Flying after BBL surgery.

This is really dependent on your surgeon’s postoperative protocol. I
prefer my patients not sit for about 2 weeks after surgery and then afterwards
they sit on a donut for about a month just to offload the pressure on the
buttocks.  Any pressure that you put on
the buttocks can compromise the viability of the fat cells.  Placing pressure on the fat cells can cause
the cells to die and make your buttocks smaller.  It is best to follow-up with your Plastic
Surgeon for more specific questions.

Hello and Great Question.  I appreciate the time you are spending researching this procedure.  My name is Dr. Matthew J. Nykiel.  I am a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, a Fellowship Trained Cosmetic Surgeon, and a Butt Augmentation Specialist.
The best source of information and the protocol you should follow is specifically your surgeons.  If you have surgery already scheduled, then you should follow his/her protocol.I would utilize a pressure offloading pillow for the flight.  I hope that helps!  Best of Luck!
Matthew J. Nykiel, MD#TopREALSELFDoctor#CoreREALSELFDoctorButt Augmentation SpecialistLiposuction SpecialistBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon

Generally, I recommend that patients travelling from out of town not return home until 2 weeks post op. This will allow for adequate initial follow up time so as to minimize the likelihood of a major complication arising after your return trip. This will obviously vary from one surgeon to another.
However, I believe it is always prudent to consider surgery as close to home as possible. In reality, it is impossible to predict when a complication will arise (if we could they would never happen). With that in mind, dealing with a complication is always easiest without the challenge that distance creates.With regards to your specific question, there are a number of points to consider with regard to post operative travel. Lengthy flights have their own inherent risks (including immobility & thromobotic risk)
As always, I would recommend following the advice of your board certified plastic surgeon and when flying take the proper precautions for positioning and mobilization so as to mitigate any risk of serious thrombotic events as well offload your newly grafted buttocks. 

I actually have an issue with you having surgery the day
after you arrive. The usual protocol is to arrive at least 48 hours (two days)
prior to surgery when you have flown cross-country like you are planning. This
is to allow your blood viscosity to return to normal. Otherwise, you will have
an increased risk of DVT (deep vein thrombosis or blood clots) which can be
deadly at worst and ruin your return plans at best. All the precautions (SCD’s,
TED hose/compression stockings) minimize your risk, but not eliminate them. I
would recommend you allow the proper amount of flight recovery before
proceeding with surgery.


Every patient can vary when it comes to recovery but to
minimize risk and maximize result, follow the recovery plan set forth for you
by your surgeon for post operative care. In regards to stay, on top of the time
that your surgeon requires you to remain in town, patient comfort comes first
and may require additional days until you feel comfortable with extensive travel. 
Picking a flight later on may be advised if within the parameters of your
surgeon's plan and can be moved up sooner if you are feeling better than
expected.

Flying is not a substantial issue after BBL.
Patients who travel for this procedure should have a special pillow that avoids putting pressure on the treated area.
We provide these to all of our patients.
The primary concern with sitting after BBL is the possible interference of ingrowth of capillaries into the grafted fat. This is called neovascularization.
This process happens between the third and the 12th day after surgery.
It continues for several weeks after that.
Ideally if one was to put pressure for a long period of time it should be immediately after the procedure or 2 to 3 weeks after the procedure.
Perhaps the worst time to put extensive amounts of pressure or excessive movement would be between the fifth and the 10th day.
In my opinion the flight is not the biggest issue with traveling for cosmetic surgery.
The importance of follow-up and the potential for complications requiring ongoing care is much more important.
Most people don't believe that complications will happen to them.
While serious complications are not common they do happen and when they do happen it's 100% to that individual patient.
Having an infection, Titian a crisis, and oil cyst or an uneven result in being 3000 miles away from your surgeon is not a very good idea.
Despite branding and marketing there are plenty of talented board-certified plastic surgeon's who are exceedingly talented in this procedure closer than Miami.
Anyone traveling for cosmetic surgery should plan on the ability to travel after surgery for follow up or to be taken care of should complications happen.
This simply should be included in the calculation when the decision is made of who should perform the procedure.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom M.D.

Why are you flying out to Miami for a BBL. Lots of excellent surgeons that perform BBL live right here in California. The key to successful BBL is to perform a comprehensive liposuction of all of your body; this process takes time and is the most arduous part of BBL; spending 2 to 3 hours just liposuctioning is one of the keys to this procedure.

Thank you for your question.It is advisable to try and find a reputable board certified plastic surgeon in your area so you can continue to be under the care of the surgeon who operated on you. If you do decide to travel out of state then I would plan to stay for a minimum of 2 weeks after your surgery for post operative check-ups and to prevent any damage to the surviving fat by sitting on a long flight but it is important to consult with your surgeon about their post-operative instructions, as each surgeon has slightly different post-operative protocols, and to come up with an appropriate aftercare plan for you once you go back home. I recommend that my patients do not sit on their bottoms for long periods of time for the first three weeks. The first week I do not recommend any sitting or pressure on the buttocks, days 8-14 the patient may sit up to 5 minutes two times per day.  Days 15-21 the patient may sit up to 9 minutes five times a day only then days 22 and beyond sitting is fine as long as the patient is comfortable. If you must go back fly before 3 weeks post op, I definitely do recommend the BBL pillow and getting up every 10-15 minutes to walk around. I hope this helps.Best of luck to you!Sincerely,
James Fernau, MD, FACSBoard Certified ENTBoard Certified Plastic SurgeryMember of ASPS, ASAPS, ISAPS, The Rhinoplasty Society, AAFPRS, OTO/HNS, ASLMS, International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics & Science