Our bodies are constantly changing shape, whether due to the effects of aging, significant weight gain or loss, or just genetics. Sometimes our bodies change in satisfying ways, and other times not. If time has left you dissatisfied with the look of your butt, you can enhance your physique and feel more confident than ever before with a Brazilian butt lift. Call the Plastic and Cosmetic Center of South Texas in San Antonio, TX today to discuss your options with a qualified aesthetic surgeon.
How Long Does a Brazilian Butt Lift Last?
The Brazilian butt lift procedure is intended to be a permanent change. Once a successful fat transfer has been performed, the fat that remains should stay there for the rest of your life. It will grow and age with you just like the rest of the tissues in your body. If any implants have been placed, they will not need to eventually be removed.
The procedure is popular for a reason: it provides results that last. However, it’s extremely important that you make any necessary lifestyle changes geared toward the maintenance of your new body. You should never endeavor to undergo significant weight loss after autologous fat transfer to your buttocks unless you absolutely have to. If weight loss is part of your aesthetic goals, make sure you do it before you get the procedure done.
Who Should Consider a Brazilian Butt Lift?
There are a number of people who may want to consider undergoing a procedure to enhance their backside. If your buttocks are too small for your frame and you desire a more balanced look, butt augmentation should be considered. If genetics has given you buttocks that are flat or too square and you desire a more curvaceous appearance, or if extreme weight loss or aging has left your buttocks loose, sagging, or flat, you may be an excellent candidate for the procedure.
What Are Your Surgical Options?
The Brazilian butt lift is far and away the most popular method for contouring and enhancing your buttocks. It involves what’s known as autologous fat transfer, or using the patient’s own body fat, to shape and contour the buttocks. For those who desire additional contouring, gluteal implant surgery can be an option.
The Brazilian Butt Lift Procedure
During an autologous fat transfer, fat from one place in your body is removed and used to shape and enhance your buttocks. The procedure involves liposuction with suction tubes that removes fatty tissue from the donor site. These are places in your body that generally have excess fatty tissue, such as the belly, thighs, upper arms, and love handles.
Post-Removal Fat Processing
After being removed from the donor site, the fat will be processed for transfer. Syringes are filled with your body fat and then connected to cannulas (specialized needles used for liposuction procedures) which are used to inject it. Three to five small incisions are created for injecting the fat and are strategically placed in areas that will otherwise be covered up with clothing. The fat is then grafted to your buttocks in layers at multiple levels as the cannula moves back and forth to ensure a smooth, linear deposit of fatty tissue.
Concluding the Procedure
Once the fat transfer is complete, the incisions will be closed with sutures, drainage tubes will be inserted, and a compression garment will be fitted to be used while you recover.
Not all of the fat that is transferred from the donor site to your buttocks is intended to survive in its new location. In some cases, the final result ends up a little smaller than initially projected. That being the case, repeat procedures are sometimes advised in order to achieve your desired results.
Despite its name, the procedure is focused primarily on improving the contours of your body, reducing back rolls, and providing you with a more curvaceous figure. Typically, no skin is removed during this type of procedure and the “lift” that is experienced is due to an increase in the outward projection of the buttocks.
Buttock Implants
Sometimes, a patient’s desired results exceed what can be done with a Brazilian butt lift. Other times, a patient simply doesn’t have enough extra body fat to make a significant difference in their buttocks via autologous fat transfer. For patients in these situations, buttock implants are sometimes recommended to treat flat or poorly-defined buttocks.
During this procedure, a soft, shaped silicone implant will be placed inside the body through an incision your surgeon creates inside the natural crease of the buttocks. There are other eligible locations for your incision, though this location is the easiest to hide. You and your plastic surgeon can discuss these other optional sites during your consultation.
After making the incision, your surgeon will position the implant in a pocket below the large gluteal muscle and above the pelvic bone. Once your surgeon is satisfied with the positioning of the implants, the incisions are closed with sutures, drains are inserted, and you will get instructions about wearing compression garments for a while.
How to Decide Between Your Options
The Brazilian butt lift and buttock implants are the two main procedures you can undergo to improve and augment your buttocks. Based on your stated aesthetic goals and your current body shape, your surgeon will recommend how best to move forward. Generally, if you have adequate fat deposits for autologous fat transfer and you desire contouring, reshaping, and enlargement of your buttocks, the butt lift is your go-to option. However, if you want a more rounded shape to your buttocks and lack the requisite excess fatty tissue, your surgeon may recommend implants.
What Happens at Your Initial Consultation?
During your initial consultation, you will discuss your cosmetic goals with us. We will evaluate you as a candidate for surgery and clearly explain to you what the procedure can and cannot do for you. As your surgeon obtains a better understanding of your goals and condition, they may suggest additional treatments or procedures to better achieve the results you want.
Your Physical Examination
A physical examination will occur in which your surgeon will examine your buttocks, taking note of their size and shape and the quality of the skin. Your surgeon will use this information to assess what kind of augmentation may be appropriate according to your stated goals and your body type. If an autologous fat transfer is decided on, appropriate fat donor sites will also be evaluated.
It’s important that you inform your surgeon regarding your complete medical history, including information about any and all previous surgeries (whether medical or cosmetic). They will also need to be informed about any past or present medical conditions, allergies to any medications, and any prior history of injections into the buttocks.
Post-Surgery Weight Loss
If you have any plans to lose weight in the future, you should mention it to your surgeon at your initial consultation. If significant weight loss is in your future, your surgeon may recommend that you lose the weight first before undergoing a Brazilian butt lift. Your results will be highly dependent on a stable weight. Dramatic weight loss can significantly affect your long-term results.
How Should You Prepare for Your Procedure?
Before your procedure, we will answer any and all questions you have regarding your procedure. We will provide you with detailed pre-operative instructions, take a medical history and perform a physical exam to ensure you’re fit for surgery.
Some patients need to make a few lifestyle changes in order to minimize the chances of complications during and after the procedure. If you smoke or use other tobacco products, we will advise you to quit at least six weeks before undergoing surgery since it can complicate healing. You should also stop taking aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs, supplements, or treatments. Hydration is extremely important both before and after surgery. Your surgeon will advise you regarding how much water you should be drinking.
The Day of Your Procedure
The procedures take anywhere from two to three hours to complete, though they can sometimes take longer if large amounts of fat are being removed.
Considerations for Your Comfort
You’ll receive medications before your procedure to enhance your comfort. General anesthesia is often used during buttock augmentation, but local anesthesia or intravenous sedation are also options. Monitors will be set up to check your heart, blood pressure, pulse, and the amount of oxygen in your blood during the procedure.
Commencing the Procedure
Once everything has been set up and your medications and anesthesia have been administered, your surgeon will follow the surgical plan you discussed before the procedure. Once it’s complete, you will be taken to a recovery area to be monitored while you rest. Drains will be in place already and, if you’ve had an autologous fat transfer, a compression garment will be placed over the liposuction sites as well as your buttocks.
Most often, patients are allowed to go home after a short period of observation. It’s very important to make plans with someone before your procedure to take you home afterward and provide you with aftercare while you heal.
Your Aftercare and Recovery
Your surgeon will advise you regarding the duration of time you need to relax before you can return to your normal routine. You and your caregiver will receive detailed instructions on how to care for you after the procedure, which will include information about the drains and how to care for them as well as what normal symptoms of healing you’ll experience.
Your Care Immediately After the Procedure
The incision sites your surgeon used to insert the cannula during liposuction and/or insert implants may drain fluids for several days. Drainage tubes are often used to channel fluid away from the wound. Your surgeon will give you more information about the drainage.
You will need to continue wearing your compression garments to keep your newly shaped buttocks compressed while you heal. How long you’ll need to wear them will depend on a lot, but your doctor will fill you in when you speak. Some surgeons will provide these garments for you while others do not. Regardless, they are very important.
Learn More
If you’re dissatisfied with your appearance due to aging, weight gain or loss, or genetics, and you want a fuller, sexier, more contoured buttocks, then the Brazilian butt lift procedure may be for you. Of course, there are many cosmetic options from which you can choose aside from (or in addition to) a butt lift, such as breast augmentation. In case you’re not aware of breast augmentation San Antonio and what it can do to augment your physique, a qualified medical professional is available at our office who can provide you with all the information you need.
If you have questions about what cosmetic surgery can do for you, call us at the Plastic and Cosmetic Center of South Texas in San Antonio, TX at 210-890-2415 to discuss your options today.
