Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL)

One of the main risks associated with the surgery is fat embolism, which occurs when fat is inadvertently injected into a blood vessel and travels to other parts of the body, potentially causing serious complications. Fat embolism can lead to organ damage, pulmonary embolism (a blockage in the lung), or even death. However, it’s important to note that fat embolism is a rare but potentially severe complication, and steps can be taken during the procedure to minimize the risk, such as using proper injection techniques, and ensuring the fat is injected into the correct tissue planes.

Ultrasound-assisted fat injection is a safe way of fat injection as it is possible to see the plane of injection and avoid blood vessels. Dr. Demirkan is a well-trained and quite experienced surgeon, and he performs BBL according to the safety guidelines of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

After a Brazilian Butt Lift procedure, it is normal for a percentage of the fat that was injected to be naturally absorbed by the body. Not all of the transferred fat will survive long-term. The extent of fat survival can vary from person to person and depends on several factors, including the technique used during the procedure, the skill of the surgeon, and how well the fat is integrated into the surrounding tissues.

On average, it is estimated that about 60-80% of the injected fat will survive long-term. This means that some volume loss may occur over time, however, additional touch-up procedures are usually unnecessary.

During the initial recovery period, there is typically some swelling in the buttocks, which can make the buttocks appear larger than the final result. As the swelling subsides, the true outcome of the procedure becomes more evident. This should not be mistaken as fat resorption. It usually takes several weeks to months for the final results to be apparent.

The amount of fat that can be safely injected into the buttocks during a BBL procedure depends on several factors, including the patient’s individual anatomy, skin elasticity, desired outcome, the surgeon’s judgment, and the available fat donor sites. Depending on these variables it may be between 300 cc- 1500 cc per side. It is generally recommended to avoid injecting excessive volumes of fat during a single procedure to minimize the risk of complications. Injecting too much fat at once can increase the chances of fat necrosis (tissue death) as fat cells’ survival during the initial postoperative days depends on the presence of normal living cells surrounding them. So, less is more” in fat injection.

Fat injection to the butt can be repeated if necessary. This is not a frequently required procedure, however, if needed, it is usually either to augment the size of the butt more or to fill the lower outer quadrant of the buttock halves. It should be noted that fat does not have a consistency like silicone implants and too much fat may not lift the butt, and on the contrary, may cause a gravitational force for sagging.

It’s important to note that maintaining a stable body weight after the BBL procedure is essential. Significant weight fluctuations can affect the overall shape and volume of the buttocks, including the areas where fat was injected. If you gain weight significantly, after BBL, your butt may enlarge. However, the distribution of the volume increase may not be even and asymmetries may result. If you have a prominent weight loss, then the size of your butt may decrease. So it is better to have a stable weight after BBL.

Depending on the area of fat injection in your butt, you may need a special pillow to sit after BBL, during the early days. This is to relieve the pressure on the newly injected fat cells trying to adapt to their surroundings. Because sitting causes a tremendous weight loading to the lower quadrants of the butt and BBL pillows which are placed under your thighs, let the butt area suspended in the air.

However, if you did not have a fat injection to the lower half of the but you may not need to use these pillows, as the injected areas stay well over the butt contact area during sitting. Anyway, sitting after BBL should be limited to 20 minutes every 2 hours, during the first 5 days, to prevent ischemia of the fat grafts.

The preferred sleeping position after BBL is the prone position to take the pressure away from the butt region. This is particularly important for the first 3-5 days. With Dr. Demirkan’s technique, sleeping on your back is acceptable unless you raise the head part of your bed (a semi-sitting position), as this transfers the body weight significantly over the butt area. However, sleeping on your side is prohibited for the first 2 weeks.

A graft means a cell which is transferred to a new location without a blood supply. So its survival depends on its contact with the surrounding alive recipient tissue cells. In this way, graft cells develop tiny blood vessels from the recipient area that will feed them. However, this process takes a minimum of 7 days.

The most important thing during this first week after the surgery is not to cause excessive movement in the grafted area, as this will cause the rupture of newly developing blood vessels towards the grafted fat cells. Therefore, there should be an ideal balance of walking after BBL, that is adequate to prevent any deep vein thrombosis, but not too much to destroy fat graft survival. Dr. Demirkan will advise you in detail about your mobilization program after the surgery. You will be given blood thinners as well to prevent thrombotic complications.

A BBL corset differs from a standard liposuction corset in the butt area: there is a less tight and more elastic fabric in the butt area of BBL corsets, to allow swelling after the surgery without compromising the survival of fat grafts due to compression.