The Brazilian Butt Lift has come a long way since the mid-2010s, evolving in terms of execution and delivering more refined results. If you're looking to resolve hip dips, add volume and lift to a stubbornly flat backside, or create the ideal contour, the BBL may be perfect for you. Discover what's been done to mitigate risks and see the results for yourself!
Featured Experts
- Chet Mays, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Louisville, KY
- Robert Singer, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in La Jolla, CA
- Jeffrey S. Yager, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York
What Is a BBL?
The Brazilian Butt Lift is neither Brazilian nor a butt lift. In actuality, the procedure involves the transfer of fat from one area of the body to the buttocks to create a shapelier, lifted look. While the fervor around BBLs has definitely slowed since the heyday of 2016, the procedure is still performed regularly by board-certified plastic surgeons. Additionally, options like butt implants and butt lifts without fat grafting are available to enhance the shape and size of the area.
What Do You Need to Know Before Getting a BBL?
"A lot of times with gluteal augmentation, I’ll put the fat back in to create that three-dimensional contour," explains Louisville, KY plastic surgeon Chet Mays, MD. "So, it’s not just what you take away with liposuction, but what you add back. This has changed a lot of plastic surgery in the last few years. We’re not just throwing everything away; we’re using it in other parts of the body.”
This process helps create the shape and volume patients are looking for, but it's important to note that BBLs may require more fat grafting down the line due to the unpredictable way the body heals. "Fat absorption, which could be as much as 40 percent, may produce asymmetry," the Aesthetic Society guidelines on butt lifts note.
Have Risks Been Resolved?
“The biggest danger with Brazilian Butt Lifts is fat entering the bloodstream and going to the lungs,” explains New York plastic surgeon Jeffrey S. Yager, MD. “This is known as a fat embolism and can be fatal.”
Back in 2020, The Aesthetic Society formed a task force to evaluate the risks associated with BBLs and released their recommendations to keep patients safer in the operating room. That includes keeping fat injections above the muscle, rather than in the muscle or below, to reduce the risk of fat embolism.
But that doesn't mean the risks are entirely resolved.
"There’s a risk in any procedure," adds La Jolla, CA plastic surgeon Robert Singer, MD. "There have been cases where the doctor said that they absolutely injected above the muscle, and in fact, the patient died, and it was later found that the injection went not only above the muscle, but behind the muscle. We don’t have an eye at the end of the cannula, so you can’t be 100 percent sure.”
BBL Before-and-After Photo Gallery
These BBL Before-and-After Photos Prove How Transformative the Procedure Can Be
