Brazilian Butt Lift- Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery

On the list of contemporary popular body-sculpting techniques, Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) stands out. Citing a 2019 global survey by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the procedure is the fastest growing and most popular. Many say it is the only procedure with naturall looking results. That's if it's done well, of course. To get a satisfying outcome, we first need to ensure safety. That is not easy in the world of invasive aesthetic interventions. Statistics suggest that the Brazilian Butt Lift is the riskiest of cosmetic surgeries with the highest mortality rate.

Therefore, ensuring safety is the first and vital step towards experiencing the full benefits of a Brazilian butt lift. The others include choosing the right doctor, performing all the necessary preparations, and following the post-procedure care guidelines. 

In this article, we cover all of the above and more. But, let’s start from the basics and answer the first question – what is a Brazilian butt lift? 

What is a Brazilian butt lift?

A Brazilian butt lift is an invasive cosmetic intervention that enhances the aesthetic appeal of the buttocks area. It involves incisions at the donor and recipient sites for fat harvesting through liposuction and fat transferring.

The grafting materials are the patient's fat cells, with no artificial additives. As a result, the added fullness in the buttocks is 100% natural.

However, that does not mean the procedure is entirely safe. Brazilian butt lift shares many risks with other invasive surgical procedures. Side effects are possible, including the unsatisfying aesthetic outcome. So, it is essential to have an experienced, board-certified surgeon doing the operation in a controlled environment.

The results of a Brazilian butt lift are semi-permanent due to potential changes within fat cells over time.

Who is a good candidate for a Brazilian butt lift?

A Brazilian butt lift is a solid solution for body shape issues caused by aging and weight fluctuations. But, it can also just add fullness to places where no amount of exercise can help. Whatever the case, the procedure is suitable for individuals with healthy lifestyle habits and body weight.

Here’s what can make you a perfect candidate:

• You are a non-smoker
• You exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight
• You have enough fat deposits in other areas for grafting
• You do not have a history of post-surgery complications or infections

The Procedure

The Brazilian butt lift procedure takes place under total anesthesia. That means you will be asleep during surgery.

Additionally, doctors may or may not administer an anti-nausea medication to improve your post-anesthesia recovery.

There are four main stages of the procedure:

1. The first stage is fat harvesting. – The surgeon will make small incisions at the donor sites, usually the hips, thighs, or belly. Through them, they will insert a small tube to harvest the fat.
2. The second stage is fat purification. – Once the fat harvesting is over, the material goes through the purification and preparation process.
3. The third stage is injecting. – The surgeon adds fullness to the buttocks area by injecting the fat. Proper placement usually requires up to five incisions around the buttocks.
4. The fourth stage is stitching. – Closing the incisions and applying a compression garment helps stop the bleeding and boosts the wound healing process.

The Benefits

The Brazilian butt lift has the best benefits/risks ratio of all buttocks-reshaping procedures.

It enables you to achieve a natural-looking roundness and addresses common age-related issues, such as sagging and shapelessness.

In a way, it is also the safest procedure. There is no risk of leakage, like in the case of silicone implants and other, often illegal, artificial fillers. The risk of infections is also significantly lower.

Other procedures are also more likely to require revision or repair later on.

What are the potential side effects?

Due to their invasive nature, surgeries are risky. A surgical incision is nothing but a controlled tissue injury, and it sets off the same response inside your body as any other type of trauma.

The Brazilian butt lift carries fewer risks than silicone butt implants. Still, some of the side effects may be life-threatening. Luckily, these are rare.

Here's a list of potentially severe side effects:

• Pain
• Scarring
• Infections
• Tissue necrosis in the treated areas (loss of skin)
• Lumps forming after liposuction in the donor or recipient sites
• Life-threatening fat embolism in the lungs or heart

Fat embolism, the last entry on the list, is the most dangerous complication. It occurs due to incorrect injection of fat tissue. As a result, the fat enters large veins and travels to the heart or lungs causing cardiac or respiratory distress and death.

Current statistics show a 0.033% chance of a fatal outcome following Brazilian butt lift surgery.

The Recovery Process

The cosmetic intervention is highly-invasive. There is no way to cruise through the recovery process. Even if all goes well and there are no complications, the recovery will take two weeks or longer.

During these first two weeks, you will not be able to sit on your buttocks or sleep on your back. The swelling in the procedure area will last for several weeks, and the full results may take up to six months to show.

Sometimes, additional procedures are necessary to achieve the desired outcome.

The Final Word

Brazilian butt lift is gaining popularity worldwide as a "natural" procedure with highly-satisfying outcomes. All of that is true under certain circumstances.

However, before you decide to get one, consult a medical professional. Also, consider all the other factors such as the cost, recovery time, and potential risks. That's the formula to make a choice that best suits your needs.

References:

• Che DH, Xiao ZB. Gluteal Augmentation with Fat Grafting: Literature Review. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2021;45(4):1633-1641. doi:10.1007/s00266-020-02038-w
• Chia CT, Theodorou SJ, Dayan E, Tabbal G, Del Vecchio D. "Brazilian Butt Lift" under Local Anesthesia: A Novel Technique Addressing Safety Concerns. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018;142(6):1468-1475. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000005067
• Ghavami A, Villanueva NL. Gluteal Augmentation and Contouring with Autologous Fat Transfer: Part I. Clin Plast Surg. 2018;45(2):249-259. doi:10.1016/j.cps.2017.12.009
• Mofid MM, Teitelbaum S, Suissa D, et al. Report on Mortality from Gluteal Fat Grafting: Recommendations from the ASERF Task Force. Aesthet Surg J. 2017;37(7):796-806. doi:10.1093/asj/sjx004