Should I get butt implants or BBL? (Photo)

Question

I’ve never had surgery and I hate how flat my back side looks I do have fat for a bbl but I’m afraid I would need 2 rounds to get my desire look and for the butt implants I just don’t know if it will feel natural

Ryan A. Stanton, MD · Answer

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.

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. Please read on:

There are currently only two FDA approved surgical options for augmenting the buttock area:  1) Buttock 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.

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, 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 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.

Moises Salama, MD · Answer

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

Miguel Mota, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for posting. Butt implants mostly project the upper part of the butt only. This is because they are placed inside the muscle, meaning they don’t make much of a difference as far as the lower third, laterals and hips. Butt implants also have a higher risks of post op complications like implants extrusion.

A BBL will not only give you a more natural and larger butt, but it will shape your waist and back, maybe even your abdomen. This will improve your hips to waist ratio improving your overall look with the added benefit of it being your own fat. Guaranteeing there will be no implant issues down the line. Plus I believe you have more than enough fat for achieving excellent results in one round.

Your wish pic is a patient that has either had lipo done before or is extremely fit and has no fat, so implants are her only option. This is not your case. You are the perfect candidate for a BBL just like she was a perfect candidate for butt implants.

Best of luck,
Dr. Miguel Mota

Should I get butt implants or BBL? (Photo)

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Should I get butt implants or BBL? (Photo)

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Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.