I’m happy to say that I can answer that Google query.
The amount of interest in achieving a more full, firm, round buttocks has been incredibly noteworthy. Traditionally, Americans have focused on breast shape and size. Many are now more aware of the appearance of their backside. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons published statistics showing an increase of 15% for buttock fat grating (and a 98% increase in buttock augmentation with implants!) in 2014 compared to 2013. An economist’s recent op-ed in the New York Times outlining internet queries regarding sex and body image confirmed what many plastic surgeons have noticed: online searches for the words “how to get a bigger butt” have tripled in the last four years! Credit Jennifer Lopez? Beyoncé? Kim Kardashian? Vida Guerra? Serena Williams? Sofia Vergara? Shakira? Pippa Middleton?
It’s not all about size, though. While some women do desire more monumental changes, others are looking to simply shape deflated areas in order to fill out those jeans, yoga pants, or that evening dress, in order to achieve a flowing, sensual silhouette.
Broadly speaking, one increases the size of the buttocks by adding volume. Nonsurgically, one may increase buttock volume by strengthening the gluteus maximus muscle by hitting that StairMaster. Surgically, additional volume may be added by placing a buttock implant through an incision located between “the cheeks” (well-hidden), or by adding your body’s own fat through several tiny incisions (commonly referred to as the Brazilian Butt Lift). We get the fat from your “problem areas” using liposuction. The fat is then prepared, purified, and carefully introduced into the select areas where it’s needed in a process known as fat grafting. Wait, you get a fuller buttocks and a smaller waist/tummy/back/thighs/saddlebags/banana rolls at the same time? Bonus!
The Brazilian Butt Lift is limited by the amount of extra fat available to donate, and the ability of the buttocks to accept the grafted fat. If you don’t have much extra fat to begin with, not much can be “harvested”. In this instance, a buttocks implant may be your best option for volumizing. Regarding the buttocks recipient site, only so much fat can be placed before the skin starts to become too tight and one risks survival of the transferred fat (the fat needs to be placed in areas with adequate blood supply in order to survive). In this case, patients may have to undergo multiple rounds of fat grafting to achieve the result they desire.
The fact that we are using your own fat is wonderful. There are no foreign bodies. It’s your own tissue. It is worth noting that the fat continues to be “living” tissue. If you gain weight, the fat may increase in size with you. If you lose weight, the fat may shrink with you, too. It is best to do this surgery when you are at, and plan to maintain, a stable weight.
The surgical recovery is rather straightforward, and is usually dictated more by the areas and amounts of liposuction instead of the actual buttocks fat grafting portion of the procedure. It is best to avoid prolonged sitting for the first several weeks to prevent the fat from shifting while it heals. Yes, you can sit on a toilet seat and take short car rides.
If you’re considering a Brazilian Butt Lift, it’s important to work with an experienced plastic surgeon, because for this type of surgery the type of fat used and where it is placed is critical to achieve excellent, long-lasting results. You may also seek out a plastic surgeon with a favorable experience with implant-based buttock augmentation. In some circumstances, the procedures can be combined, with implants adding volume centrally, and grafted fat placed for additional shaping of target areas.
I hope that this post has given you a little more information about the Brazilian Butt Lift procedure. As always, I am happy to answer your more specific, individualized questions during a one-on-one consultation.
