Should I get a Lipo 360 with a BBL before doing a tummy tuck?

If you are in good health, you could be a good candidate for Brazilian buttlift (BBL), and tummy tuck. Fat can be taken from many different areas of the body including abdomen, sides, bra rolls, arms, underarms, flanks, lower back, upper back, posterior neck, submental areas, jowls, thighs, calves, ankles, and inner knees. You have to consider not only which areas will have perhaps the best fat, but also you have to consider which donor sites will have the fewest problems afterward with the liposuction. In general, the abdomen and thighs are preferred, but, if those sites are not available, other areas can be used.
I perform the tummy tuck and liposuction/BBL combination frequently because many of my patients only want to go through surgery and recovery one time. Recovery can be challenging and uncomfortable. However, there are creative ways to manage the recovery position. Pillows can be placed under the lower back and the posterior thighs and patients can sleep on the back. A cushion with a hole cut out can perform a similar function. There is also a mattress with a hole into which you can place your buttocks and sleep on your back.
You could stage the procedures and have the TT done first; then the liposuction and BBL. However, the result will not be as tight as liposuction and BBL first and then TT. Both can be performed at the same time, but the upper abdomen cannot be aggressively liposuctioned at the time of the TT due to blood supply issues. The reason for this is simple. More skin can be removed when less fat is present.

You need a formal evaluation by an expert in body shaping and contouring to determine what is best. The best in body contouring not only removes fat with energy devices like VASER ultrasound but also internally heats the skin with radiofrequency devices such as Renuvion (J-Plasma), InMode BodyTite, and ThermiRF to heat the undersurface of the skin and tighten it at the same time as fat removal. These combinations are called 4D HI-DEF VASER Liposuction and can only be done by a well-trained body contouring specialist. At the same time, fat should be harvested and purified, with PRP and stem cells added, and then injected into muscles, indentations and cellulite to get body shaping and contouring. For a Brazilian butt lift (BBL), we inject the fat into the buttock for contouring and lifting, but fat can also be used in areas such as the chest/breast, arms/shoulders, calves and face. Cellulite should also be treated with a combination of QWO or Cellfina, subcision, and/or fillers such as Bellafill, Renuva synthetic fat, or Sculptra. If skin is very loose before surgery, then it will need to be removed: tummy tuck/abdominoplasty for lower abdominal skin; breast lift for excess breast skin; and/or a brachioplasty for loose arm skin.

Overall, you need a full assessment, but simple liposuction alone will not tighten skin and needs a combination of various methods -- fat removal, skin tightening, defining, fat grafting, skin removal -- to get the best in body contouring and body sculpting. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer.

I always recommend doing the tummy tuck first. The whole purpose of combining your multiples procedures is to change your shape. Abdominoplasty with mesh creates a more dramatic reduction of your abdominal wall projection. You may get by with less fat transfers for the BBL which would be safer and easier to do.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.