If you’re interested in buttock enhancement, you’ll notice a familiar name across the internet for the procedure you think you’re looking for – the Brazilian Butt Lift. Similar to how we often refer to laser lipo, it’s not always clear what is involved in laser lipo, or a Brazilian Butt Lift for that matter, and it’s even less clear if you’re a candidate for the procedure or what the risks are. We’ll leave the topic of laser lipo for another blog post but let’s discuss the “Brazilian Butt Lift” below.
The procedure was first popularized in Brazil, hence the name. Brazil is actually one of the most popular centers for cosmetic surgery in the world. In a recent study, Brazil had the second most cosmetic procedures performed overall, behind the US. It’s not clear if the butt lift referred to a specific technique in Brazil, similar to how it’s not clear if the butt lift was meant to be a specific technique here in the US.
Based on my training, research and practice, the Brazilian Butt Lift can be divided into 2 categories – a lift or enlargement. Before you can decide what category your butt fits into, it’s best to understand the underlying concerns that patients have. When it comes to a lift, these patients are unhappy with excess skin that has a significant sag. For these patients, the excess skin can be removed, hiding the incision along the waist, to be hidden by their underwear. By removing the excess skin, the remaining skin can be pulled taught, restoring a nice firm buttock for the patient.
For patients concerned about a deflated buttock, enlargement is appropriate. The two ways to enlarge the buttock is with implants or injections. You may have heard recent horror stories about patients getting industrial grade silicone injections into their buttocks. My best advice is 1) be sure your doctor is a board certified plastic surgeon and 2) that the procedures are being done in an accredited facility, not a hotel room.
There are legitimate ways to enlarge the buttocks. Implants can be used but I have avoided this technique due to concerns about infection and worries about the implant coming through the incision. While the video below is shocking, I could have never imagined this as one of the potential risks!
The more common technique for buttock enlargement that I subscribe to is with the use of fat injections. By performing liposuction to the abdomen, flanks, thighs and arms – any area of the body that has available fat – we can then purify that fat and inject it into the buttocks in a sterile manner. Patients sometimes ask if they will be charged for the liposuction. The cost of the butt lift using the fat injection technique already includes the cost of the liposuction. Patients are not typically charged extra for this.
For additional information, be sure to seek out a board certified plastic surgeon and they will evaluate your buttock shape and discuss the best technique for you. Did that help?
Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Jonathan Kaplan for BuildMyBod.
