Board Certification: American Board of Plastic Surgery
Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital, Fellowship in Aesthetic Surgery
Board Certification: American Board of Plastic Surgery
Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital, Fellowship in Aesthetic Surgery
Fat transfer, also known as fat grafting or autologous fat grafting, is a procedure where fat is removed from areas that you have excess or want to be smaller and transferred to areas that you would like to be larger or having better contour. Small volume fat transfer is typically performed for facial rejuvenation either alone or as an adjunct to blepharoplasty or a facelift. Larger volumes can be transferred to places like the breasts, hips, and buttocks. Fat transfer to the hips and buttocks is often referred to by patients, the media, and some surgeons as a “Brazilian Butt Lift” despite not being a true lifting procedure. For males, fat transfer can be used to augment the chest and shoulders or other anatomic subunits of the male form.
Patients are always interested to know how long the fat lasts. The simple answer is forever. That being said, not all the fat that is transferred survives but the cells that are able to find a new blood supply after transfer generally are there to stay. For small volume fat grafting the range of accepted graft “take” is somewhere in the 65-80% range. For larger volume fat grafting like the breasts, hips, and buttocks, this percentage is lower. As with all procedures, fat transfer has many benefits but also has risks of major surgery. A thorough discussion should be had with your surgeon prior to undergoing fat transfer.
A Brazilian Butt lift, or subcutaneous fat grafting to the buttock, is a procedure that involves liposuction to harvest fat from areas with excess fat and injection into the buttocks and hips to enhance size and shape.
A Brazilian Butt lift takes several hours in the operating room but it really depends on the volume of liposuction and the number of areas being treated.
The best candidates for this procedure are those who are healthy enough to undergo a cosmetic procedure, who could benefit from liposuction, and who would like additional volume in their hips and/or buttock.
The recovery time varies but it generally takes several weeks to recover. A small amount of residual swelling can linger for several more weeks or even months.
Patients are limited in the amount of strenuous activity, sitting, and laying on their backs for the first several weeks after surgery.
Exercise is limited for the first several weeks after surgery and light activity is resumed and ramped up over the subsequent few weeks.
Scars are generally limited to small liposuction ports that are strategically placed to hide as well as possible. Each surgeon has different preferences for the location of these ports which should be discussed at the time of consultation.
While a portion of the transferred fat may be reabsorbed, the remaining fat tends to establish a long-lasting result.
The final results may take a few months for the final swelling to subside.
The amount of fat varies per individual and an individual’s goals. Petite patients can have very nice results with low volume fat transfer while larger patients may benefit from higher volume fat transfer.
Many patients opt to combine BBL with liposuction of other body areas other than their back and abdomen. Adding additional procedures like abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), thigh lifts, arm lifts (brachioplasty), can be added on a case-by-case basis after discussion with your surgeon.
Small amount of weight loss or gain is reasonable after any surgery. That being said, maintaining a stable weight is recommended for optimal results following most body contouring procedures.
There are real risks to this surgery including but not limited to infection, asymmetry, and fat embolism. Choosing a qualified surgeon is critical.
