Is there a certain limit on the amount of fat tat can be transferred in a bbl?

Question

I heard there were limits in the U.S. and that’s the reason why people choose to go to the Domican Republic instead..

Carolina Restrepo, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. While you can liposuction several areas at once there is a limit to how much fat can be removed safely. Risks from liposuction increase significantly when over 5 liters of fat are suctioned out. We usually stay below this limit for patient safety. We’ve found that we’re able to achieve dramatic improvements for our patients with 2 to 4 liters of liposuction, depending on their needs. Buttock augmentation with fat grafting is one of our most popular procedures in Colombia, and from experience we can tell you that some patients do very well with 300 cc of fat per side while others can need 800 cc or more.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

For safety reasons, 5000 cc is the generally accepted upper limit for liposuction in an outpatient setting, with the transfer being less than that.  Depending upon how much the buttock will stretch, you may be able to inject 2000 cc per buttock.
Kenneth Hughes, MD, ABPS Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Los Angeles, CA

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear lotus.n0ire,
in case of fat transfer, it is important to avoid overfilling the space with fat cells in order to avoid increased pressure in that area and consequently fat necrosis. Fat viability depends a lot of surgeon technique. The fat has to be placed back into the buttocks as soon as possible so that it has a greater chance of survival. It has to be placed carefully so that not too much fat is placed in only one area. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

John L. Burns Jr., MD · Answer

I’m my opinion this is more of a shaping than  volume procedure.  Lower volumes placed above the muscle are safer and provide better aesthetic results.  Overfilling under high pressure can result in fat necrosis, lumpiness, and poor outcomes.

Tania Medina de Garcia, MD · Answer

Hello dear!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well.
This is determine during an in-person consultation and it depends entirely on your anatomy, health and weight.
In general, you need to be physically healthy and at a stable weight, have realistic expectations, be a non-smoker and your BMI needs to be 30 or less.
l recommend you to make an appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon to talk about your goals and anything you need to know.
Good luck :)

Stephen M. Davis, MD, FACS · Answer

Thanks for writing,The limitation of fat transfer is based on a couple of things. One, is how much fat is available to safely harvest from your body. The second is how much physical space is available to receive the fat. You also need to know this is a higher risk procedure. The incidence of death with BBL is 1:3,000, the incidence of death with abdominoplasty is 1:12,000. There recently have been deaths from BBL in Miami and DR. On July 7th Florida has new law that will be in force solely associated with BBL. All this to say be very careful with who you choose and where you go. As with most things in life you get what you pay for, cheaper may not necessarily be better. If you travel to have surgery, remember if you have a problem / complication, then you are here the the surgeon is somewhere else. I hope this helps.Stephen M. Davis, MD, FACSCertified: American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember: American Society for Aesthetics Plastic SurgeryMember: American Society of Plastic SurgeonsMember:RealSelf Hall of Fame

Arian Mowlavi, MD, FACS (license on probation) · Answer

There is no limit, but we average between 1-1.5L per cheek. If you are a good candidate for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), the optimal outcomes are achieved with: 1) use of VASER liposuction to harvest the fat, 2) a closed looped system such as Puregraft to process the fat, and 3) strategic micro-packet transplant technique. These three processes have demonstrated over 95% fat graft take. This means that your results will be stable as long as you maintain your weight. As an official VASER trainer, I am routinely referred unhappy BBL patients. One of the most common reasons for disgruntled BBL patients is that patients are not able to accurately communicate their desired buttocks goals to their surgeons.  A buttocks assessment tool can be an invaluable tool to communicate to your surgeon the exact buttocks size and shape you are desiring. A Skype or FaceTime consultation with a BBL specialist can help you get an accurate recommendation and pricing. 
Respectfully,
Arian Mowlavi MD,FACS
Realself 100 Hall of Fame Inductee

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

people go to Dominican republic to get cosmetic surgery primarily to save money.  They may also go because they believe the plastic surgeons have inherent skills and talents they are looking for. In my opinion they're getting what they paid for.  More than if you have come back in coffins.  That's not to say there haven't been bad outcomes in the United States as well.  The United States does have the advantage of having the highest medical standards in the world and personally I would take advantage of having that in my backyard.  To my understanding only Florida has a set fat removal limit based on law.  Even then more fat can be removed if the surgeon text the necessary precautions.  Most plastic surgeons use the American Society of plastic surgeons safety guidelines which is to remove not more than 5000 mL of total aspirate which is about 4000 mL of fat.  These are guidelines and each plastic surgeon can practice medicine the way they feel is most appropriate for their patient.  To my knowledge there is no set maximum amount of fat that can be transferred.  This usually comes down to aesthetic judgment and safety issues.  Flying to a developing country to have surgery that exceeds safety guidelines in the United States seems like a good recipe for a not happy ending.  Best, Mats Hagstrom MD

Is there a certain limit on the amount of fat tat can be transferred in a bbl?

Answers (8)

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