Brazilian Butt Lift

A Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) is a popular cosmetic procedure designed to enhance the shape and volume of the buttocks using your own body fat. This innovative technique offers a natural, long-lasting solution for achieving a fuller, more contoured silhouette without the need for implants.

The BBL procedure begins with liposuction to gently remove unwanted fat from areas such as the abdomen, thighs, flanks, or back. The extracted fat is then carefully purified and strategically injected into the buttocks to create a more rounded, lifted appearance. By using your body’s own fat, the procedure not only sculpts the donor areas but also provides a more natural look and feel.

Ideal candidates for a Brazilian Butt Lift are individuals in good overall health with adequate fat reserves for transfer. The procedure is perfect for those looking to improve their body proportions, enhance curves, or restore volume lost due to aging or weight loss.

Benefits of a BBL include:

• A more shapely, contoured figure.
• Enhanced buttock volume and projection.
• Natural-looking and long-lasting results.
• No foreign implants or synthetic materials.

If you’re ready to achieve the curves you’ve always wanted, a Brazilian Butt Lift could be the perfect solution for you.

Who Is a Candidate for a Brazilian Butt Lift

Assuming good overall health, most women considering this operation are likely going to be good candidates.

The exception to this is women who are very thin. Some women are thin enough that there is not enough fat to harvest for the injection. In some cases, Dr. Lewis may suggest a small weight gain in these patients to be able to increase the fat for the injection. Dr. Lewis can talk with you about this if this is a concern.

This operation also can give an improvement in the contour of other areas such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, flanks, and back as liposuction is used as a part of this operation and improves the shape of the areas used to get the donor fat.

In the early stage of buttock augmentation, implants were commonly used to give volume and definition to a person’s buttock. Unfortunately, implants for the buttocks have shown to have a high rate on complications including poor position, pain, infection, and rotation. Dr. Lewis does not perform this operation for these reasons.

A Brazilian Butt Lift uses your own fat to augment (enlarge) your buttock. This creates a more youthful, larger buttock that can fill out your clothes, as you want. It uses your own tissue and once fully healed is permanent and natural feeling.

Procedure

What is involved in a Brazilian butt lift procedure?

The operation is a two-step process and takes 2-4 hours. The length of time is depended on the volume of fat that is desired and the ease of obtaining that fat.

Tumescent Liposuction:

The operation starts with tumescent liposuction to harvest the fat needed for the fat grafting to the buttock. The fat is commonly harvested from the abdomen, flanks, love handles, back and thighs. Dr. Lewis and each patient decide the locations for the fat harvest. This liposuction not only gets the fat needed for injection, but also improves the contour of the areas from where the fat is taken!

See this page for more details on the liposuction:

Autologous Fat Transfer to the buttocks

During the liposuction phase of the surgery, fat is collected in a sterile collection device on the back table. This is in contrast to most cases in which the fat collected during liposuction is ultimately thrown away. The fat is then prepared carefully antibiotic solution as well as local anesthetics are added to it. Dr. Lewis uses a Moller liposuction system. This is the only pump that is FDA approved for transferring fat. The fat is then transferred to the buttock carefully. Ultrasound is used at this portion to ascertain and to make sure that the fat is not transferred anywhere near the deep veins underneath the gluteus musculature and that this plane is not violated.

Will anesthesia and pain relief be used during / after surgery?

Brazilian butt lifts are performed under general anesthesia. The surgery can take from two to four hours. It is outpatient surgery and you will go home the same day.

You will be made comfortable throughout the whole procedure. You will be asleep with general anesthesia during the surgery. This is a very safe technique for anesthesia. During the procedure local anesthetic is also injected into the all the areas of liposuction as well as the areas that the fat is transferred. This helps decrease postoperative pain.

At the end of the procedure, compressive garments were placed on each patient’s and when they awake they are taken to the recovery room.

Ultrasound during Surgery/ Fat Embolism

Dr. Lewis is a huge proponent of using ultrasound during for safety. Since the advent of the procedure, this carious complication associated with this procedure is fat embolism. This has occurred when the big veins underneath the gluteus muscles are injured with the cannulas placing the fat and subsequently the fat that is being injected can migrate into them. This fat can travel to the lungs and people have died from this. Dr. Lewis historically has used access incisions that diminish the risk of this and has never had a patient have an episode of a fat embolism.

Dr. Lewis is on the forefront of safety for this procedure and is a huge advocate and using ultrasound during Brazilian Butt Lift. This allows immediate and continuous visualization of the placement of the fat and in this circumstance, fat embolism should not be possible

What happens immediately after surgery?

Immediately following surgery patients will be wrapped in surgical garments to control post-operative swelling. Mild discomfort, soreness and swelling are common and with proper care and easily managed.

Our patients initially recover in the recovery room, observed by our licensed nurses. After a short period when you are awake and comfortable, you will be able to go home to rest.

Dr. Lewis demands that you do get up and walk even the first day of surgery. However, after a Brazilian Butt Lift he does not want you to sit on your buttock or lie flat on your back for about 2 weeks after the operation. The fat that was injected takes time to get new blood supply and during that time he wants you to avoid pressure to the grafted fat. You may lie on your stomach or sides.

In most cases, you will be placed in a compression garment at the time of surgery. This is to decrease swelling in the period after surgery. The swelling will be less if you wear the garments as directed. We usually recommend wearing the garments for 3-6 weeks depending on the areas involved.

How long will complete recovery take?

The speed and comfort level associated with Brazilian Butt lift surgery recovery depends on the type and amount of liposuction performed, the volume of fat removed and grafted and the anesthesia used. This surgery is a procedure that is uniquely tailored for each patient and therefore each patient’s recovery experience is different. After your initial consultation we will be able to better inform you of what to expect during your recuperation and what you need to do to at home to help facilitate healing.

Most of our Richmond patients getting a Brazilian Butt Lift are able to return to work within one to two weeks, depending on the extent of the procedure and work requirements. Results are visible almost immediately and continue to improve throughout the healing process. With this surgery there is swelling. This is maximal at two to three days after surgery and then quickly decreases. 80% of the swelling is gone by six weeks after surgery.

Fat survival is one on the vexing problems with this surgery. Recent literature suggests about 80% of the fat injected survives for the long run, but some earlier studies suggest the survival may only be about 50%. With careful technique, Dr. Lewis thinks about 75% of the fat he injects will survive, but individual results vary.

In the first few days, patients often experience mild discomfort, bruising and swelling, all of which are considered normal and treated with prescription medicine.

What are the risks of Brazilian butt lift surgery?

Check Accreditation

With any surgical procedure there are risks that you must be aware of. To minimize the risks, ensure your surgery is conducted in a safe and secure environment using the latest surgical techniques by checking the certifications and accreditation of your surgeon. Accreditation boards and bodies are there to protect you. Dr. Gordon Lewis has 9 years surgical experience and is affiliated to several important professional organizations.

• Board certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons www.plasticsurgery.org
• Affiliated to the Richmond Academy of Medicine www.ramdocs.org and the Medical Society of Virginia www.msv.org
• American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery www.surgery.org and the American College of Surgeons www.facs.org

Possible Complications

Major complications are very rare. During your initial consultation, we will discuss every possible outcome of your procedure including possible complications which may include;

• Uneven skin
• Scarring
• Blood clots
• Asymmetry
• Need for touch ups
• Fat embolism

During a comprehensive one-on-one consultation at Lewis Plastic Surgery, we will help you to determine your candidacy for Brazilian Butt Lift surgery. We will also help you select the best liposuction method based on your unique aesthetic desires, body type, skin characteristics and, of course, the amount of fat to be removed.

Consultation Expectations

We will educate you about the various aspects of this procedure, including:

• Fat transfer and survival
• How skin firmness or lack thereof will affect the outcome
• What to expect prior to, during and after liposuction
• Aftercare instructions to reduce the risk of complications
• Anesthesia and facility choices
• Cost of liposuction and financing options

Cost

Brazilian butt lift surgery at our practice starts at $10,550 but the price varies because the extent of each surgery differs. After Dr. Lewis discusses your options, we provide a written price quote that breaks down the total cost. We make absolutely sure there are no hidden costs and no surprises.

Location

Dr. Lewis performs surgical procedures at an accredited outpatient surgical center or a local hospital. He is affiliated with several local medical centers where his patients undergo surgery. He primarily operates at these locations:

Johnston-Willis Hospital
Stony Point Surgery Center

Initial consultations, follow up appointments and all non-surgical treatments and minor surgical procedures are performed at Lewis Plastic Surgery in Midlothian, VA.