How would a Brazilian butt lift help my body shape?
Written in association with:What is a Brazilian butt lift (BBL)?
A Brazilian butt lift is a buttock augmentation. It is a surgical procedure that is based on liposuction and fat injection. The basic concept is that by adding volume to the central and lateral compartment of the buttock, we can create an expansion of the whole anatomical area and a powerful lift. Liposuction can be performed in so many anatomical areas including the lower face, neck, arms, thighs, knees, calves, and certainly the anterior abdominal wall of the flanks and the fullback.
The fat then needs to be purified from blood, water, local anaesthesia, and also from some oil that comes from damage to the fat cells, before we can inject it in the areas where we want it to stay. I tend to inject an average of 600 to 900cc of fat on each butt side in order to achieve a more dramatic result. The overall satisfaction rate is extremely high.
How would a Brazilian butt lift help my body shape?
It is very obvious how ageing is associated with an increase in the volume of fat over the abdominal wall and the flanks: and at the same time, the fat in the buttock area tends to shrink or reduce in volume. What we call the love handles become the most prominent part of our profile when we look at ourselves from the frontal view, the side, and particularly from the back view. This is where a successful Brazilian butt lift recreates a much more youthful profile, by reducing the abdominal circumference at 360 degrees giving a fuller and more lifted buttock.
How is a Brazilian butt lift performed?
The procedure can be performed under general anaesthesia or under sedation. Most of the time is spent doing liposuction and it’s amazing how accurate this body sculpting can be when we select the appropriate technology such as VASER and power-assisted liposuction.
Overall time for surgery can be anywhere between an hour and a half to four hours. During this time, the patient is rotated continuously on the surgical bed in order to understand exactly how the body is being shaped by reducing volume.
This is extremely important to optimise the level of symmetry and also to reduce the chances of irregularities that sometimes will show only when we look at the body from very specific angles. Towards the end of the surgery, I use drains in order to reduce the incidence of seromas and very rarely, use sutures because the incisions are so small that they really tend to fade within one year or two.
How much does a Brazilian butt lift cost?
The surgery depends on a number of factors: how many areas the patient will have liposuction, how large those areas are and how much of the fat will need to be extracted. Patients aiming for a definition of their abdominal wall will undergo a procedure that takes much longer than those that require a flat, volume reduction.
The addition of VASER technology certainly adds time and cost to the procedure. The starting price in my clinic is £5,500 and the average cost of the procedure is £8,500. This includes all the hospital and anaesthetic fees and follow-up appointments directly to me for a lifetime.
What are the risks of a Brazilian butt lift?
A careful assessment and surgical plan made with a specialist will reveal different types and severity of complications that will change from patient to patient. Certain complications are specific for liposuctions such as perforation of the abdominal cavity or the chest wall, seromas, tissue indurations, irregularities, and asymmetry.
Early management of swelling is critical in reducing the chance of complications and also reduce the risk of horrible results. For this reason, in my clinic, we insist on three aspects:
- Use of excellent compression garments.
- Massage performed by a well-trained professional.
- Early mobilisation.
These three points are so important that my team and I are constantly available to guide patients towards the whole healing process.
The fat injection is associated with a completely different pattern of complications such as lumps, cysts. Fat embolism is also being reported. Certainly, the fat can be reabsorbed partially. In order to recognise the complications in an early stage and to treat them accordingly, it’s very important to have a good collaboration between patient and doctor. Patients are invited to follow the prescription strictly and the follow-ups schedule.
What is recovery like following a Brazilian butt lift operation?
Patients are able to stand up, eat and drink straight after surgery but I usually recommend for them to stay one night in a hospital in order to stay on the safe side. There’s an agreed ‘no sitting policy’ for two weeks and during that time, patients will have to sleep on their side or on their tummy. In absence of complications, I like to tell my patients that they will be back to their very full activity within four to six weeks.
