The Brazilian buttock lift or BBL is a procedure that was developed in Brazil that involves transferring fat from other body areas into your buttocks. It has become increasingly popular in the United States. The recovery is much easier than having solid silicone buttock implants.
It consist of the following:
- Fat is removed from other areas of the body by liposuction
- The fat is then put through a purification process
- The purified fat is then injected into the buttocks using a blunt-tipped instrument called a cannula
- To get a good result, the fat must survive. Fat survives best in muscle because of its high oxygen levels. Therefore, carefully injecting the fat under the skin and into the superficial muscles where blood vessels are smaller is the safest.
You must have enough fat to have the procedure done. It takes 500-1000 ccs of fat to inject it into the buttocks. This means a liposuction procedure of 3000-5000 ccs is required.
There were over 15,000 Brazilian buttock lifts performed in the United States last year according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Data now suggests that the risk of sudden death from BBL averages 1 in every 4,000 patients. This makes the BBL THE MOST DANGEROUS PLASTIC SURGERY PROCEDURE. The second being the tummy tuck. Many plastic surgeons are doing intensive research to find out why the risk is so high and how to make the procedure safer.
The main risk for the BBL is the fat being accidentally injected into the deep muscle of the buttock where the large veins and arteries are located. If the fat is injected here, it can get into a vein and travel to the lung and cause death. This can happen because the fat is injected through tiny incisions and the surgeon can feel but not see where the fat is going.
I take every possible precaution when performing a BBL. I use a 4 mm vibrating cannula or larger with no opening at the tip to inject the fat. This makes plenty of space for the fat. I keep the cannula parallel to the buttock and as I withdraw the cannula, the fat is injected.
If you are considering a BBL, make sure you choose a plastic surgeon that is Board Certified and has experience doing BBLs. Board Certified Plastic Surgeons are constantly doing research on how to keep patients safe as possible during risky procedures. If you do not have enough fat to transfer for a BBL, you may have to consider buttock implants. NEVER get illegal injections of silicone or other materials. This is very dangerous.
I love to help my patients get the look they want in the best way possible and to give you the best possible guidance. Give us a call so I can help you!