Butt augmentation and the Brazilian butt lift are the two most popular techniques used for gluteal enhancement. In a Brazilian butt lift, your own fat is transferred to your buttocks after being taken from another area of your body, like your abdomen or thighs, using liposuction. Many patients choose this method because they feel it is safer and more natural. In a butt augmentation procedure, silicone implants are placed to add volume and shape to the buttocks. This can be a suitable option for people who are very lean and do not have enough excess fat to support a BBL surgery.

BBL surgery involves three basic steps. First, fat is removed from one or more areas of your body with liposuction until a sufficient amount has been harvested. Second, the fat is processed and prepared for transfer. Third, the fat is strategically injected into specific areas of your buttocks to increase volume and improve shape. BBL surgery is an outpatient procedure performed using localized or general anesthesia. You will be able to return home later that day to recover in familiar surroundings.

The most common areas of fat harvesting for the Brazilian butt lift include the abdomen, lower back, waist, love handles, hips and thighs. These are the safest sites for removing large volumes of fat. The upper back and arms can provide fat in smaller quantities. In thinner patients, liposuction may need to be performed on multiple areas to collect enough fat for transfer. The ideal amount of fat varies from patient to patient, since each person has different ideas about what the ideal backside looks like. Very thin people with little fat are not good candidates for this procedure.

As with most surgeries, the temporary side effects of a Brazilian butt lift include bruising, swelling and redness. The average length of downtime for BBL recovery ranges from about 10 to 14 days. While your results will be noticeable immediately after the procedure, it will take about six months for residual swelling to go down and for your new tissue to settle fully into its improved shape. It’s critical that you follow your plastic surgeon’s instructions for aftercare during this time to ensure the best possible outcome.

An important part of your recovery is maximizing the amount of fat that “takes” after BBL surgery. One of the things that can help increase the amount of fat that stays is preventing any trauma to the buttock area, including sitting. Prolonged pressure on your buttocks during the healing process can interfere with the survival of your transferred fat. To avoid this, you will be instructed to wear a compression garment, sleep exclusively on your stomach and limit the amount of time you spend sitting for several weeks after your procedure. Regular sitting activity can typically be resumed after about eight weeks.

Yes, but they are minimal. A small incision must be made to insert the cannula for liposuction, so surgical scars can appear in any area where liposuction is performed. Fortunately, the incisions are small — usually not more than one centimeter in length — and your surgeon will take care to place them in areas where they are camouflaged within the natural folds of your body or can be hidden with clothes. Your incisions will fade over time and, depending on your skin tone, can become virtually unnoticeable once they have fully healed.

Although a portion of the fat injected into your buttocks will naturally be absorbed by your body, the results of your BBL procedure can last for many years. Fat cells that are extracted through liposuction will never regenerate in the treated area and the injected fat cells that survive the transfer (generally about 60-80 percent) will endure indefinitely. You should not require any touch-ups after your Brazilian butt lift surgery.

The fat cells injected into your buttocks will act like any other fat cells in your body. If you lose weight, they will shrink. If you gain weight, they will expand. Because weight fluctuations can compromise your results, maintaining a stable weight and a healthy lifestyle after your BBL procedure is crucial. It’s best if you are at or very close to your ideal weight before undergoing a Brazilian butt lift.

A Brazilian butt lift offers the benefits of two surgeries — augmentation of the buttocks and liposuction in one or more “problem areas” with excess fat — in a single procedure. If you’re looking for even more dramatic improvement, it’s possible to combine your BBL with another procedure. Patients who are concerned about loose skin around their buttocks, hips or thighs may choose to combine their BBL with a thigh lift for complete rejuvenation of their lower body.

Whether you want to accentuate your curves, achieve more perky and youthful buttocks, or improve the way clothing fits your body, a Brazilian butt lift can put you on the path to a more well-defined posterior. The best candidates for this procedure have good skin tone and elasticity, are in good overall health and have readily available fat stores that can be transferred during the treatment.