After having a Brazilian buttock lift patients always have lots of questions about the recovery, which is perfectly normal. Below I have addressed the most frequently asked questions. It is important to remember that these are my best estimates. The time for you may be shorter or longer.
When Can I ___?
- Leave the hospital
- Usually two hours after the end of surgery if you are doing well.
- Get up and walk
- The day of surgery. Walking around the house, to the bathroom, not staying in bed is important to reduce the risk of blood clots in the legs
- Take off my garment
- 2-3 days after surgery, to shower and wash the garment.
- Wear the garment day and night for a full 2 weeks and ideally 6 weeks.
- Some people wear the garment for months because it feels supportive – that is fine.
- See the swelling go down
- At two weeks, some swelling goes down but the areas of liposuction still feel ‘fat’
- At six weeks, a lot of swelling is gone but the lowest areas will still look ‘fat’
- At six – twelve months you will see your final result with all swelling gone.
- How to tell when the swelling is gone? As long as skin is numb, it is swollen
- Sit on my bottom
- About 3 weeks. The fat grafts are usually in the upper buttocks so sitting on a hard chair may be fine but leaning back on the fat grafts should be avoided.
- Lie on my back
- Three weeks is the earliest.
- We don’t want pressure on the fat grafts.
- Start to exercise, like a brisk walk
- 1 -2 weeks. If your energy is 7 out of 10 or more, brisk walking is fine.
- Go back to work
- 1 – 3 weeks, depending on how much liposuction was done and on your job.
- For a short commute to a desk job, 1 week is possible.
- Two weeks is the average.
- Up to three weeks for a physically demanding job where you can’t take a break.
- Take a 2-6 hour car ride or plane trip
- 4-6 weeks, with precautions. I recommend an aspirin before the trip and knee high support stockings during the trip. These can be bought in your pharmacy.
- Get back to the gym or other aerobic exercise, like karate
- Six weeks – you won’t have the energy before them and exercise may be painful.
- Have sex
- Six weeks – because of energy and the risk of hurting your healing surgery
- See my final result
- Usually six months although in some people, men especially, it can take longer