10 Things You Need to Know About Brazilian ‌‌Butt Lift

Quick answer: A Brazilian butt lift (BBL) combines liposuction with fat transfer. Fat taken from your own hips, thighs, abdomen or lower back is purified and injected into the buttocks to add fullness, lift and an hourglass shape. A BBL in Turkey costs around €4,000 – €9,000, compared with €9,000 – €15,000 in the UK. The operation is safest when the fat is placed above the gluteal muscle, and you need to keep pressure off your buttocks for at least 6 weeks afterwards.

Summer is just around the corner, and who doesn’t want to put the bun out to the sun? As the big bum trend is growing, so the BBL surgeries are. Are you wondering why? In this article, we will tell you the most important things you need to know about the Brazilian Bum lift before you go for it.

1. What is a BBL?

BBL is a cosmetic procedure based on transferring fat from other parts of your body to the buttocks to create more fullness and enhance the buttocks. In clinical terms it is called gluteal augmentation with autologous fat transfer, or gluteal fat grafting. Autologous simply means that the fat comes from your own body. The aim is basically to get peachy and perky booty! A Brazilian butt lift is two surgeries in one! You get liposuction to remove the excess fat, and then it is grafted into the glutes while creating a round and contoured hourglass shape.

2. How Does the BBL Procedure Work?

A BBL is a procedure that consists of 3 steps.

Step 1: It starts with liposuction from the areas where there is excess fat. Usually, the fat is collected from the hips, thighs, abdomen, or lower back. Depending on the case, our surgeons use traditional liposuction or VASER liposuction, which uses ultrasound energy to break down the fat cells selectively before they are removed, leaving nerves and blood vessels largely undamaged.

Step 2: The extracted fat is purified from blood and liquid before it gets injected into the buttocks. At the end of this step, only fat remains.

Step 3: It is time to graft the fat into the glutes while reshaping them. It is injected in small amounts into the subcutaneous fat layer, which sits just under the skin and above the gluteal muscle, through small incisions that are made in the body area. With this procedure, the results are natural-looking, as the fat is injected by natural layers, contouring the buttocks and the shape of the body according to the patient’s expectations.

3. Why Have BBL Surgery?

Buttocks are largely determined by genetics. Even though you work out and follow strict diets, sometimes you cannot get the round and lifted shape you would like to have. When you feel your bottom is flat and you have some unwanted fat, a BBL surgery is the best solution to get the body shape and contouring you ever dreamed.

4. Is the Brazilian Butt Lift Safe?

BBL is not a dangerous cosmetic surgery when it is planned and performed to current standards, but it has some risks like all the procedures that require anaesthesia. The main risk that is specific to a BBL is fat embolism. If fat is injected too deep, into or beneath the gluteal muscle, it can enter a large vein and travel to the lungs or heart. In 2018 the Multisociety Gluteal Fat Grafting Task Force, formed by ASPS, ASAPS, ISAPS, ISPRES and IFATS, issued an urgent advisory. It tells surgeons to keep all the injected fat in the subcutaneous layer above the gluteal muscle and to avoid intramuscular or submuscular injection. According to ASPS, the estimated BBL death rate has fallen from as high as 1 in 3,000 before the advisory to around 1 in 15,000 since surgeons changed their technique. That is close to the rate for a tummy tuck.

That is why avoiding submuscular injection is the first safety rule of a BBL, and our surgeons follow this advisory. You still need to make sure you are going to the right clinic with an experienced and certified surgeon, and of course, in an accredited clinic, to keep the risks as low as possible. Combining a BBL with another operation adds to the overall surgical load, so having a BBL and tummy tuck at the same time is assessed case by case.

5. Butt Implants vs BBL Surgery

The butt implants and BBL are surgeries to enhance the buttocks. The main difference is that the first one requires silicone implants to be placed in the bum. The surgeon will choose the best shape of the implant according to the patient’s expectations. BBL surgery uses your own body fat to reshape and contour the buttocks, and the hips. The results are very natural and the risk of rejection is practically nonexistent.

6. How is the BBL Recovery?

Recovery is one of the most essential parts of surgery so it’s important to follow all the aftercare instructions of BBL. In the early phase of recovery, there is minimal pain that can be controlled through pain medication. The recently grafted fat needs some time to settle down, so it is very important to avoid pressure on the buttocks. For at least 6 weeks you shouldn’t sit or lie directly on your buttocks, and you need your BBL pillow every time you sit. A typical BBL recovery looks like this:

1. Days 1–7: You start wearing your compression corset and begin walking gently on the day of surgery, which helps to prevent blood clots. Any drains are removed within the first 3 to 5 days, and pain is controlled with medication. Sleep on your stomach or your sides, never flat on your back.
2. Weeks 2–4: Swelling and bruising settle gradually, and most patients can go back to work after 2 weeks or so, depending on the kind of job they perform. Keep wearing the corset, use the BBL pillow every time you sit, and avoid smoking and driving. Our aftercare instructions also recommend at least 10 sessions of lymphatic massage after liposuction to reduce swelling and soften lumps.
3. Weeks 5–8 (month 2): After 6 weeks, and once your surgeon confirms it, you can stop using the corset and the pillow and start the gym slowly. Intense workouts for the buttock area still have to wait.
4. Month 3 onwards: Swelling keeps going down and the fat that has survived settles. You can start intense buttock workouts with caution after 3 to 6 months. Your final shape becomes clear at around 3 to 6 months, and healing is generally complete by 1 year.

Keep in mind that everyone is different, so the recovery after a BBL surgery will individually vary. All the BBL post-op care instructions will be given by the surgeon and need to be followed to get the best results possible.

7. How Long Does BBL Last?

A BBL lasts several years or decades, depending on each person. Also, the fat can last on the buttocks for a lifetime for some people. Post-op care is the most important part of this treatment. If the person sits on the buttocks after the surgery or sleeps on the back, there is the possibility the fat grafts won’t survive. You can read more about it in our article How Long Does a BBL Last?!

8. How to Maximize BBL Surgery Results?

As we said before, the results of BBL depend on the recovery time and how the person follows the aftercare instruction. We have some tips and recommendations for the patients to make sure of great long-term results. In the beginning, you have to wear medical garments for at least 6 weeks to ensure the fat keeps in place. You should avoid smoking and driving during the first two weeks. You have to learn to sit on your thighs instead of sitting on your bum, and you have to stay hydrated all the time.

9. How Much BBL Cost?

The price of a BBL surgery depends on the clinic and country where you want to get it. In the UK and other countries in Europe, the price of a BBL usually falls between €7,500 and €15,000, and in the USA it is around €12,000 to €15,000. The cost of a Brazilian Butt lift in Turkey starts from €4,000. All the patients also get the chance to stay in a high-quality hotel, discover an incredible city and enjoy a unique culture in the world. Actually, almost all plastic surgeries in Turkey are much more affordable than most of the Europe and USA. The reason for it is the significant exchange rate differences, high competition and government support for medical tourism.

These figures are estimates for a standalone BBL. A combination with other procedures, such as a tummy tuck, raises the total, and the final price also depends on how much fat is removed and how many areas are treated.

10. Where to Get the Best BBL Surgery in the World?

You can have a BBL in many clinics and almost in all the countries in the world. But here we need to tell you that Turkey is one of the top-notch destinations to get a Brazilian Bum lift surgery. The cost of the procedure is affordable, and the surgeons have years of experience performing this treatment. Last but not least, the hospitals are using the latest and newest medical technologies. However, it is important to choose accredited clinics and hospitals before any decisions and payments. Read more about travelling to Turkey for medical treatment!

BBL in Turkey with MCAN Health: Natural Contours Built on a Safe Technique

A BBL is two operations in one, so the plan behind it matters as much as the shape you want. At MCAN Health, our medical team reviews your health history and photos in a free video consultation and checks whether you have enough donor fat. The plan then covers where the fat is taken from and how much goes into each area, so the result suits your body and looks natural.

MCAN Health is a medical tourism company authorised by the Turkish Ministry of Health and accredited by TEMOS International. Your BBL takes place in a Ministry-licensed hospital in Istanbul, and our BBL surgeons are internationally accredited (ISAPS and EUBOPRAS). You spend 1 night in hospital and 5 nights in your hotel before you fly home.

A Long-Term View of Your BBL Results

The transferred fat needs months to settle, so support should not end when you fly home.

• MCANCare covers early post-op support, with daily nurse visits to your hotel for dressing changes and vital checks while you get used to the pillow and the corset.
• MCANFollow provides digital check-ins throughout the first 12 months, the window in which the fat settles and swelling resolves, so concerns are caught early.
• MCANAssurance adds a layer of protection in the unlikely event that a healing complication needs further treatment. Eligibility is confirmed at pre-assessment.

Realistic expectations and a disciplined recovery are what turn a BBL into a natural, lasting shape.