Do you lose a certain percentage of fat after a fat transfer to your butt?

The answer is unequivocally yes, but, how much?  Any time fat is moved from one area of the body to another a certain percentage will be lost.  In BBA, most of the fat is injected directly into the gluteus maximus muscle.  It has been shown that 75% of this fat injected directly into muscle is still alive at 3 year follow-up.  This is a very good number and thought to be attributable to the rich blood supply of the muscle.  So, the fat injected above the muscle probably has a lower survival rate in the range of 50%.  This means on average you will lose between 25% and 50% of the total fat injected at surgery.  This number can be influenced by the harvesting techniques utilized and the skill of the surgeon.  Therefore, it is imperative to find a board certified plastic surgeon that is experienced in this procedure.  Good luck in your process.

I think that in general, what you see initially is not what you end up with. This often is related to both swelling and some loss of the fat injected. I find that  most patients retain about 60-70% of the fat.

There is some degree of fat resorption that happens after fat grafting to the buttocks. The exact amount is variable. This can vary from 20-40% resporption of the fat. Good luck. 

Thank you very much for your question.Yes, it is thought that a certain percentage of fat is lost after fat transfer.  I expect about 70-80% of the fat I graft to "take".  For this reason, I typically try to overcorrect slightly, expecting it to shrink down somewhat.  Sometimes more takes, and sometimes less takes.  It's not an exact science.

There is a loss of fat in the process. However, the percentage of loss will vary from surgeon to surgeon depending on the technique, expertise, and skill of the surgeon.

Not all fat cells transferred during a Brazilian Butt Lift survive the removal and relocation process. Fat transfer counts on the ability of fat cells to be able to be incorporated into the new area of the body with new blood supply before the cells run out of nutrients. Not all of the transferred fat will survive; common knowledge says that about 30% of the transferred fat will die, and, therefore, your surgeon should have based the transfer volume accordingly. Best wishes!

Yes, a portion of the fat transferred in a Brazilian butt lift will resorb and not survive the transfer.  Percentages vary by author and account but generally 2/3 to 3/4 of the fat transferred in a BBL will survive long term.  Best wishes, Dr. Lepore.