You’ve heard about Brazilian butt lift (BBL) a couple of times and even given it a thought, but as human as we’re, we need to build familiarity with something before going all the way in. So, the big question is, why is it called a Brazilian butt lift? Is it really from Brazil? Cernova Aesthetics receives hundreds of such questions about BBL from clients who want to know more about it before considering it.
We’ll take you through this popular, revolutionary aesthetic surgery procedure. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) says that BBL ranked the sixth most popular aesthetic procedure in 2020. In 2020 alone, more than 20,000 BBLs were done, which is about a 112% increment when compared to the figures from 2000.
As BBL’s fame continues to rise, prospective patients wonder how it became so popular. As you might have guessed, it’s indeed from Brazil, and that is why plastic surgery is one of the country’s major industries. Today, we’ll take you through the history of Brazilian butt lift and why it’s one of the most popular aesthetic procedures.
What is a Brazilian Butt Lift?
What is a BBL procedure? Just like the name suggests, it’s a cosmetic procedure performed to augment and enhance the volume and shape of the buttocks. BBL is different from other traditional procedures that mainly use implants in that it uses the patient’s own body fat to achieve the desired shape and volume.
So, why is it called a Brazilian butt lift? The name comes from its origins—it was pioneered by Brazilian plastic surgeon Dr Ivo Pitanguy, a true innovator in aesthetic procedures. Before him, other surgeons had tried grafting body fats to the bum, but he often gets credit for creating BBL because his procedure gave the most admirable and lasting results.
Dr Pitanguy also authored over 2,000 medical studies that made significant contributions to the industry. This is also part of the reason why he was Brazil’s most famous plastic surgeon. In his 1964 edition of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a well-respected medical journey, he described his first surgical method of correcting buttock sag or ptosis.
Before 2000, butt lift procedures were less known and there weren’t many statistics kept about them. However, things began to change slowly towards 2010, and it eventually experienced explosive popularity growth, arguably because of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, and Nicki Minaj displaying bigger posteriors.
In recent years, the ideals of butt lifts have shifted towards bigger, fuller bums, as noted by the June 2016 edition of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal.
Brazilian Butt Lift Vs Butt Augmentation: What’s the Difference?
You’ve likely heard of these two similar terms. How different are they? BBL is simply gluteal augmentation through fat transfer. It’s different from traditional butt augmentation, which uses implants to enhance the bum. Their differences mainly arise from the source of the material used.
Butt Augmentation
Butt augmentation, which is the traditional method, uses synthetic implants such as saline or silicone to project the butt. The procedure involves placing the implants under or above the gluteal muscles. This allows a small degree of customising the appearance of the buttocks.
However, it also involves several potential complications related to using synthetic materials as implants. This is something that patients must discuss broadly with their surgeon to understand the risks involved before taking the procedure.
Brazilian Butt Lift
On the other hand, BBL introduces no foreign substances in the body. Instead, it capitalises on the patient’s own body fat reserves. These fats are extracted using liposuction from different parts of the body, like the thighs and abdomen. Once collected, the fats are purified and injected carefully into the gluteal muscles of the butt. The result is a fuller, more pronounced, and natural-looking bottom.
The body doesn’t have to deal with any foreign substances, and therefore integration into the natural contour becomes more seamless. The butt is often “overfilled” with the collected fat because fat cells in their healthiest state can survive the procedure. Generally, about 60% of the fat cells will make it, so overfilling is essential to increase the survival rate and chances of achieving the best results.
Both techniques have together widened the scope of augmenting the gluteal. However, BBL has turned out to be more popular because of its natural and holistic approach to enhancing body contours.
The Advantages of BBL over Butt Augmentation Using Implants
We’ve tackled the question “Why is it called a Brazilian butt lift” and mentioned why it’s the safest. Now let’s have a look at its advantages over augmentation using synthetic implants.
Natural Look and Feel
We mentioned that BBL uses your own fat reserves, while traditional augmentation uses synthetics like silicone. The benefit of your own fats is that the result looks and feels more natural, while the traditional method can sometimes feel more artificial due to a firmer feel.
Dual Benefits
Brazilian butt lift gives you double benefits; fat is removed from other parts of the body during liposuction to give you a contoured body and a lifted butt at the same time.
Lower Risks of Complications
Synthetic implants come with risks such as shifting or rupturing. BBL eliminates these concerns through the body’s fat, so there’s a lower risk of developing long-term complications.
No Foreign Substance
No single foreign substance is used in BBL, so there’s no potential of the body rejecting it or adverse side effects that come with implants.
Customised Butt Shape
One of the biggest advantages of BBL is the ability to have the bum shaped just like you want it. It can be tailored to match your natural anatomy and personal aesthetic goals. This ensures you have a balanced and proportionate result.
Minimal Scarring
In BBL, your aesthetic surgeon makes small liposuction and fat injection points in the areas where fat is being extracted. This causes minimal scarring, which eventually goes away after some time. On the other hand, larger incisions have to be made to place the synthetic implants in the traditional butt augmentation procedure.
Are The Results of BBL Permanent? How Do I Know I’m A Good Candidate?
Up to this level, you know BBL meaning, its history, and why it’s a better aesthetic procedure than traditional butt augmentation. So, after gaining the perfect silhouette, will the results last for a lifetime? Well, the results can be long-lasting, even permanent, but there’s a catch.
To achieve the best long-lasting outcome, you must maintain a stable weight and lead a healthy lifestyle. After you’ve received the procedure, it’ll take your body 6 to 8 weeks to integrate the new fats into your system by establishing a blood supply. Some of the fat may be reabsorbed naturally, then the remaining fat will settle to give you those enviable curves. Therefore, the initial results might look a little more dramatic but with time, your silhouette becomes more pronounced to give you the final desired results.
Once fat cells leave the body, it’s almost impossible to grow them back because the body doesn’t generate new fat cells with ease after puberty. The only thing that happens is that the existing fat cells expand when you add weight and contract as you slim down. But once some of the fat cells are removed through liposuction, you’re unlikely to bulge in the region of extraction.
This doesn’t mean that the region won’t expand entirely when you add some weight. This is the main reason why it’s always advisable to go for a BBL when you’re within your target weight by 10 or 20 pounds. It’s also important that your weight has been stable for a long time, as this increases the chances of achieving permanent results after the procedure.
Are You a Good Candidate for BBL?
As we’ve mentioned already, you’re a good candidate for BBL if you’re within your ideal body weight by 10-20 pounds. Also, you need to have enough fat in the abdomen or thighs that can be harvested. Other important factors to look at include being in good health, so your recovery process will be smoother.
If you’re a smoker, it’s best to quit before going for the procedure, and after, to protect the fat grafts. More importantly, you need to have realistic expectations—BBL enhances your body contour and doesn’t transform your natural shape.
A Brazilian butt lift could be your perfect fit if you want a natural-looking fit and are committed to maintaining your results. Consult a trusted professional BBL aesthetician at Cernova to explore if it’s the right choice for your body transformation goals.
Post-Procedure Maintenance Tips for the Best Results
After answering everything about “Why is it called a Brazilian butt lift,” it’s also important to know a thing or two about what to do after the procedure. This is called post-procedure maintenance and will help you achieve the best possible results.
1. Sleep on Your Belly for Some Time
After your BBL procedure, you don’t want to put too much pressure on the freshly transferred fat. So, for the next 6 to 8 weeks when your body assimilates the fat cells into your system, sleep on your belly.
If you feel sleeping on your stomach will be difficult to achieve, start practising it before going for the procedure to get you used to the sleeping position. For those who this is entirely not possible, you can sleep on your sides, but you’ll have to find a method of preventing yourself from switching to your normal sleep position.
2. Reduce Sitting Period
Also, you should avoid sitting for extended periods; take breaks every 10 to 20 minutes if possible. But if you can avoid it entirely, the better. You can use pillows and other softer materials to reduce putting too much pressure on your bum. If you sit in front of a desk all day, consider going for a standing desk, it’ll benefit both your BBL and overall health in the long run.
3. Get Enough Sleep
The sleeping period is what the body uses to repair and restore itself, so the better quality of sleep you get, the quicker your recovery period will be. You can plan your sleep time in 90-minute cycles for REM sleep to happen.
4. Quit Smoking
Smokers often make the worst BBL candidates because cigarettes have a chemical compound that destroys every physiological process of the body. It’ll ruin your body’s ability to create new blood supply and nourish the newly injected fats.
Summary
Why is it called a Brazilian butt lift? It’s a revolutionary cosmetic procedure created by a Brazilian plastic surgeon that uses the body’s own fat reserves to augment the butt. The procedure is safe and produces the most natural-looking results, unlike traditional butt augmenting with synthetic material.
Before considering the procedure, talk to a professional aesthetician at Cernova Aesthetics to understand the benefits and tailor it to your aesthetic needs. Is BBL the best procedure for you? Book your consultation today and take the first step towards your dream silhouette.
