Understanding the Surgical Procedure of a Brazilian Butt Lift

What is a Buttock Augmentation or a Brazilian Butt Lift?

Buttock augmentation, or a Brazilian Butt Lift,  is a procedure that is gaining popularity in North America.  There is still a misconception that this procedure is just to increase the size of the buttock, but most women or men requesting buttock augmentation are really looking to improve the overall contour and shape of their body.  Certainly a flat buttock can hinder certain styles of clothing, particularly bikinis for women or jeans from men.

Brazilian Butt Lift Surgical Procedure

At Rice Cosmetic Surgery, we use fat grafting to improve the shape of the buttocks.  The benefit of this procedure is that fat is harvested from other areas such as the abdomen, arms and legs and then processed and transferred to the buttock.  Not only does this give you a nice contour to the buttock area but also helps to thin the waistline and contour the legs relating to an overall improvement in the shape of the body. The procedure is done here in the office under a general anesthetic, and usually takes about 2 hours.

Recovery Time For Buttock Augmentation

The recovery time is crucial to the success of fat grafting to the buttock.  Fat requires a new blood supply in order for it to survive and any compression or shearing force during the recovery phase can cause these fragile blood vessels to break and therefore the fat not survive.  Full recovery generally takes approximately 6 weeks.  The first 10 days are really the crucial phase as this new blood supply takes hold.  During this time period you need to sleep on your stomach exclusively, and not put any pressure on your buttock.  Heavy exercise at the gym etc. should be avoided as this can also lead to the fat not surviving.  A compression garment is worn for approximately 6 weeks.  After this time the fat is fully adhered to the buttock and you can resume normal activities.