Losing weight before BBL: Is it advisable?

Question

I am looking to have a BBL in June/July 2014. I am currently a size 14 (UK) which is a US 10. My ideal size which I would like to be is a UK 10-12 which is USA size 6 to 8, especially when I have had my BBL. I need to lose weight to be the size I want to be; however I am aware that before a BBL one needs to gain. I am worried that if I maintain the size I have now - when I try and lose the weight after my BBL I might compromise the grafted fat. please advise .

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

I would try to make this decision in conjunction with your plastic surgeon.Try to research this to find the surgeon who consistently produces the 
results you would expect.  Look at reviews on this site and see who gets the surgery right every time.  Find
 a  board certified plastic surgeon who performs hundreds of Brazilian 
buttlifts each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's   
website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can   
deliver the results.  Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Morgan E. Norris, III, MD, FACS · Answer

I do not recommend gaining weight for any type of surgery.  For a fat transfer it's not your weight that is important, it is the amount of fat cells you have that can be liposuctioned in any given area.  I ask my patients to be at a stable weight before having surgery.  Weight fluctuations after surgery can alter your results and cause a need for unplanned revisions later on.  Be sure to discuss your concerns with your board certified plastic surgeon before surgery.Be well and good luck!

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

I like when patients are at their goal weight. I do not want them to put on weight specifically to have the procedure performed.

Henry Mentz, MD, FACS · Answer

That's a very good
question and it is asked often. For large surgeries like liposuction and fat
grafting, it is important that you begin your surgery in the best health
possible. Dieting prior to surgery reduces your nutritional reserves which can
lengthen your recovery and sometimes make the recovery more risky. Secondly, you
should find a surgeon who does these procedures often. Generally there is a
learning curve with buttock fat grafting. Surgeons are apprehensive at first, grafting
only 300-400mL per side, but after some experience, surgeons are comfortable
grafting larger volumes of 600-1000mL per side. Dieting after surgery should
not decrease the survival rate of the fat graft. However, as you lose weight
the volume of the fat graft will also decrease. The good news is that if the
fat is removed from an area that is resistant to weight-loss like the hips or
outer thighs, it will still be the same stubborn fat that is resistance to
weight loss, but now it is in a more desirable place, the buttocks.

Losing weight before BBL: Is it advisable?

Answers (4)