How Good is BBL for Buttock Augmentation?

With stars like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner showing off their enhanced bottom, plastic surgeons have been flooded with patients wanting to own butts like these stars in the past few years. 

What is Buttock Augmentation?

Buttock augmentation is a procedure which changes the shape and size of the patient's buttock by buttock implants such as silicone place surgically, fat grafting (injecting transferred fat from other areas of the body to the buttock by making a small incision) or other newly developed non-surgical buttock augmentation procedures.

Do not confuse buttock augmentation with the buttock lift which is a procedure which results in reducing the volume of buttocks by removing excess fat and skin. This procedure is usually performed on people who have reduced a significant amount of weight.

What is the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL)?

The "Brazilian butt lift" is a cosmetic procedure which involves using liposuction to remove fat from one part of the body such as hips, thighs, and abdomen, reprocessing it is re-implanting the same into the buttocks.

Why the Craze About Big Butts?

Nearly 335,637 buttock augmentation procedures were done globally in the year 2017 which is 12% above the number of procedures performed in the year 2016 as per the International Society of Aesthetic and Cosmetic Surgery.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in the year 2018,  24,099 procedures of Buttock augmentation with fat grafting was performed compared to only 946 procedures performed for buttock implants and 4,824 procedures for buttock lifts by ASPS member surgeons.

These figures clearly indicate that buttock augmentation is the most popular procedure people are after and the trend is on the rise.

The biggest factor behind the popularity of such cosmetic procedures is clearly due to the media coverage and attention given to celebrities like JLo or Nicki Minaj for their enhanced buttocks. Also, the never-ending references to big butts in top chartbuster music can easily get ingrained in the impressionable minds. Beauty contests are carried across the world to judge women as per their bottom and crown the winner as "Miss Butt". Admirers feel the need to imitate such figures by cosmetic procedures. It is not a surprise for many patients to be carrying around butt photos of the celebrities they idolize to get similar buttocks through the procedure.

What are the Pros of BBL Butt Augmentation?

Brazilian butt lift uses a fat-grafting technique where fat is sucked from one part of the body to inject into other hence it is a better procedure than silicon grafts as the fat grafted is from the patient's own body hence the chances of rejection reduces considerably.

On the other hand, Silicone grafts have higher chances of infection or complications such as a blockage which may be fatal hence this procedure has been banned in many countries.

This procedure is much simpler when compared to placing grafts surgically. The procedure required small incision to be made to do the needful.

This procedure also guarantees contouring your shape and moulding it with continuity which looks more natural than just placing implants. Your body with look much in shape as the injected fat outdoes the accumulated fat in wrong areas of the body.

Another advantage is that doing liposuction to extract fat from a fatty region can sculpt the patient’s body better as two body areas beautified at the cost of one. Many people undergo liposuction to get rid of unwanted fats but as the saying goes, ‘one man’s scrap is other man’s treasure’ the same saying applies to your body where unwanted fat from one area which is precious to your buttock.

What are the Cons of BBL Butt Augmentation?

Every surgery has some risks involved so does BBL. If fat is injected in the wrong place and goes deep in the muscle, it may lead to muscle necrosis (muscle death) and in a worst-case scenario, if fat goes into the vascular system, the result can be fatal.

The procedure needs to be done by a reputed cosmetic surgeon. if liposuction is done badly, you can get deformities, contour and bumps everywhere which may lead your body to look worse than before surgery.

Also, there are post-surgery risks such as fat necrosis (fat death) which may lead to infections. The post-surgery care that needs to be taken care of by the patient is intensive and if not followed properly, the results can be bad and may lead to complications.

Another disadvantage of this procedure is that within a few months, the bum reduces 50 to 60% smaller due to volume loss. This is the standard which happens almost to all the patients and nothing can be done about it.

The other limitations include if a patient does not have enough fat in their body to be harvested then sadly this procedure cannot be performed on them as there is no fat graft available.

How long is the recovery process after surgery?

The recovery procedure is long and painful which can take up to six weeks with many restrictions. 

The entire recovery time, patients are advised to not lie or sit on their backs or put pressure on it but lie on their stomach or side, stand and walk which can get tedious. The fat graft on the butt is delicate and needs as much as blood supply to survive. Putting pressure may reduce blood supply resulting in fat loss hence following these norms is crucial.

The paradigm of beauty keeps shifting in this ever-changing society. A few years ago, enlarged breasts were a girl's dreams but today voluptuous buttocks are considered ideal. There is no end to these delusional and volatile beauty standards. Going under the knife to look like someone else is absolutely not worth it but getting a procedure done to enhance your confidence is something you can always consider.