Dr. Saber’s Blog
A Brazilian butt lift, or BBL, is a surgical procedure that enhances the appearance of your derriere. It involves buttock augmentation, during which Dr. Saber will use fat from your body — usually from your hips, waist, or arms — to make your buttocks look more voluptuous, rounded, and defined.
A Brazilian butt lift procedure uses fat transfer to achieve natural-looking enhanced rear end. Dr. Saber also tailors BBLs to each of her patients, ensuring just the right amount of fat is transferred to achieve a curvy and shapely-looking backside and never a saggy diaper booty.
After Brazilian butt lift cosmetic surgery, you will enter a recovery period. Although the BBL recovery timeline can vary slightly from person to person, most patients take two to three months to heal completely. During Brazilian butt lift recovery, it’s crucial to follow all post-op instructions to avoid complications and achieve optimal results.
It’s essential to understand the plastic surgery procedure and the recovery process before having a BBL surgery. Being prepared for the recovery timeline and changes to your routine can help make the experience easier.
When you awake from general anesthesia after your BBL procedure, you will have a few sets of incisions. Some will be on the areas of the body used for the liposuction, while others will be in the buttock region. It’s normal to experience discomfort around the incision sites, with many patients reporting that the first week is the most difficult. Our surgeon will supply pain medication to manage any discomfort.
You’ll be able to head home the same day as your surgery, and Dr. Saber will give you post-op instructions to follow until your follow-up appointments. As with other cosmetic procedures, you may notice bruising, numbness, swelling, and a general feeling of soreness around your incisions and injection sites. However, be watchful for any signs of infection, such as excessive bleeding, poor wound healing, or symptoms of a fat embolism. If you experience any concerning symptoms, seek medical attention right away.
Typically, two days after your surgery, your gauze dressing and compression garment can safely be removed so you can shower. You’ll need to replace the garment after showering.
During the first week, you’ll need to get lots of rest and stay hydrated. It’s important to note that during rest, you won’t be able to sit down. To give you the best chance of getting your desired BBL results from the transferred fat cells, you’ll generally want to wait to sit normally until at least two weeks post-op.
Placing pressure on the buttocks too soon by sleeping on your back or sitting can lead to the reabsorption of fat cells and negatively impact blood supply to the area. Instead, it’s recommended that you sleep on your front or side and use a donut-shaped BBL pillow to take pressure off the buttocks when you have to sit.
During the initial recovery period after your buttock augmentation, you’ll be advised to wear compression garments; these tight-fitting pieces of clothing help to encourage blood circulation and decrease swelling and are usually worn to support your buttocks and liposuction areas. Most patients wear their compression garments for about one month following their BBL procedure.
The majority of patients have their first follow-up appointment one week after surgery. Dr. Saber will check your progress to ensure everything is healing properly. By BBL recovery week two, many patients notice their soreness and pain beginning to subside. Sitting is still not recommended, but gentle movement can help maintain circulation, prevent blood clots, and improve your mood.
It is still important to avoid heavy lifting, high-impact exercise, and strenuous activities. You may resume light household chores and some day-to-day activities by week four of your BBL recovery time. Around this time, many patients can resume driving as well.
The fat grafts need a stable environment to integrate into your buttock tissue and achieve proper blood supply. Working out too soon can damage the fat transfers, causing some of the cells to be reabsorbed, diminishing the volume and contouring of your buttocks.
Light exercise, like gentle, short walks, can be resumed in the first month. By month two, you will probably be cleared to increase your workout intensity; however, you should keep the pressure off your derriere and avoid directly targeting your buttock muscles.
Most patients receive the all-clear to resume all levels of physical activity, including strenuous exercise, three months post-op.
Dr. Saber recommends taking at least 10 days off for BBL recovery. Many patients are cleared to return to work between 10 and 14 days post-op, though this will depend on your job; returning to a desk job that requires sitting for prolonged periods is ill-advised. A few BBL recovery tips for returning to work after your procedure are:
By week six, you should see a significant reduction in discomfort and much less swelling in the treated area. However, swelling won’t be completely gone until three to six months post-op.
While you may notice a difference in shape and contour early on, some of this difference could be due to swelling and fluid retention. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons states that as much as 20–40% of the grafted fat will be reabsorbed during recovery.
As you near the end of your Brazilian butt lift recovery timeline, you’ll start to see the final results of the procedure.
CALL (818) 770-7050 OR CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE ONLINE
A Brazilian butt lift is categorized as a semi-permanent cosmetic procedure. The injected fat will join your pre-existing buttock fat deposits and will not wear off like injectables or need to be replaced like implants.
However, your buttocks will naturally change as you age or your weight fluctuates. Avoiding large swings in weight by staying active and maintaining a healthy diet helps your BBL results last as long as possible.
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Sepideh Saber, MD, FACS, offers a knowledgeable and sensitive female perspective regarding Brazilian butt lifts for patients of all ages, genders, and orientations. Her thorough and thoughtful approach before, during, and after cosmetic procedures helps ensure patient satisfaction with their health and appearance.
Call (877) 205-4100 to request a consultation or schedule a consultation online.
The practice of Dr. Saber is located in Encino, CA, and serves patients throughout the Los Angeles area. We are also convenient to Encino, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Calabasas, Burbank, Glendale, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Northridge, North Hollywood, Malibu, Topanga, Canoga Park, Reseda, Valley Glen, Chatsworth, West Hills, Winnetka, Universal City, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Downtown Los Angeles, Silverlake, and Echo Park.