Brazilian Butt Lift

Buttocks Augmentation with Your Own Natural Fat

If you feel that your backside is too flat or sagging, the Birmingham, Alabama cosmetic surgeons at Hedden & Gunn Plastic Surgery are uniquely skilled and experienced in performing buttocks augmentation. The Brazilian Butt Lift is an increasingly popular cosmetic surgery procedure designed to enhance your figure with a more prominent, perky and youthful rear end.

For patients who would like a more defined and attractive body profile, the Brazilian butt lift has proven to be effective for firming and reshaping the buttocks. Plastic surgeons William Hedden MD, Stephen Gunn MD, Joshua Halka MD and cosmetic surgeon Pasha Mostofi MD can help you achieve striking, more rounded new curves with skill and artistry in the latest techniques for buttocks enhancement.

The Brazilian butt lift is really two procedures in one — areas of need around the midsection are slimmed and contoured with Liposuction to provide donor fat, and Fat Transfer is used to create a fuller, curvier backside with a natural look and feel. The name of the procedure itself brings to mind images of women in bikinis on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian Butt Lift Candidates

You may be a good candidate for buttocks augmentation with a Brazilian butt lift if:

• You are physically healthy.
• You have realistic expectations.
• You are bothered by the feeling that your butt is too small.
• You are unhappy with the roundness or general shape of your butt.
• Your butt is asymmetrical.

The best candidates for the Brazilian butt lift are men and women who have some extra fullness in the abdomen, hips, thighs, arms, legs or lower back. Excess fat from these donor areas is removed with liposuction, processed and reinjected into the buttocks. Patients who are thin and do not have enough donor fat for a Brazilian butt lift may be better served by Buttock Implants, or sometimes a combination of both.

Your Brazilian Butt Lift Consultation

During your Brazilian butt lift consultation, be prepared to discuss:

• Your surgical goals.
• Medical conditions, drug allergies and previous medical treatments.
• Current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drug use.
• Previous surgeries.

Your plastic surgeon will also:

• Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors.
• Examine and measure your body.
• Take photographs for your medical records.
• Discuss your options.
• Recommend a course of treatment.
• Discuss likely outcomes of buttocks augmentation surgery and any risks or potential complications.

Be sure to ask questions at your consultation. It is very important to understand all aspects of your Brazilian butt lift procedure. It's natural to feel some anxiety, whether preoperative stress or excitement about your anticipated new look. Don't be shy about discussing these feelings with your plastic surgeon.

Brazilian Butt Lift Risks and Safety Information

The decision to have Brazilian butt lift surgery is extremely personal. You will have to decide if the benefits, risks and potential complications of a Brazilian butt lift are acceptable.

The risks of a Brazilian butt lift include:

• Anesthesia risks.
• Asymmetries.
• Bleeding (hematoma).
• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications.
• Fatty tissue under the skin might die (fat necrosis).
• Fluid accumulation (seroma).
• Infection.
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation.
• Pain, which may persist.
• Poor wound healing.
• Possible need for revisionary surgery.
• Recurrent looseness of skin.
• Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling.
• Skin loss.
• Sutures may spontaneously surface through the skin, become visible or produce irritation and require removal.
• Unfavorable scarring.

These risks and others will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It is important that you address all of your questions directly with your plastic surgeon. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure.

Preparing for a Brazilian Butt Lift

In preparing for a Brazilian butt lift, you may be asked to:

• Get lab testing or a medical evaluation.
• Take certain medications or adjust your current medications.
• Stop smoking.
• Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements, as they can increase bleeding.

Brazilian butt lifts are performed at our accredited Outpatient Surgery Facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you to and from surgery and stay with you for at least the first night.

Brazilian Butt Lift Procedure

Brazilian Butt Lift Recovery

After your Brazilian butt lift procedure, dressings/bandages will be applied to the incisions. Small, thin tubes may be temporarily placed under the skin to drain any excess blood or fluid that may collect. You will be taken into a recovery area to be closely monitored and may be permitted to go home after a few hours.

You will be instructed to wear a support garment around-the-clock following your surgery. Your surgeon will tell you how long you need to wear the compression garment and if there are any other garments you may have to wear during your recovery.

It's important that the surgical incisions are not subjected to excessive force, motion, swelling or abrasion during the time of healing.

You will be asked to avoid prolonged sitting for about 2 weeks (some surgeons prefer longer). This is very important because prolonged sitting will damage the fat.

You will also be encouraged to sleep face down or on your side. When you do have to sit, you will have to use a pillow or cushion placed behind the legs (hamstring muscles) to help raise the buttocks, avoiding pressure onto the fat grafts.

Your surgeon may encourage you to seek a lymphatic massage from a licensed massage therapist. You can generally resume exercise after 6 to 8 weeks.

Your doctor will give you specific instructions on how to care for yourself. Following your physician's instructions is essential to the success of your surgery. These instructions may include:

• How to care for your surgical site(s) following surgery.
• Medications to apply or take orally to aid healing.
• Specific concerns to look for at the surgical site or in your general health.
• How to care for your drains.
• When to follow up with your plastic surgeon.

Be sure to ask your plastic surgeon specific questions about what you can expect during your Brazilian Butt Lift recovery period:

• Where will I be taken after my surgery is complete?
• What medication will I be given or prescribed after surgery?
• Will I have dressings/bandages after surgery? When will they be removed?
• When can I bathe after surgery and how may I bathe?
• Are stitches removed? When?
• When will the drains be removed?
• When can I resume normal activity, driving and exercise?
• When do I return for follow-up care?

Seek medical attention immediately if you experience shortness of breath, chest pains or unusual heart beats. Should any of these complications occur, you may require hospitalization and additional treatment.

Brazilian Butt Lift Results

The results of Brazilian butt lift surgery with Dr. William Hedden, Dr. Stphen Gunn, Dr. Pasha Mostofi or Dr. Joshua Halka are visible almost immediately. However, it can take up to a year for the final results to fully develop because some of the fat that leads to the initial shape after surgery will be reabsorbed by your body.

The tissues will settle a little within the first 3 to 6 months and the scarring can take up to 2 years to fade to its mature level. Some visible scars will remain, but the overall results are long-lasting provided that you maintain a stable weight and general fitness. As your body ages, it is natural to lose some firmness. However, most of your initial improvement should remain.

Although good results are expected from your buttock enhancement surgery, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure and another surgery may be necessary.

The results of your Brazilian butt lift will be long-lasting. Over time, your butt's size and shape can continue to change due to aging and gravity. You'll be able to retain your new look longer if you maintain your weight and a healthy lifestyle.

This fat can behave like any other fat in your body. If you gain weight, the fat in your buttocks may grow. If you lose weight, you may lose some of the volume in the buttocks as the fat shrinks.