BRAZILIAN BUTT LIFT by Guerra Plastic Surgery Center

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The Brazilian Butt Lift is an operation designed to improve the waistline of the human form and simultaneously reshape the buttocks into a more attractive silhouette. This operation combines several disciplines in plastic surgery including liposuction and fat transfer. The entire procedure is performed using only the patient’s own fatty tissues.

The main principle behind the Brazilian Butt Lift is to reshape the appearance of our patient’s body into a new contour which is found to be visually more attractive. The key to establishing a more beautiful figure is in surgically creating of a more ideal waistline to hip ratio. To accomplish this goal, areas where the fat volume is found to be excessive in the waist can be reduced via liposuction, while areas that are found to be deficient, in the buttocks, can be enhanced in shape and size leading to a more ideal hourglass silhouette.

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Ideal Candidates

Many patients are unhappy with the size and appearance of their buttocks. However, many also do not realize that fatty excess in the waistline makes it even harder to notice an attractive gluteal region. We find that patients tend to focus primarily on enlarging the buttocks, but our philosophy focuses on re-contouring the entire body leading to more natural and shapely figure. Enhancing the natural curves in a woman’s body and focusing on the relationship between the waist and buttock ratio is our recipe for creating the most attractive hourglass physique.

Patients requesting Brazilian Butt Lift are usually concerned about:

Small buttocks that are out of proportion with the rest of the body.
Poor shape - flat, poorly defined, or shapeless buttocks.
Unable to comfortably fit into swimwear, tight jeans and other clothing.
Have noticeably excessive fat deposits that obscure natural curves.
Desire a more natural method to reshape their gluteal size and shape.
Have enough fat to donate to the buttocks.
Are generally healthy and non-smokers.
Have no medical conditions that reduce wound healing.
Have realistic goals and expectation.

Augmentation of the buttocks with fat tissue is very appealing as the results can look and feel natural. Additionally, there are benefits which liposuction can deliver to areas where excessive fat deposits from poor diet or genetics are found. In a Brazilian Butt Lift, liposuction is performed first to obtain the fat cells which will eventually be moved into the buttocks. This is the ultimate recycling maneuver, as unwanted fat deposits are removed where they obstruct the formation of an hourglass figure, and then the fat cells are injected into the buttocks to improve the hip to waist ratio, leading to a more ideal hourglass silhouette and fuller glutes.

Enhancing the size and appearance of the buttocks by fat injection works by transferring living fat cells which are removed from the body via gentle liposuction. The living fat cells can spend some time outside the body, and are then reintroduced into the buttocks using a delicate injection technique using a specialized 4 mm cannula. Patients who are concerned about excess fat deposits in the abdomen, back, love handles, and lack the hourglass shape, the desired gluteal volume and shape, are the top candidates for this type of surgery.

Brazilian Butt Lift at a glance

Avg. Surgery Time

3 - 5 hours

Anesthesia

General Anesthesia

Location

Certified Outpatient Surgery Center

Improved Surgery Experience

Overnight nursing care for the first 24 - 48 hrs.

Recovery

Back to work: 10 - 14 days
Full exercise: 6 - 8 weeks

Improving the Shaping

Curvature Inserts & Garments

Improving the Experience

In-Office Lymphatic Massage Therapy

Supplements

Am I a Good Candidate?

Healthy
Non-smoker
No medical conditions that reduce wound healing
Unhappy with size of buttocks
Realistic goals and expectations

Harvesting and Grafting

Harvesting is the name for the technique used to remove fat cells from the human body in a way in which they remain alive. For this portion of the procedure, we use a gentle suction pressure on the vacuum device for liposuction. It is very important that fat cells are not subjected to high pressures as their cell membranes are very sensitive to deformation and rupture. The lower pressures allow for fat cell removal that is not as aggressive, but preserves the cells viability. Once the fat cells are harvested, we wash them in antibiotic solution and process them for re-injection.

Grafting refers to the technique used for injection of viable fat cells. In medical terms, grafting means that fat cells re-introduced into the body and must quickly find a source of nutrients and oxygen to continue flourishing. It is critical, therefore that oxygen in the tissue is available at all times in order to have the largest amount of fat cells overcome the challenges of the transfer procedure. With improved nutrition and oxygen levels, the more likely that high number of fat cells will survive in their new environment. Smoking, poor overall nutrition, and poor hydration should be avoided by anyone considering a Brazilian Butt lift.

In terms of patient safety, the goals of harvesting and grafting is to obtain as many living and undamaged fat cells as possible. The goal of grafting is to safely inject as the appropriate number of living fat cells into the gluteal area to achieve the desired volume. Using the correct size cannula and technique are critical components to patient safety.

At Guerra Plastic Surgery Center, we follow the recommendations from the Multi- Society Gluteal Fat Grafting Task Force for maximal patient safety and improved outcomes. This includes the use of a 4 mm specially designed grafting cannula and inject fat only above the gluteal muscle and fascia. Patients should avoid doctors who inject below or into the gluteal muscle as this can dramatically increase the risks of serious complications.

Advantages of Fat Injections

The benefits of body contouring with fat injections include the achievement of a more natural feel and look, in the newly sculpted buttocks. Additionally, small incisions are used for the liposuction and fat grafting parts of the surgery leading to less scarring. Smaller incisions typically lead to a shorter recovery period when compared to gluteal implant surgery. Your own fat is with you for the rest of your life and buttock implants are limited lasting some 8 to 14 years, but sometimes even less. Besides fat being more natural, the living fat cells will gain and lose weight depending on your exercise level and diet. Your own fat cells are readily accepted into their new home in the buttocks, and there is no chance of rejecting your own tissue. The Brazilian Butt Lift procedure includes additional body sculpting with liposuction to areas with excessive fat and when this excess is removed more appealing curves are revealed.

The desired hourglass shapes are achieved in patients that are better candidates for this part of the operation. Typically, these patients are not overweight, but have a body mass index of 25 to 29 and exercise on a regular basis. They have also never been pregnant. Additionally, a more defined hourglass shape can be more readily achieved before the birth of children. There are more limitations in achieving the hour glass shape after a woman has been pregnant and requires a tummy tuck in addition to a Brazilian Butt lift. It is always good to keep in mind realistic expectations based on your medical history. Despite these limitations, Brazilian Butt Lift is the surgery makes the most difference in shaping of the waist and contouring of the buttocks. In my experience, adding volume to the buttocks doesn’t always translates to an increased buttock size or visibility, but does universally result into a better shape. In fact, patients who carry large fat pads in the hips and waist resulting in a long and wide buttocks before surgery, can finally see the gluteal definition after the operation.

Bigger is not always better when it comes to the buttock fat transfer. We warn patients that maintaining their weight after surgery is going to be required to enjoy the results of the operation the longest. This means that if you do not eat well and exercise to maintain the figure which was surgically achieved, then as you put on weight, the curves in the waistline could disappear. Your buttock could also grow in size if you lose control of the calories you’re putting into your body. A small amount of weight gain after surgery, could actually make you look better, but large gains in weight are to be avoided and not recommended.

360 Degree Liposuction

Liposuction all the way around your midsection is considered 360 Degree Liposuction. The principle behind performing liposuction in the front and back of the body is to achieve better results in reshaping the waistline. In years past, liposuction procedures used to focus on the areas of the body most visible to the patient. Typically, these were the thighs and abdomen. A more recent trend is the achievement of a more ideal hourglass silhouette, and therefore, more and more patients are turning to addressing the upper and lower back with liposuction in order to achieve a more defined waistline. Of course, a smaller waistline is also an ideal complement to go along with a bigger buttocks.

360 Degree Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure used to achieve a better looking body and increase the patient’s confidence. The liposuction technique employed will lead to the permanent removal of the fat cells and result in a better figure.

Benefits of 360 Degree Liposuction are:

Improved overall figure.
A flatter abdomen.
A curvier lower back.
A reduction in the size of the love handles.
Elimination of unwanted fat deposits.
Can be combined in Brazilian Butt Lift.

Brazilian Butt Lift and Tummy Tuck

Can a Brazilian Butt be performed with a tummy tuck? It can be, when the patient is healthy for both procedures. If you’re done having kids and you feel there’s too much extra skin left over in the tummy region after childbirth, and at the same time, your buttocks have disappeared after kids, then this combination of procedures might be for you. This operation takes longer than a standard liposuction procedure/Brazilian Butt Lift. For instance, a liposuction-Brazilian Buttock Lift may take 3 hours, but when adding a tummy tuck it may take 5 hours or more, depending on how much is done.

Some additional limitations are encountered when combining Brazilian Buttock Lift with tummy tuck surgery. The most important limitation has to do with the amount of liposuction performed around the tummy tuck incisions. Since this incision healing is highly dependent on the arteries and veins on the flanks and upper tummy, liposuction for the waistline reduction and upper tummy, must be limited in order to avoid wound healing problems at the tummy tuck. This means that hourglass shaping is not as impressive after tummy tuck and Brazilian Butt Lift when compared to liposuction and Brazilian Butt Lift.

Different Buttock Shapes

There are a variety of different looking buttock shapes and these pre-surgery shapes will have an impact on the results of Brazilian Butt Lift. Some buttock shapes are clearly more attractive than others, and some are even considered not to be attractive at all. Additionally, there’s an important relationship between the buttocks and waistline which has emerged as a key point of beauty in recent years. Plastic surgeons from all over the world, have made leaps and bounds over the past 20 years in developing techniques which create better results in buttock reshaping. Fat grafting to the glutes and advancements in liposuction are the two most important advancements made in the last 20 years.