“Not an Easy Recovery by Any Means. Hope the Fat Takes! - Bellevue, WA”

I'm 8 days post Brazilian butt lift. Been very careful not to sit, lay on or put any direct pressure on my buns. This isn't easy, especially if you've had several areas liposuctioned as well and don't have a lot of "alternate" areas to lean on for support!

The fat was harvested from my upper/lower abs, flanks, lower hips, lateral back and upper arms to part of the armpit area. Needless to say, having just the lipo alone would've been a lot...but adding the fat transfer to the butt has made this one tough recovery.

I was awake for my procedure- a drug called Versed was used and something known for it's relaxation/amnesia qualities. Did it work? I don't want to scare anyone, but if you have the option of general anesthesia, I'd highly recommend it. I remember most of my procedure, including waking up to a giant needle stabbing me in the buttocks repeatedly, my legs kicking and flailing but no one doing anything to relieve my discomfort. In the end, Versed did nothing to resolve my "memory" of the procedure...so please talk to your surgeon about the type of anesthesia administered.

The day after surgery, I was almost appalled at the size of my bottom. Swelling, bandages, a Depends undergarment and sweatpants will do that. I didn't like the look of my butt as it was slightly distorted and I could see most of the fat had been placed up high (reason being- doctor said fat will drop with time)

A few days later, my bottom was still pretty sizable, but not as grotesque looking. Today, day 8, it's basically where I want it, which means, I'm sure there will be some volume loss still. I hope not much.

The staff was right about the recovery though...you'll need to baby your bottom for a while. This is not a surgery for someone averse to pain. Being that my doctor injected the fat under the muscle adds to the additional discomfort, I feel. It feels like two bricks under your skin the first several days. Pain gets better, then when I think I'm on the road to being pain-free, it kicks in again.

I opted to have everything done in one shot for the highest recovery of fat for this procedure. In turn, I've experienced a pretty rough recovery. Would I do it again? Yes. There is an investment involved in looking the way we'd like...unfortunately, this sometimes comes in the form of pain.

Updated on Apr 14, 2010:

Pros: Immediate results/ nice new body contours. I had a flat bottom my entire life. Finding clothes that were flattering or fit properly was an ordeal

Cons: Very painful procedure, both during and after surgery. No guarantees that fat will take. Large investment for uncertain result.

Updated on 29 Jan 2011:
Per popular demand for an update- things are pretty much the same. Not much fat took. Considering the amount of pain, cost and mediocre results- wasn't worth it. Looks like I'm not alone.