If you’re unhappy with the size and proportions of your post-pregnancy butt, you might be thinking about various options to get a mommy makeover that will help you bounce back to your old shape. One popular procedure is the Brazilian butt lift, a fat transfer surgery that alters the size and shape of the butt without the use of implants.
If you are considering undergoing a Brazilian butt lift, it’s paramount to be well informed regarding the procedure, what’s involved, safety considerations, costs, and how to pick the right physician to perform the surgery. For all this and more, keep reading.
What Is A Brazilian Butt Lift?
In simple terms, a Brazilian butt lift is a special type of fat transfer surgery that affects the shape and size of your butt. Rather than using implants to achieve the desired appearance, extra fat is taken from other regions of the body such as the thighs, lower back, abdomen, and hips. The fat is removed through liposuction before being injected straight into the butt.
A trained and experienced surgeon can vastly improve the appearance of your proportions throughout the lower half of your body with a Brazilian butt lift, making it easier to get rid of fat in those stubborn problem areas while enhancing the look and feel of your butt.
The appearance, configurations, and appearance of your butt primarily come down to a matter of genetics, including how your body and skeletal system retain fat throughout your lower body. After pregnancy and giving birth, you might find that your butt is flat and does not have the shape or appearance it once had.
As your hips expanded in preparation for giving birth, you might also now notice that you have certain problem areas on your hips or thighs that weren’t there before. Of course, this is completely normal! You’ve just done an amazing thing giving birth to a human being, and it is completely up to you to decide whether or not a cosmetic procedure is the right fix for you.
You should never go into any type of procedure with the intent to meet someone else’s image ideals for your body. A Brazilian butt lift can be a wonderful opportunity to improve the appearance and shape of your buttocks region, but if you decide to proceed, you should do it for yourself and no one else.
A Brazilian butt lift not only enhances your lower body’s curves, but can lessen fat stores in the belly, thigh, and hip regions will maintaining a nice fullness in the buttocks. The procedure can also help your clothing fit better, imbuing a more youthful shape and complementing your body’s natural proportions.
How Is a Brazilian Butt Lift Done?
There are several steps involved in having a Brazilian butt lift done. When you go in for the procedure, the first thing the surgeon will do is mark the region where the excess fat will be taken from with a surgical marker. The doctor will also mark the target areas for the incisions where he or she will later inject the fat.
Brazilian butt lift incisions are fairly minute, typically 2 to 3 millimeters each. A skilled surgeon can help to ensure the incisions are not very noticeable, particularly as some of the incisions will be inside the crease of your butt.
At this point, you will receive an anesthetic to ensure you are calm and comfortable throughout your Brazilian butt lift. General anesthesia is frequently used, but sometimes intravenous sedation or local anesthesia are used instead. The kind of anesthetic administered will be determined by you and your doctor.
Once the anesthetic has taken effect, the procedure is set to begin. The surgeon will start by remove excess fat from the target region through the use of liposuction. The area where the fat is harvested from as well as your buttocks will be disinfected with agents such as antibacterial soap to fight the risk of infection.
Next, the surgeon will make incisions where the fat was harvested from as well as in the butt. The incisions at the harvest region are where cannula tubes will be inserted for liposuction and to inject tumescent fluid into the fat. The butt incisions are where the fat transfer will take place.
The tumescent fluid is injected through a cannula into the region where liposuction will occur and a smaller amount into the area where the fat will later be injected. Tumescent fluid is made of epinephrine and lidocaine, the former of which helps to reduce bleeding and bruising while the latter serves as a numbing agent.
Through liposuction, fat is suctioned out of the harvest area (such as the abdomen or love handles) into a container to hold the fat to be transferred. The airtight container prevents contamination and reduces the potential for infection.
The fat is then collected into big syringes that separate the tumescent fluid from the fat. Once the fluid is thrown out, the fat is collected into small syringes and attached to a cannula tube. Through the syringe and cannula tube, the fat is injected into the buttocks.
After the Brazilian butt lift is finished, the surgeon seals the incisions with sutures, which are fiber strands used to sew the edges of the cuts together. The doctor may also cover the incisions with steri-strips.
What Is Used in the Butt Injections?
A Brazilian butt lift is unique from other some other types of cosmetic procedures to the buttocks because the injections contain the patient’s own fat taken from other regions of the body to contour and shape the butt. Common harvest regions for the fat used in butt injections are the thighs, love handles, upper arms, and tummy areas.
Brazilian Butt Lift vs. a Regular Butt Lift
The primary difference between a Brazilian butt lift vs. a regular butt lift is that the former offers a rounded, firmer, curved look to the bottom of the butt, while the latter is designed specifically to get rid of excess fat and skin to increase the aesthetics of the region. A Brazilian butt lift is not designed to remove sagging, baggy skin, so if this is your intent you might be a better candidate for a traditional butt lift.
With a Brazilian butt lift, the anesthetic is administered, tiny incisions are made for fat extraction and injection, and the fat is suctioned out in the harvest area through liposuction. The fat is readied for reinjection and a cannula tube injects the purified fat into the butt through a syringe. Sutures are used to close the incisions and drains are inserted into the region.
Anesthesia is also administered for a regular butt lift, but the incision is often a single large one running between each hip down the lower back. Sometimes, other incisions may be made under the butt cheeks, in the groin, and/or hip regions.
The excess skin is then pulled upwards to “lift” thighs and butt before being removed. Liposuction may also be used during the butt lift before the incisions are sutured shut. Temporary drains are used with traditional butt lifts.
Is a Brazilian Butt Lift Painful?
Following the Brazilian butt lift, it is perfectly normal to feel some discomfort and pain, particularly in the areas where the liposuction took place and swelling and bruising gathers. You receive a compression garment after the procedure which should help reduce your discomfort as well as any swelling or bruising.
Is Getting a Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery Safe?
Brazilian butt lifts are a controversial procedure in the cosmetic surgery world, as they can lead to serious injury or death if done incorrectly or by an unlicensed practitioner who does not have proper training.
It is essential not only to be educated about Brazilian butt lifts if you’re considering one but also to take the time to research physicians. You should speak with multiple providers to ensure you select a doctor qualified and experienced enough to perform the surgery safely.
Here’s what you need to know about the risks of Brazilian butt lifts and how to ensure the surgery is done safely.
Risks of Doing a Fat Transfer to Buttocks
The primary risks of doing a fat transfer to the buttocks include:
- If the surgery is performed by a non-licensed individual
- If injections use fillers and silicone rather than fat
- If the operating area and surgical instruments used are not sterile
- If the fat is injected deep into the muscle
Experience and the proper training is imperative when selecting a surgeon to do your Brazilian butt lift. It is completely unsafe and could even be fatal to go with a non-licensed practitioner who lacks the knowledge and training to get the job done.
Injections using materials like fillers or silicone, while FDA approved for procedures like breast enhancement, are not approved for Brazilian butt lifts.
Because Brazilian butt lifts are one of the more expensive cosmetic surgeries available, patients might be tempted to look for low-cost alternatives. Using these types of fillers could not only lead to unattractive results necessitating revision surgeries but could be dangerous and even deadly.
If the surgical instruments used and operating area are not properly sterilized, this puts you at risk of infection and complications.
If fat is injected deep into the muscle, or via intramuscular injection during the Brazilian butt lift, this can be very dangerous. If the cannula tube is inserted deep into the muscles where blood vessels and nerves are situated, a fat embolism could occur, which can in some cases be fatal.
How to Make Sure Your Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery Is Done Safely
The first step to ensuring that your Brazilian butt lift surgery is done safely is to recognize that the procedure looks different for every patient. Brazilian butt lifts do have higher risk factors than some other cosmetic procedures, but there are plenty of patients who have received safe and successful fat transfers.
The body of each patient is different and unique with different levels of muscle and fat. So, what could pose little risk for one patient could be unsafe for you, which makes it important to select a surgeon who understands the variances involved in each procedure.
It is non-negotiable that your Brazilian butt lift is performed by a board-certified cosmetic surgeon who has experience performing successful procedures for an array of patients with varying body types. The surgeon needs to understand the limits of the surgery, the most recent safety measures, and be totally up front with you about the projected results and recovery involved.
The Cost of Getting a Brazilian Butt Lift
There are a variety of factors that will affect the cost of your Brazilian butt lift. These include:
- The experience and expertise your surgeon has to offer
- The actual location of your surgery, as prices vary widely based on the city
- Your medical history and health, as certain conditions could increase the difficulty of the surgery and lengthen the recovery time
- The sedation and anesthesia used in your surgery
- The medications prescribed
- The compression garment and other materials ordered or provided by your doctor
- Your insurance (most companies won’t cover a Brazilian butt lift, as these are considered elective procedures)
With that said, the average cost of a Brazilian butt lift ranges from $2,000 up to $10,000.
How Long Does a Brazilian Butt Lift Last?
Brazilian butt lifts are intended to last for years. The fat cells suctioned out will not migrate back to the harvest region and the transferred fat can survive for many years.
Factors like weight fluctuation can alter the results of your Brazilian butt lift, so maintaining a healthy weight can be key to preserving the look longterm. Brazilian butt lift results are usually finalized by six months out from the surgery once the swelling has receded and the healing process has completed.
Recovering from a Brazilian Butt Lift
Recovering from your Brazilian butt lift should involve minimal pain (particularly through the aid of pain medications), but you will need to modify your routine during the recovery process. You will not be permitted to lie on your butt or sit on it for approximately two weeks following the procedure.
During this period, you will need to sleep on your side or stomach, lying in those positions or standing at all times unless you use the bathroom. Once approved by your surgeon, you can sit in certain positions by using a donut seat or inserting a pillow beneath your thighs, so you don’t put pressure on the surgery area. You should be able to resume regular sitting after around eight weeks.
Assuming you adhere to all instructions provided by your surgeon following the Brazilian butt lift, you should be able to get back to a light daily routine a week out and return to work 10 to 14 days after the procedure.
How to Find a Board Certified Surgeon to Perform Your Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery
As things currently stand, the government does not mandate that a surgeon be trained in the particular procedure they perform. With cosmetic surgery, this means that you could have a general surgeon performing intricate body augmentation and enhancements!
Finding a board certified surgeon doesn’t have to be complicated. Always ask each surgeon you meet with whether they are board certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.
Use the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery’s Find ABCS Surgeons page to search for board certified surgeons near you. That way, you can properly vet and research physicians before you interview them to ensure you select the one with the proper experience and expertise to perform your Brazilian butt lift.