Brazilian Butt Lift in Santa Barbara, CA
It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but many perceive age as the enemy of beauty. When it comes to the buttocks, aging often results in a loss of perkiness and volume in specific areas of the backside that can only be properly reshaped with lifting or volume.
There have been many studies from Brazil evaluating the perfect behind, and this knowledge has allowed well-trained plastic surgeons to understand the aesthetic goals and skillfully recreate a youthful appearance. For instance, when women wear high heels, two things happen: The legs appear longer and the arch of the back is exaggerated which gives the illusion of firmer buttocks. This is called hyper-lordosis, a very attractive feature in women that is created with posture, high heels, or yes, even plastic surgery.
Fat Transfer Butt Lift
A better butt can be created with your own fat from liposuction. Dr. Neavin prefers using a combination of liposuction above the buttocks to reshape the lower back and transferred fat from multiple areas of the body, which is placed into the buttocks for reshaping.
A beautiful butt starts from the lower back. The slope from the back is often lost with age or fat deposits due to weight gain. In some cases, you may not need to be augmented to improve shape. The removal of unwanted fat above the buttock where it meets the lower back can dramatically give the illusion of youthful perkiness. When liposuction in this area doesn’t provide sufficient fat for transfer, the buttocks can be augmented with either implants or fat from other areas of the body.
Buttock implants can produce amazing, long-lasting results. The downside is that they can feel firm in very thin people, they require an incision, and there are higher rates of infection and malposition than with breast implants. In truth, butt implant surgery is a totally different animal than breast implant surgery. Gluteoplasty or buttock augmentation is a good alternative to someone with a flat backside that has no fat to harvest. However, when fat is available for transfer, a BBL, or Brazilian butt lift is the preferred surgery for enhancement.
A Brazilian butt lift refers to fat grafting to the butt. When a saggy or flat butt is filled with fat, it looks perkier. This is a great surgery for women or men who have adequate fat in unwanted areas. It is not a good choice for very thin men and women since large volumes of fat must be extracted to create the desired results. Approximately 200 cc is needed for each buttock cheek to achieve sufficient enlargement. Some men and women don’t have 400 cc of extra fat that is amenable to liposuction. In these individuals, implants offer a better choice. Large fat transfers may include up to 500 cc or more per side.
It is important to note that not all fat removed from the body will survive when injected into the buttocks. The true survival rate of these fat cells is probably 40 to 50 percent. Thus, over-correction is often the rule with a BBL. Transfer of fat over certain reasonable volumes will not necessarily offer better enhancements. Rather, excessive transfers increase risks and should be avoided.
Liposuctioned fat is processed in the operating room and injected into the buttock mounds in multiple tissue planes. The goal is to restore projection and perkiness, and at times, widen the buttock and hips. The results are immediate, dramatic, and permanent. Buttock augmentation with fat grafting is a great operation for someone who wants a slimmer waist and fuller butt.
If you are dissatisfied with the curves on your backside, buttock augmentation might be the right choice for you. To learn more about this procedure, schedule a consultation with Dr. Neavin at 310-858-8811 or text 323-975-1287.
FAQ
What is a Brazilian butt lift?
A Brazilian butt lift refers to the autologous transfer of one’s excess fat from areas like the lower back or waist to the buttocks to enhance buttock size and shape. The surgery aims to create more of a slope of the lower back as it approaches the buttock, called “lordosis”, and improve projection and size of the buttocks with additional volume.
How do I know if I have enough fat for a Brazilian butt lift?
This is a very good question. To see changes in buttock size and shape after Brazilian butt lift surgery, one will need either significant removal of fat from the lower back and/or significant transfer of fat to the buttock. The most powerful combinations is when the lower back can be sculpted with liposuction and fat from the lower back, waist, love handles, and abdomen can be transferred to the buttock.
Very thin women with little fat are not good candidates for this surgery, since the limiting factor to the Brazilian butt lift is donor site availability and sufficient fat to transfer. Transfers of under 100 cc of fat per buttock is often not a large enough volume to see significant differences without aggressive sculpting of the lower back.
The ideal amount of fat varies from person to person, since each patient has different ideas about what the ideal backside will look like and how much augmentation is desired.
In men and women who desire a larger butt but do not have adequate fat, one cold consider having an implant placed or proceed with a series of Sculptra ® injections to produce similar results.
How much of the fat will survive?
It is impossible to give very accurate figures because survival depends on the volume of the transfer, technique, and the patient’s own ability to integrate the fat. One may read anywhere between 30 percent and 65 percent of fat survives on average during a fat transfer to the buttock. These are reasonable numbers. When the volume of the transfer exceeds the available space, the survival rate drops off. Because not all fat will survive, it is important to over-correct the area in anticipation that the final result will shrink somewhat from the size of the initial transfer.
How much fat can be transferred into the buttocks?
This question should really read, “How much fat can SAFELY be transferred into the buttock?”. When there is a surplus of donor tissue, the real limitation relates to safety. A Brazilian butt lift remains a safe operation for the most part when transfers are performed within reason. Risks of fat necrosis, infection, and fat emboli increase as volumes increase. While it is difficult to put precise numbers on the volume amount that creates an unsafe procedure, transfers greater than 500 cc per buttock will remain on the more aggressive side of the scale. However, even these larger amounts can be reasonable in the right, healthy patient.
Where can the fat be taken?
The most common areas of fat harvesting for the Brazilian butt lift include the lower back, waist, love handles, abdomen, and thighs. The largest volumes of fat can be taken safely from these sites. Upper back and arms are also areas that can provide fat in smaller quantities. In thinner women, it is not uncommon to perform liposuction on multiple areas to collect adequate fat for transfer.
What if I don’t have enough fat? Can I use someone else’s fat?
No. It is only safe to use your own fat for any type of fat transfer.
How long will the results last?
Upon the transfer of fat to the buttocks, some fat will inevitably not survive. The fat cells that do live will provide long-lasting results.
When will I see permanent results after Brazilian butt lift?
After surgery, swelling will persist for weeks to months in both the areas where fat was harvested and transferred. In the ensuing weeks following transfer, some of the fat cells will not survive. The body will essentially absorb the cells that could not integrate over the course of weeks. With all of these post-operative elements in motion, final results will not be visible for at least three months after surgery.
What if I gain weight? Will my butt get bigger?
Maybe. Fat cells in every part of the body expand with weight gain related to fat. Thus, when body fat increases, the buttock will get bigger. Weight gain may also be unrelated to fat. Muscle actually weights more than fat per volume. Thus, buttock growth will depend on the type of weight that is added.
Fat will preferentially deposit in areas that were not harvested for transfer.
Can you make the butt wider?
Yes. Fat can be transferred to any area of the buttocks. In most cases, the goal is to improve size in projection and width.
Can I sit on my butt after surgery?
One should avoid sitting on their backside for two weeks following Brazilian butt lift. This is because pressure can interfere with fat cell survival. There are specific pillows that can be purchased online to assist with sitting properly during the recovery period.
Will the fat injected be smooth or lumpy?
Fat transfer into the buttock should be deep. With deep fat injections, the fat should not become lumpy. Results should become smooth but may be hard or firm at first. However, it is rare for the fat to remain hard for a prolonged period of time.
Will my butt feel natural?
Yes. After the swelling subsides and the fat that didn’t survive is flushed out by the body, the buttock should take on a very natural feel.
How long will it take before my butt feels normal?
One can expect firmness from the surgery to last for up to three months. Firmness is related to swelling and fat necrosis (cells not surviving the process of transfer). Once swelling subsides and the body clears the dead cells, the buttock should resume a softer, more natural feel.
Where are the scars in a Brazilian butt lift?
Surgical scars will be found in areas where liposuction is performed, and possibly on the buttock itself, depending on the access site of the injection and one’s propensity to scar.
Incisions from liposuction are small, about one centimeter in length, and usually placed in areas where they can be hidden with clothes or camouflaged within the natural folds of the body. The scars, while small, are most visible for the first six months following surgery. They will fade over time, and depending on one’s skin tone, become almost invisible in some patients. Any dark and raised scar can be revised, but usually not before six months post-op.
Can I have a Brazilian butt lift if I have a butt implant?
It is probably unwise to place fat into the buttock if there is any other foreign body there, such as an implant or permanent injection (oil, silicone, etc.) The procedure can introduce bacteria into the tissues and cause an infection of the implant or foreign body.
What if big butts go out of style? Can I reverse it?
It is difficult, but not impossible to reduce the fullness of the buttock. Liposuction can be performed to the buttock, but it may result in irregularities or sagginess if significant amounts of fat is removed in one session. It would be safer to remove fat from the buttock in stages if one was adamant about having a smaller butt.
How much does a Brazilian butt lift cost?
The cost of surgery will depend on surgeon qualifications, experience and reputation, geography, and length and complexity of the procedure. If multiple areas of liposuction are required or the volume of transfer is very large, the cost of surgery will be reflected in the additional time required for anesthesia, operating room time, and surgeon time. A Brazilian butt lift will cost approximately $8,000 and up.
Achieving a fuller, more voluptuous backside is easier today, thanks to the introduction of the fat transfer technique. To find out if you are a candidate for a Brazilian butt lift, contact Artisan of Beauty today at 310‑858‑8811.