Is lipo 360 required for a BBL?

Question

Lipo 360 and BBL are two separate procedures, but can one be done without the other?

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Liposuction is a surgical procedure that breaks down and removes the fat that lies just underneath the skin. It’s usually performed on areas that are notoriously resistant to diet and exercise such as the back of the upper arms, the outer thighs, the chin, the buttocks, and the stomach. The procedure traditionally involves making a small incision in the “problem” area, inserting a narrow tube called a cannula, and breaking down and suctioning out fat to give the patient a more contoured appearance.
Lipo 360 is used to contour and shape the midsection, including upper and lower abdominals, the flanks on both sides, and the lower and mid-back.
Most patients get an immense benefit with maximal liposuction of the abdomen, sides, and back to obtain the smallest waist possible and then maximal fat transfer to the buttocks and hips. I recommend that you schedule an email, Skype or in-person consultation with a board certified surgeon for proper evaluation.

Emmanuel Mallol Cotes, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. To provide a valid medical opinion I will need to see pictures of you body from different angles. I would suggest to be treated by board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this procedure, to get the best desired results.

Respectfully,
Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

Respectfully,
Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

Casey Anderson, MD, FACS · Answer

To achieve a BBL, fat must be suctioned from other parts of the body then injected into the buttock fat. I suppose it would be possible to only suction specific areas, but it would give a less pleasing overall result. Part of the reason a BBL looks so good on many people is the liposuction to the back and the front (or lipo 360). As always, be sure to research who performs your surgery to ensure the best likelihood of a positive result.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear canelaberry,
you can get a 360 liposuction, liposuction or a certain area of your body without a fat transfer. But in case of BBL, you will need liposuction in order to harvest fat for later transfer. 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

Miguel Mota, MD · Answer

A BBL is nothing more then harvesting fat through liposuction and then injecting it into the butt and hips. 360 Liposuction involves liposuction around the torso.... abdomen, waist, flank and back, hence the term 360.

We don’t necessarily need to perform “360” lipo for a BBL, sometimes back and waist lipo is enough. This will ultimately depend on what the patient wants and where we can harvest the fat from.

Best of luck,
Dr. Miguel Mota

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

In order to provide fat grafts for augmentation of buttocks and hips, fat needs to be harvested by means of liposuction. For that reason liposuction is integral part of BBL. Hope this helps.

George Marosan, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. To create a BBL (Brazilian Buttock Lift) one must collect fat and transfer it into the buttocks for shaping and enhancement. A BBL procedure to give the best possible hourglass shape requires liposuction 360 degrees. I use the VASER Hi Def Lipo 360 degree technique. The body sculpting part of the procedure is as or more important than the amount of fat transferred. Lipo 360 means that the liposuction is done circumferencially on the torso, all areas must be connected to achieve maximum skin shrink wrap around your bony and muscle anatomy. Discontinuous, spotty liposuction of the body will not give you that result. From the posts, it seems that different surgeons have different understanding of what "lipo 360" is and some do not think it is significant to fully contour the torso. A BBL is greatly enhanced by sculpting the surrounding areas. A BBL with poor body sculpting is a poor result.
See a board certified plastic surgeon experienced in advanced body sculpting techniques for an in person consultation/evaluation. Good luck. 
See attached web reference.

Kamran Azad, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. The Brazilian Butt Lift is a type of butt augmentation procedure which uses a person’s own fat to naturally augment and shape the buttocks. Liposuction is performed to remove fat from other areas of the body (often the stomach, back, and flanks, often referred to Lipo 360), then transfers that fat to the buttocks.

You can have liposuction, Lipo 360, without transferring the fat to the buttocks, but you can not have a BBL without any form of liposuction, as you need to harvest the fat from your body to transfer it to the buttocks. Hope this helps!

Tania Medina de Garcia, MD · Answer

Hello dear!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well.
Fat can be harvested from many areas: arms, chin, abdomen, back, flanks, thighs, etc.
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 :)

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

BBL is a combined procedure. It stands for Brazilian butt lift which means fat transfer to the buttocks.

In order to have Fat to graft Liposuction must be done. Because liposuction of the torso or abdomen 360 is often the most complementary the two procedures typically go together.  That said, that can be harvested from the thighs arms or any other area for fat transfer to any part of the body including the buttocks.

Therefore it’s More accurate to list the areas being treated with Liposuction followed by BBL to describe the procedure correctly. If someone is just having liposuction the areas being treated should be listed as describing that procedure.

Personally I don’t like the term I Abdomen 360 because it does not always describe or make it clear if the back and armpits or under arm area is included. Instead I prefer to use the term full torso which is the entire body with the exception of the breast/chest.

Some Liposuction is required to do a fat transfer. The amount of fat needed for a BBL is significant so it usually requires a significant part of the body being treated with Liposuction.