

A Brazilian Butt Lift also known as BBL by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Nicholas Lahar, M.D. is a popular term for a combination of liposuction and fat transfer to the buttocks. The essence of it is to reshape the posterior aesthetics of the body and bring the back buttocks and thighs into harmony. It’s a procedure that can enhance the size and shape of your buttocks using your own fat cells- without implants made from foreign materials.
This surgical option is named after the women of Brazil, known for their curves and for their prominent rounded buttock profile. Many women want to achieve similar results, but require a little help moving fullness from one area of the body to another.
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, so you’ll rest comfortably from start to finish. I begin by creating small incisions in the area from which fat is to be harvested as well as contoured. The incisions are discussed with the patient, but are generally well hidden and are small. A special mixture of fluid is injected into the fat in order to make it safer to remove from the body.
This fluid reduces the amount of blood as well as pain to optimize your whole experience and recovery. Fat is then broken up and liquefied in order to make it easier to remove from the body. I insert a thin tube called a cannula to remove fat cells using suction. The fat is then purified and prepared for reintroduction into the buttocks and any other areas that may require augmentation.
Next, I slowly inject the prepared fat into the areas of your buttocks where additional fullness is desired.
A Brazilian Butt Lift is a non-specific term for increasing or improving the shape of the buttocks. Because the buttocks are not sitting in isolation this generally means that that optimal contouring comes from liposuction of the lower back and sides to shape the buttock the best way possible.
A popular term that is thrown around is liposuction 360 degrees, or Lipo 360. Lipo 360 is basically liposuction of the abdomen, the flanks/sides of the body, and the upper and lower back. Liposuction of the entire trunk allows for excellent contouring and is the most important part of a Brazilian Butt Lift.
The fat that is obtained from liposuction can then be injected into the buttocks if necessary for contouring. The upper thighs are also an important component of buttock aesthetics and if necessary these areas can be addressed.
Lahar Plastic Surgery
Plastic Surgeon located in Beverly Hills, CA
If you’d like a fuller, rounder backside as well as fat reduction in other areas of your body, a Brazilian Butt Lift might be a great fit for you. This is one of many advanced procedures available from Nicholas Lahar, MD, of Lahar Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, California and serving Los Angeles. Building the body of your dreams begins with a quick phone call or a visit, so make today the day you take that first step.
After the surgery, you will wear a special compression garment to reduce the swelling in your body and help to contour your new figure. You will have drains placed under the skin that help to remove fluid from the surgical areas. I have found that the addition of drains has really improved the recovery process, reduced the swelling, and improved their overall experience and results.
Along with the Brazilian butt lift in Beverly Hills Dr. Nicholas Lahar gives patients the option to incorporate the Brazilian butt lift with other procedures to addresses the entire body.
Dr. Lahar can combine a Brazilian butt lift with a tummy tuck, and breast augmentation, Dr. Lahar with his team of top plastic surgery specialists can make your body dramatically more curvaceous with an amazing hourglass shape.
How much of my fat will survive?
While a certain number of those cells will not survive, the ones that do will remain in place indefinitely. The current estimate is that about 50 to 70% of the fat transfer to your buttocks and hips will survive. I do slightly over inject fat in order to account for some loss of volume over the next three months. The best results come when you are able to make adjustments to your daily routines that avoid sitting down or placing any weight on your buttocks during this initial healing period.
You will also notice a degree of swelling and discomfort at the fat transfer origin site. These side effects will subside, and you’ll enjoy the full results of your procedure around six months afterward.
How safe is fat grafting to the buttocks?
Safety in gluteal augmentation is a hot topic now. There has been a number of documented deaths associated with the procedure. This was obviously concerning to both the public and plastic surgeons. Our societies immediately investigated and what was found was that the fatalities were associated with fat placement within and under the muscle of the buttocks. I was actually a part of some of the anatomic investigations. The anatomy is unfavorable in this region and some large blood vessels are at risk for being injured. This scenario can lead to fat going into these vessels and bringing the fat to the heart. Because of these findings, it is recommended that fat is injected only in the fat that is already in the buttocks and not in the muscle at all.
I personally have never learned to do the technique with the muscle injection the way it was originally performed and I have never had a patient become sick from a fat embolism and certainly have not had a death associated with this procedure. I take great care to place the fat exactly where I want it and I am always aware to not inject into the muscle.
Why do some people need a second round of liposuction/BBL?
When invisioning a beautiful buttock, some peoples expectations and desires are different than others. Because fat is a relatively soft building material, it can be occasionally difficult to build the projection of the buttock. These patients may have a particularly deflated buttock or they may have a goal to have a particularly large buttock. Because fat is soft it can only create a certain level of projection before it gives way. Think of it like building with wet sand. You can build a mound to some height but after that the sand begins to fall to the sides.
A second round allows the fat that has been injected to consolidate and become a better foundation. The second round will allow the new fat to sit “on the shoulders” of the previous surgery and really enhance the projection and curvature. These can be some of the more extreme cases.
What can I do to make my results the best they can be?
There are a few ways to make a straightforward liposuction with fat grafting to the buttocks the best result possible. I recommend that all of my patients to undergo lymphatic massage. Lymphatic massage can be started a couple days before surgery and can begin as early as 2 to 3 days after surgery. This has become an essential part of high level liposuction. It basically mobilizes the inflammatory fluid that has been created, reduces swelling within the tissues, helps to contour the body, and helps with recovery overall. I think it is essential to commit to at least a month of lymphatic massages once or twice a week.
You should also commit to a low sodium diet and stay well hydrated particularly in the first three months after surgery.
Optimizing your diet and exercise will super charge results. After surgery you will be in a special metabolic state that will allow you to enhance your results with diet and exercise that will have long lasting effects.
How long should I wear my compression garment?
Your compression garments, also known as a Faja, should be worn nearly all the time for the first three weeks. This will help to reduce swelling in your body and help to contour your results. Additionally, for these three weeks, the garment helps the skin stick down to the muscle below to reduce fluid collections that will hurt your result.
You’ll find that the compression garment feels good and helps to offer some support to your body while it heals and I do recommend that you continue to wear one for at least half the day for 3 months.