Korean clinic guide).
• Take the record home: ask for the product, the amount and the layer in writing. It helps any doctor at home if swelling, a lump or infection appears later.

Kondae PPEUM Clinic is directly connected to Konkuk Univ. Station Exit 1 in Seoul.

Hip Dip Filler Cost in Korea

Kondae PPEUM Clinic’s current standing prices for pelvic (hip dip) filler are listed below. Event prices are not included, and prices may change.

• Pelvic filler (hip dip filler), 1cc: KRW 39,000
• Hip dip filler, 100cc: KRW 3,000,000
• Pelvic filler (hip dip filler), 200cc: KRW 5,500,000
• Collagen hip dip pelvic filler, 200cc: KRW 7,500,000

The total depends on how many cc you need, which is set at consultation, and on the product. When comparing clinics, line up the same product and the same amount.

FAQ: Hip Dip Filler Before and After

Q: Is hips dips filler the same as hip filler or buttock filler?

A: The names are used loosely for similar procedures. Hip dip filler usually means filling only the hollow at the side of the hips. Buttock filler usually means enlarging the whole buttock, and the amount injected differs a lot.

Q: How many cc of filler do hip dips need?

A: At Kondae PPEUM Clinic, the total for both sides usually goes up to about 100–300 cc. Bone shape and the shape you want make a big difference, so the amount is set at consultation.

Q: How long do hip dip fillers last?

A: Hyaluronic acid is absorbed gradually. In an MRI study, 36% of the gel remained after one year and 24% after two. In Dr. Park’s practice, some people keep the shape for three to four years or more, and others top up after about a year.

Q: Can hip dip filler be dissolved?

A: Hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with hyaluronidase. If infection is suspected, drainage, culture and antibiotics come first. PLLA and non-absorbable materials do not dissolve with this enzyme.

Q: Is hip dip filler safer than hip dip fat transfer?

A: No studies compare them directly. Fat transfer is well studied, and its risk fell once injecting into muscle was avoided, but it is surgery. Filler is an injection, but no product is approved for buttock volume and the studies are small and short.

Q: Can I sit down right after hip dip filler?

A: It depends on the amount and placement, so follow the clinic’s aftercare. In studies, swelling and pain usually settled within two to seven days.

Q: How do I see the full-resolution before and after photos?

A: Create a free DR.BAQUO account. Members can view every case in this post without blur.

Related Before & After Cases and Guides

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• Before & After gallery (members)

Sources

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• Bussade M et al. Assessment of Hyaluronic Acid Filler in Gluteal Augmentation and Contouring: A 1-Year Prospective Study. J Cosmet Dermatol, 2025. PubMed 41423732

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The photos show real patients of Kondae PPEUM Clinic. No faces appear in these photos, and eyes are blurred wherever a face is shown on this site. Every after photo was taken right after injection. Results vary between individuals, and one case does not predict another. Doctor’s answers: Dr. Park Hwonham, Medical Director, Kondae PPEUM Clinic, November 2026.

DR.BAQUO | Hanlim Tower 2F, 229 Achasan-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul | Konkuk University Station Exit 1 (Line 2) | Google Maps | LINE: @364kbfyj | global.drbaquo.com

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