What is a Butt Lift?
Buttock fat grafting, commonly known as the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), is a surgical procedure where fat is transferred from other areas of your body to the buttocks to enhance contour. Unlike other fat grafting procedures, BBL requires significantly larger quantities of fat. Multiple areas of the body are liposuctioned to harvest enough fat for buttock grafting.
Alternative treatments, such as buttock implants and buttock lift procedures, have been around for many years. However, buttock implants have numerous potential complications and have never gained widespread use. Similarly, traditional buttock lift procedures that remove skin to lift the buttocks can result in unsightly scars and healing issues. Dr. Kirn and Dr. Al Bayati do not perform these procedures. In contrast, BBL is a natural procedure that uses your own fat to replace lost volume or add volume where it was previously lacking. Additionally, the liposuction used to harvest the fat further improves overall body contour. Fat can be taken from any area suitable for liposuction.
BBL Advantages
Our practice has ultrasound capability to significantly enhance the safety of the BBL operation. With this technology, the surgeon can visualize the location of the cannula when the fat is placed into the buttock. This minimizes the risk of fat being deposited into the muscle or a blood vessel.
BBL Procedure
One limitation of the BBL is that you must have sufficient fat in other body areas to serve as donor material for the transfer, which can be challenging for very slender patients. It is not possible to use donor fat from another person, nor is there a practical man-made alternative currently available. A consultation is the best way to determine if you are a candidate for the procedure.
Procedure Details
When performing a BBL, we utilize the vibration-expansion concept. The power-assisted liposuction system is used for both harvesting and re-injecting the fat. Our practice has employed power-assisted technology for liposuction since the late 1990s. The harvested fat is collected in a sterile reservoir, where excess fluid is drained off. The process is then reversed: the power-assisted system moves the cannula back and forth rapidly (vibration), allowing it to glide through the tissue smoothly and with less trauma. For re-injection, a special flared cannula is used to gently spread the tissue (expansion), creating space for the grafted fat. A pump transfers the fat from the sterile reservoir back through the cannula into the buttocks. As noted above, ultrasound guidance of the cannula further enhances safety.
Fat Survival and Risks
As with other fat grafting procedures, only a portion of the transferred fat will survive, and this is the most unpredictable aspect of the BBL. Fat survival tends to be an individual characteristic, varying from patient to patient. While the BBL cannot correct cellulite or dimpling, these issues may be somewhat improved. The procedure is primarily intended to enhance shape and restore lost volume. Because grafted fat is fragile, avoiding pressure (e.g., sitting) on the buttocks for at least three weeks after surgery is crucial.
Safety Considerations
The presence of large blood vessels in the buttock muscles adds an element of risk to this procedure that is uncommon with other fat grafting techniques. If fat inadvertently enters one of these large vessels, it can travel to the heart or lungs, potentially causing serious complications or death. According to published scientific literature, BBL carries the highest mortality rate of any plastic surgery procedure. To reduce this risk, Dr. Kirn and Dr. Al Bayati use ultrasound technology to ensure that the fat is grafted into the subcutaneous tissue and not into the muscle. They also avoid performing massive volume fat grafting to reduce the risk of fat necrosis and enhance fat survivability.
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Dr. Kirn and Dr. Al Bayati are Plastic Surgeons devoted to advanced techniques in Cosmetic Surgery of the Face, Breast, and Body.
Buttock Lift
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the fat last?
How much of a buttock size increase can be obtained with the BBL?
Does the BBL have to be performed more than once?
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Abdominoplasty
Liposuction
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Liposuction
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Meet Dr. David Kirn
Dr. David Kirn is an American Board of Plastic Surgery Certified Plastic Surgeon who is devoted to advanced techniques in Cosmetic Surgery of the Face, Breast, and Body. In private practice since 1998, he is located in a state-of-the-art facility which includes a full service skin care center. The practice is focused on personalized patient care and attention to detail. Where possible, Dr. Kirn utilizes minimally invasive procedures.
Meet Dr. Ahmed Al Bayati
Having completed his training in plastic surgery and serving as Chief Resident at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Al Bayati brings a wealth of expertise and dedication to his practice. His commitment to advancing patient care and achieving exceptional outcomes reflects his unwavering passion for plastic surgery.
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