Would I benefit more from implants or BBL? (Photo)

Allow me to answer your question as best i can based upon your photos. However, please keep in mind that an in-person, or at least a virtual, consultation with physical exam is first necessary before any legitimate evaluation or final surgical recommendations can be made.

There are currently only two FDA approved surgical options for augmenting the buttock/hip area: 1) Buttock and cosmetic Hip Implants (which are soft semi-solid silicone rubber implants that cannot rupture &/or leak) and 2)Brazilian Butt Lift (aka BBL) - which utilizes the patients own fat from liposuction then transfers this fat into the buttock. On the other hand, BBL using Sculptra is a dangerous, guaranteed waste of money, and is NOT FDA approved. So what it comes down to, like any surgery, is proper patient selection and long-term results. Implants provide the only guarantee for a sustained permanent result and tend to be ideal for perking up not only lean or deflated buttocks but also providing substantial projection to any butt, which is what every single patient wants. For you, typically a combination of sculpting the waistline with liposuction and augmenting the buttock with implants +/- the hips with implants provides the best chance for a long lasting and desirable "hour-glass" figure. Based upon your photos, a Stanton Anatomic®️ shape buttock implant may serve you best.

Unfortunately, fat typically melts away leaving disappointing results after 12 months, often sooner. Unless your BBL surgeon is injecting only 200 to 300 ccs of fat into each buttock cheek, a large percentage of that fat is going to die. Dead fat leads to dents and dimpling like cellulite, unevenness, loss of projection, and fatty necrotic oil cysts which are hard marbles and can be very tender
Unfortunately, because ~70+ % of the fat transferred will melt away within a year or two, most patients are not good candidates for BBL because they lack an adequate amount of fat to harvest. Beware, if a surgeon asks you to purposely gain weight (i.e. fat) before BBL, know that the fat you lose first as you get back to your baseline weight after surgery is that very same fat that was transferred into your buttock, hence your new buttock shrinks first, the fastest, and the most...so please do not fall victim to this recommendation. Even those patients that had adequate amounts of fat pre-operatively, still end up seeking buttock implants after a year or so because most of the fat transferred melted away leaving them with minimal result. Fillers such as Sculptra are cost prohibitive, provided enough volume is injected (i.e. at least 400 cc of active ingredient costing over $300,000) and last only 12 - 18 months. So, if you're looking for a reliable, predictable, and long-term permanent option that also provides projection in the central buttock, buttock and hip implants are your solution. Please note that an extremely few number of board certified plastic surgeons specialize in buttock or hip implants, so you may need to travel far and away from home to find this particular surgeon. Glad to help.

Thanks for your question. From your pictures, you seem to be a good BBL candidate. The BBL includes 360 lipo, which is lipo of the upper and lower abdomen, the upper and lower back and the flanks. In addition, if you do not have enough fat in these areas, liposuction can be performed in many other areas of the body for fat transfer to the buttocks, such as the upper arms and chin. Depending on your desired results, you may be asked to gain some weight. I recommend you schedule a consult for a proper evaluation. Make sure your surgeon you choose has extensive experience with BBLs and clean credentials. Always consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. Take care, Moises Salama MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Dear Balderdash, thank you for sharing your question. After analyzing your case I can say you're a good candidate for Lipo in your abdomen, flanks and back to provide yo a BBL. Do not lose weight so your surgeon can have enough fat for transfer to your butt. Make sure you go on consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Hope this helps and best of lucks. Dr. Luis Mejia.

Hi Balderdash,
Thank you for your question. Based on your preoperative photographs and depending on your specific goals. you have multiple options. Right now, you would be a good candidate for 360 liposuction with BBL. However, if you lose 20lbs, you may not have enough donor fat to achieve a dramatic change if that is what you want. Regardless of weight loss, you would be a good candidate for buttock implants with fat grafting to your hip dips. For more information, please reach out to a board eligible or board certified plastic surgeon for detailed preoperative assessment.

You are the perfect candidate for BBL. I do not recommend gluteal implants specifically for you. Implants come with their own complications possibility of rotation malposition. As I believe, at least based on your pictures, you would be a great candidate for 360 high definition Vaser Lipo and fat transfer..

Dear Balderdash,
You would benefit greatly from a BBL procedure, even at your current weight. In addition to contouring and enhancing your buttocks it would slim your waistline nicely. Seek consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon for an examination and discussion of your options. Good luck!

I think losing 15 to 20 pounds would be an excellent goal and I suggest you start working on that first and foremost.
There’s no inherent reason why you need surgery.
You have a very nice female figure though almost everyone could be improved to some degree from having cosmetic surgery.
to get an ideal female figure Liposuction alone, if done by sufficiently skilled provider could create an S curve, a.k.a. Coke bottle a.k.a. hourglass that is fairly close to ideal without needing fat transfer.
Adding fat transfer would be adding icing to the cake and could help hyper feminize further.
All of that said, finding a providers who have sufficient skill and experienced deliver consistent quality results is much more difficult than most people realize.
The number of plastic surgeons have truly mastered Liposuction and fat transfer is small.
Being bored, certified in plastic surgery with years of experience does not mean somebody has mastered anyone single procedure or is even good at a procedure.
Finding those who can deliver consistent quality outcomes is more difficult than most people recognize.
For those serious about having surgery I recommend going through a formal lengthy vetting process to find the right provider.
I recommend you do this by having multiple in person consultations preferably with providers in your community.
During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures of previous patients, who have similar body characteristics to your own.
Bring pictures of your own body to use as a reference when reviewing before, and after pictures.
An experienced provider should have no difficulty showing you the before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients.
When it comes to fat transfer results always confirmed the timeframe of when after pictures were taken in relationship to the procedure.
Early fat transfers results can look very impressive but do not. In any way represent long-term final results.
After pictures should be taken 3 to 6 months from the date of surgery in order to be representative of long-term results.
There is no correct number of consultations needed to find the right provider.
Sometimes it’s simply luck.
The more consultations you have the more likely you are to find the better provider.
Considering how much variation there is in skill for this procedure among plastic surgeons, I recommend patients consider having five or six consultations before considering scheduling surgery or selecting a provider.
do not assume before and after pictures represent long-term final results without confirming the timeframe and do not assume that somebody is good at this procedure unless you have clear documentation of what look like an endless supply of quality before and after pictures.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD