Can You Really Get Rid of Hip Dips?

The Honest Answer

No — you cannot "get rid" of hip dips in the sense of making them disappear permanently without surgery. The bone structure that creates the depression — the gap between your iliac crest and greater trochanter — is set by your genetics and fixed after skeletal maturity. Nothing you eat, no exercise you perform, and no cream you apply will change your pelvis shape.

But here is what most people actually mean when they ask this question: they want to look in the mirror and not see the dip. That is achievable — through multiple approaches, at multiple price points, with varying degrees of permanence. The honest answer is "not completely, but substantially, yes."

What "Get Rid Of" Actually Means

There are four levels of "getting rid" of hip dips:

  • Level 1 — Temporary smoothing: Shapewear with padding creates a perfectly smooth contour under clothing. Instant, $15-$120, zero risk. But the dip returns the moment you remove the garment.
  • Level 2 — Visible softening: Targeted exercise builds the gluteus medius and minimus muscles, softening the depression by 30-50% over 6 months. Free or low cost, healthy, permanent as long as you maintain training. The dip is still there in harsh lighting but is substantially less noticeable.
  • Level 3 — Semi-permanent filling: Dermal fillers (Sculptra, Radiesse, HA) add real volume under the skin, filling the depression. Results last 2-3 years for Sculptra, 12-18 months for HA. Cost: $1,600-$7,200 per cycle. The dip is filled — you will not see it in any lighting.
  • Level 4 — Permanent filling: Fat transfer surgery permanently fills the depression with your own fat. Cost: $8,000-$20,000. Recovery: 2-6 weeks. The dip is gone for life, subject to weight stability.

What Determines Your Ceiling

How much you can reduce your hip dip visibility depends on three factors:

  • Bone gap width: A wider gap means a more visible starting point and a higher ceiling for improvement (more room to fill). A narrow gap may mean the exercise-only approach is enough.
  • Current muscle mass: If you have never trained your glutes, the exercise approach will produce more dramatic change than if you have been training for years.
  • Body fat percentage: Lower body fat means more visible dips and more room for improvement from adding volume (through muscle, filler, or fat).

The Pathway Most People Follow

Based on conversations with patients and readers, the most common pathway is: start with exercise (free, healthy, zero risk) → if 6 months of training is not enough, try fillers (real volume, no surgery) → if fillers work but ongoing cost is unsustainable, consider fat transfer surgery (permanent, one-time cost). Shapewear is used at any stage for specific outfits or events.

Very few people go straight to surgery. Most who end up there tried exercise and fillers first and found them insufficient. That is not a failure — it is the rational decision process.