Mother Nature fell short when it came to your hind end, and no amount of squats or lunges are making up the difference. So, you’re joining the nearly 30,000 people who turn to a Brazilian butt lift each year in the United States to reach their body-shape goals.
While your Brazilian butt lift is in good hands on our end with Dr. Trent Fogleman, who heads up the plastic surgery services here at Cosmetic Surgery Center, you need to do your part at home during your recovery.
In the following, we outline a few best practices when it comes to recovering from your Brazilian butt lift so you can get to the part where you proudly show off your new booty.
Oddly enough, the moniker Brazilian butt lift (BBL) isn’t a very good description of what we do, which is gluteal fat grafting. We don’t lift your butt — we enhance it with fat that we harvest from another part of your body and inject into your hind end to make it more shapely and well-rounded.
So, a BBL is really two procedures in one — liposuction and then the subsequent reinjection of the purified and treated fat.
The reason we point this out is that you’re recovering from two procedures, so patience will be key.
We assure you that we’ll send you home after your BBL with thorough post-procedural instructions, and we’re just a phone call away if you have any questions.
In the meantime, we want to review some recovery tips so you can prepare in advance.
You're going to be sore for the first few days after your BBL, so we suggest that you plan in advance for taking a week off from your normal duties. We do encourage you to move around and take small walks, but nothing too strenuous.
It’s imperative that you wear the compression garments we provide, and there may be two sets — one for your butt and another for the area where the fat was harvested.
During the first month, you should wear these garments 24/7 and then for about 12 hours a day during the second month. Compression garments keep circulation flowing, and they also help to maintain the correct shape.
As you might imagine, we don’t want you sitting directly on your butt or sleeping on your butt at night, as this type of pressure can kill the fat. When we move fat into your hind end, it needs to reestablish itself in its new environment and tap into a good blood supply. If you place pressure on the area during this vulnerable time, you could jeopardize the newly transplanted fat cells before they have a chance to set up.
So, you’ll need to figure out how to sit and lie down while minimizing the pressure on your butt. For example, sleeping on your side with body pillows to prevent you from rolling over is a great practice.
For sitting, we suggest a BBL pillow, which is a special cushion that shifts the weight to your thighs and off your butt. You’ll need to use this pillow for several months, especially if you have a desk job.
During your gluteal fat grafting, we put between 1-⅓ cups to 2-¼ cups of fat in each cheek, and there will be some natural attrition. On average, you’ll lose about 40% of the fat, leaving you with a solid 60% that will give your hind end a perkier and more robust appearance.
Again, we will supply you with detailed recovery instructions after your BBL, and our team is on call to answer any questions you might have. All you have to do is contact our office in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to reach us.
