Butt going flat after BBL? (Photos)

Dear Chanel702,I instruct my patients not to sit for 2 solid weeks. We provide them a specialized pillow that our patients can sit on during that time. They can sleep on their stomachs or sides. 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 areaDaniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

The volume that you are seeing diminish may be the residual swelling and can stay around for 3-6 months after surgery. You will need to wait until then or when your surgeon has said in post-op instructions to do anything revision wise. It is common to do 1-2 "booty boosters" to achieve the full desired look if it is needed. I wish you the best of luck and to follow up with your surgeon with any additional questions or concerns you may have. 

The overall volume injected as well as location has a great deal to do with results.  Early in recovery swelling can distort the appearance.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Thank you for your question. With Brazilian butt lift we transfer fat from one area of the body to the other. These fat cells are transferred in microinjections throughout multiple planes in the buttock tissue so that they can gain new blood supply and live in their new home, providing increased volume and shape to the buttocks.You are likely seeing changes as a result of decreasing swelling.  After surgery there is a predictable swelling process that mostly resolves over two months, when the final result really settles in. Around 70% of fat that is grafted is typically expected to survive long term. We also put a little extra to account for loss of fat post operative, which is reabsorbed gradually by the body.

This is something that can be distressing for patients. But remember your butt is typically largest immediately after surgery. That is when there is fluid from the procedure and natural swelling from the surgery in addition to the fat that is transferred. As time goes on, the fluid leeches out and the swelling goes down. Also, not all of the fat that is transferred survives. So as time goes on, compared to immediately after the surgery your butt gets smaller. Ultimately, if all goes well the size stabilizes (and in many cases starts to increase a bit) and you end up with a great result. It can take 6 months or more. This requires patience and good post op care.I hope this helps!

Thanks for posting your pictures. Your result looks just fine at this point. Swelling and normal fat reduction are both reasons that your size goes down a bit. 4-6 months is when you reach your final size. Sitting at this point is not an issue, but I still tell my patients to avoid long sitting on hard surfaces for several weeks. Another thing you can do is keep an eye on your weight: if you are losing fat from the rest of your body for any reason, you will lose some fat from your buttocks. Usually not an issue, and normal working out should be fine, just no crash diets, etc. Looks like you are doing great so far.

With a BBL, you will lose 30-50% of the fat volume that is injected over 3-6 months after the surgery. You are only 5 weeks out, so you will continue to lose volume. This is not something that you did wrong. It sounds like you are doing everything correct. It is just he nature of this surgery. Post op you also have swelling from the trauma which resolves over time too. The final results are not near as dramatic as the immediate post op results. This should all have been explained to you pre-op by your PS. 

At five weeks your results look phenomenal.
You may lose a little bit more volume but you should be extremely pleased with your outcome.
It's better than most could deliver in my opinion.
Some of the more dramatic before and after pictures shown my plastic surgeons may include early postoperative photographs depicting final results.
In reality what you have is a very good results and you should be proud of it.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom M.D.