What is a Brazilian butt lift?
A Brazilian butt lift is a specialized fat transfer procedure that augments the size and shape of the buttocks without implants. Excess fat is removed from the hips, abdomen, lower back, or thighs with liposuction, and a portion of this fat is then strategically injected into the buttocks.
A skilled cosmetic surgeon can improve the proportions of the entire lower body with Brazilian butt lift surgery, helping a patient lose fat in common “problem areas” and enhance the buttocks, with results lasting many years.
Continue reading to learn more about this increasingly popular procedure:
- What is involved in Brazilian butt lift surgery?
- Why have a Brazilian butt lift?
- Am I a good candidate?
- Brazilian butt lift vs. buttock implants
- Choosing your cosmetic surgeon
- Brazilian butt lift safety
- What is recovery like?
- Life after Brazilian butt lift surgery
What is involved in Brazilian butt lift surgery?
A Brazilian butt lift involves three basic steps:
- Fat is removed from the hips, lower back, thighs, abdomen, and/or other areas with liposuction
- The extracted fat is purified and prepared for transfer
- The cosmetic surgeon injects fat into specific points on the buttocks to increase volume and improve shape
Surgery is typically performed as an outpatient procedure, using general anesthesia or intravenous sedation and local anesthesia. It is typical for a portion of the injected fat not to “take” in its new location—an experienced cosmetic surgeon will take this into account and may initially inject a slightly greater amount of fat into the buttocks than is needed to ensure your final results most closely achieve your goals.
- Key Benefits
- Glossary
- Enhances buttock size: Brazilian butt lift surgery can increase the size of the buttocks, creating a more voluptuous and curvaceous appearance. This is achieved by transferring fat from other areas of the body, such as the abdomen or thighs, to the buttocks.
- Improves buttock shape: In addition to enhancing size, Brazilian butt lift surgery can also improve the shape and contour of the buttocks, creating a more lifted appearance.
- Contours the body: By enhancing size and improving the buttocks’ shape, Brazilian butt lift surgery can contribute to a more hourglass-shaped figure.
- Gluteal augmentation and lift: A surgical procedure that involves enhancing and lifting the buttocks for improved shape, contour, and projection.
- Buttock enhancement: Procedures aimed at improving the size, shape, or appearance of the buttocks, which may include augmentation with implants or fat transfer.
- Fat transfer: A surgical technique that involves harvesting fat from one area of the body and transferring it to another area, such as the buttocks, to enhance volume and shape.
- Fat grafting: The process of transferring harvested fat from one area of the body to another to enhance volume or contour.
- Liposuction: A surgical procedure that removes unwanted fat deposits from specific areas of the body through suction.
- Cannula: A thin, hollow tube used during liposuction to suction out fat deposits from the body.
- General anesthesia: A state of controlled unconsciousness induced by medications to eliminate pain during surgery.
- Local anesthesia: The administration of medications to numb a specific area of the body, providing pain relief during a surgical procedure.
- Intravenous sedation: The administration of sedative medications through an intravenous line to induce a relaxed and sleepy state during a surgical procedure.
- Butt lift pillow: A specialized pillow designed to provide support and cushioning for the buttocks after gluteal augmentation or lift surgery to avoid direct pressure on the surgical site.
- Buttock implants: Silicone implants surgically placed in the buttocks to enhance volume, shape, and projection.
- Mommy makeover: A combination of cosmetic procedures customized for post-pregnancy women to address changes in the body, which often includes procedures such as breast enhancement, tummy tuck, and liposuction.
Why have a Brazilian butt lift?
The shape and proportion of a person’s buttocks are largely determined by genetics; both your skeletal structure and how your body stores fat influence the appearance of the lower body. A healthy diet and exercise can work to achieve a healthy body weight and tone the muscles, but many patients remain unhappy with a “flat” buttocks that lacks shape, despite a healthy lifestyle.
Brazilian butt lift surgery can help overcome the effects of genetics by reshaping the buttocks and surrounding areas, such as the hips, lower back, and thighs. You might consider a Brazilian butt lift to:
- Enhance the curves of your lower body
- Reduce fat pockets on your hips, thighs or belly while adding fullness to the buttocks
- Help clothing fit more attractively
- Give a more youthful, aesthetically pleasing shape to flat buttocks
- Enhance your overall proportions by improving balance between your upper and lower body
Am I a good candidate for a Brazilian butt lift?
A Brazilian butt lift can be a great option to improve the shape and size of the buttocks; however, certain patients are better suited to the procedure, and it is important to have realistic expectations about the surgery, recovery, and results. In general, you are likely a good candidate for a Brazilian butt lift if you agree with the following:
- You want a buttock augmentation without implants
- You have good skin tone in the hips and buttocks
- You have adequate fat stores in other areas to harvest for injection into the buttocks
- You are willing and able to avoid sitting directly on your buttocks for several weeks
Despite its name, a Brazilian butt lift is not a traditional “lifting” procedure—it does not address loose skin on the buttocks. If you are bothered by excess, sagging skin on the buttocks or thighs, thigh & buttock lift surgery may be a more suitable option.
Brazilian butt lift vs. buttock implants
One significant advantage of Brazilian butt lift surgery is that it increases buttock size without implants. In the hands of a specially trained cosmetic surgeon who operates in an accredited facility, the procedure has a low risk for complications and can achieve remarkably natural looking and feeling results.
However, if you are very lean, you may not have enough fat to harvest, and buttock implants may be the only way to achieve your desired size increase. Buttock implants may be a good option for some patients; however, it is important to understand the added risks of having implants, including capsular contracture and a higher risk for infection. Buttock implants can also look and feel less natural compared to a skillfully performed Brazilian butt lift.
Choosing a cosmetic surgeon
Brazilian butt lift surgery is a complex procedure that requires a highly-developed eye for aesthetic detail, and extensive training and experience in fat transfer techniques. Not all doctors who practice cosmetic surgery receive this specialized training in their residency training, so do your homework before choosing a Brazilian butt lift surgeon.
When consulting with potential cosmetic surgeons, ask how many Brazilian butt lift procedures each has performed, and be sure to look at before and after photos of previous patients during each consultation—this will help you get an idea of each cosmetic surgeon’s aesthetic style. Get helpful tips on choosing a cosmetic surgeon.
American Board of Cosmetic Surgery diplomates are formally trained and experienced in the cosmetic surgery specialty and perform surgery in an accredited surgical facility. Many ABCS surgeons have undergone additional training in fat grafting and Brazilian butt lift procedures—our guide can help you find someone near you.
» FIND AN ABCS COSMETIC SURGEON IN YOUR AREA
Brazilian butt lift safety
The Brazilian Butt Lift, like any surgical procedure, involves inherent risks, but unsafe BBL techniques can be especially dangerous. Pulmonary fat embolism (PFE) is the most serious potential complication, and it can be life-threatening.
In 2017, an Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) task force issued recommendations for safe Brazilian butt lift techniques; they later found increased awareness of these techniques among surgeons and marked improvements in patient safety.
Safe BBL technique
To perform a Brazilian butt lift surgery that minimizes patient risks, cosmetic surgeons should use the following techniques:
- Subcutaneous fat injection: Fat should be injected no deeper than the subcutaneous plane, or directly beneath the skin. Muscles are highly vascular, which means that injecting into or beneath the muscle increases the risk of fat entering the bloodstream and causing a dangerous fat embolism.
- Larger cannula size: Blunt-tip cannulas are the thin, hollow tubes used to remove and inject fat. Larger cannulas, with a diameter of at least 4 millimeters, help to prevent injection into a small blood vessel.
- Upward angle of injection: An upward angle of fat injection also helps to ensure the fat is placed in the subcutaneous plane. Surgeons should angle the cannula slightly upwards, or at least parallel with the spine, when performing buttock augmentation.
Surgeons can significantly minimize BBL risks by adhering to these safety guidelines. Not only should you ask your surgeon about their training and experience, but also about their technique and the latest safety guidelines for Brazilian butt lift. Many cosmetic surgeons now use ultrasound-guided Brazilian butt lift tools, in addition to the above protocols, for injecting fat to help ensure they avoid blood vessels.
- Related: The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery’s April 2024 Consensus Statement on BBL Safe Practices »
Recovering after your Brazilian butt lift
Having an operation on the buttocks requires some special modifications during recovery. While pain is typically minimal and easily controlled through pain medication, you will not be allowed to sit or lie directly on your buttocks for about 2 weeks after a Brazilian butt lift.
During this time, you will need to sleep on your stomach or side, and either lie this way or stand for all activity except using the toilet. When you are ready, your cosmetic surgeon will allow you to sit in a modified position, using a “donut” seat or placing a pillow under your thighs to avoid pressure on the buttocks. Normal sitting activity is typically allowed after 8 weeks or so.
Given you follow your cosmetic surgeon’s instructions, you should be able to resume light daily activities within 1 week after surgery and return to work within 10 to 14 days.
Life after Brazilian butt lift surgery
Brazilian butt lift results are meant to last for many years. Fat cells removed with liposuction will not return to the area, and fat cells that survive transfer to the buttocks will remain for years to come. However, significant weight fluctuations can affect your results, so maintain a stable weight to keep your results looking their best.
Results are typically final within 6 months of surgery, after residual swelling has gone away and you are fully healed. By this time, your curvier buttocks and improved lower body proportions will be noticeable in how you look and in the way clothing fits.
When performed by a qualified cosmetic surgeon, a Brazilian butt lift is a rewarding procedure with long-lasting results. The best way to learn more is to meet with a board certified cosmetic surgeon for a consultation. Find cosmetic surgeons near you »
References »
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Asserson DB, Kulinich AG, Orbay H, Sahar DE. Differences in Complication Rates of Gluteoplasty Procedures That Utilize Autologous Fat Grafting, Implants, or Local Flaps. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 2019. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000001765.
Pane TA. Experience With High-Volume Buttock Fat Transfer: A Report of 137 Cases. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 2019 Apr 8;39(5):526-532. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjy191. PMID: 30099491.
Pazmiño P, Garcia O. Brazilian Butt Lift-Associated Mortality: The South Florida Experience. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 2023 Feb 3;43(2):162-178. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjac224. PMID: 35959568; PMCID: PMC9896146.
Mofid MM, Teitelbaum S, Suissa D, Ramirez-Montañana A, Astarita DC, Mendieta C, Singer R. Report on Mortality from Gluteal Fat Grafting: Recommendations from the ASERF Task Force. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 2017 Jul 1;37(7):796-806. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjx004. PMID: 28369293; PMCID: PMC5846701.
Luis Rios, Jr, MD , Varun Gupta, MD, MPH, Improvement in Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) Safety With the Current Recommendations from ASERF, ASAPS, and ISAPS, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 40, Issue 8, August 2020, Pages 864–870, https://doi.org/10.1093/asj/sjaa098
