Should I lose or gain weight for BBL if I want curvy hips & bubble butt? (Photo)

Question

I’m 5’2” and 145 pounds now. I want a flat stomach, fatless back, curvy hips, & a bubble butt (like my wish pic). I worry that if I do NOT lose weight, my stomach and back won’t be flat/toned as I want to feel totally confident in a bikini. And I worry that if I do lose weight, then I won’t have enough fat for curves and projection. And I don’t want to do surgery more than once to get the result that I want in wish pic. Should I gain or lose weight?

Jaime S. Schwartz, MD, FACS · Answer

A good candidate has enough fat available for transfer in the procedure. The amount of fat that can be transferred in a BBL depends on how much fat the patient has to harvest and the amount of space there is to move the fat into. It is recommended for the patient to have a BMI of 30 or less. If you are too thin, a Brazilian Butt Lift may not be possible.

Donovan Rosas, MD · Answer

Patients interested in BBL often ask questions of the necessary volume for transfer. Ultimately, the answer is two pronged and based upon both patient expectations and the nature of fat graft themselves.
BBL and fat transfer is ultimately dependent upon the long term viability of the fat grafted. That being said the resorption rates of fat transferred can be significant. Clinically this translates to a progressive loss of grafted volume in the months following the procedure.
I tell patients that they can expect resorption or graft loss on the order of 50% (at most; prepare for the worst and hope for significantly better). Additionally some harvest volume is lost in processing the fat graft prior to transfer. Thus I generally recommend that patients seeking even the most minimal volume increase have adequate reserves for grafting of 500 cc per cheek (at minimum).  This means that harvest will usually exceed 1 liter (assuming for processing loss).
However, it important to remember that these are recommendations and can be amended based upon a patient's particular expectations. Some patients only want a subtle change and may be willing to accept a less significant result. But the rule still applies you have to have the fat to transfer the fat.
The question is ultimately a function of your goals. Enough? is a relative question. This is best determined via in-person consultation. Optimally, you should be at a healthy stable weight (preferably with a BMI < 30) with adequate donor sites for harvest. I do not recommend weight gain unless you intend to maintain post op.
With regards to your specific question, I would discourage weight gain for the purposes of harvest alone unless you plan to maintain at a heavier weight. It is important to remember that anatomy plays a role in defining your waistline. Some may be naturally "curvier" (smaller waist to hip ratio) than others. If you have (at some point) had a much narrower waist, this may be reached via liposuction and the hips and buttocks can be subsequently accentuated via fat transfer.The key is reach a healthy stable weight prior to surgery (preferably with a BMI < 30).
As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear bay_area_beauty,
you should know that for this type of surgery, it is very important to have a stable weight in order to be a good candidate. If you loose or gain weight prior to surgery, it can have a negative effect on your surgery results. 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

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Neither.  You should realize an immense benefit with maximal liposuction of the abdomen, sides, thighs, and back to obtain the smallest waist possible and then maximal fat transfer to the buttocks and hips. If your waist was smaller at one time, the waist can likely be reduced to those same measurements or smaller provided the muscular and fascial integrity has remained the same.  
The BBL results are highly surgeon dependent.  Some plastic surgeons can do almost anything and change the shape of anything.  You have to be creative.  There are some anatomic limits, but, for the most part, dramatic transformations can be achieved.  Find a American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) certified plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of BBLs 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 you are seeking.  
Kenneth Hughes, MD, ABPS Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Emmanuel Mallol Cotes, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Based on your photos you appear to be a good candidate for full body intense liposuction to improve your body contour and get better curves, especially in your waist area and Dominican Butt lift taking the fat we get and transfer to the buttocks and hips, to mold them and get better volume, contour and butt projection.
Kind regards,Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

Tania Medina de Garcia, MD · Answer

Hello dear!
Thanks for the pictures and provided information as well.
Based on your photos, you are a great candidate for liposuction with a BBL and a tummy tuck with muscle repair (to fix your abdominal muscles separation), to give you a nice tight tummy and to get rid of the extra skin, and I think you'll get very good results. For safety and recovery reasons, it is not advisable to combine these procedures. You can divide these procedures in two sessions, six months apart.
Liposuction allows your plastic surgeon to transform your entire shape. You can improve your waist, back, hips and flanks, and of course your buttock, to give you a beautiful heart shape, along with the tummy tuck.
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 :)

Ron Hazani, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your photos and question. You appear to be a good candidate for BBL to help you achieve a more contoured and hourglass shape. I would recommend an in person exam to assess your skin elasticity.
Seek a board certified plastic surgeon who performs many of these procedures, has great reviews and photos, and is an expert in this field.

Arian Mowlavi, MD, FACS (license on probation) · Answer

I never advise my patients to gain weight prior to a BBL procedure for several reasons. Gaining weight means increasing the size of your fat cells (they don't grow more, they only get bigger), which will negatively impact their viability during the transfer process. You should be at your "comfort weight" before undergoing a BBL procedure -- that is, the weight that you are comfortable maintaining. Trying to gain weight before or planning to lose weight after could jeopardize your final results.
If you are a candidate for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), the optimal outcomes are achieved with: 1) use of VASER liposuction to harvest the fat, 2) a closed looped system such as Puregraft to process the fat, and 3) strategic micro-packet transplant technique. These three processes have demonstrated over 95% fat graft take. This means that your results will be stable as long as you maintain your weight. As an official VASER trainer, I am routinely referred unhappy BBL patients. One of the most common reasons for disgruntled BBL patients is that patients are not able to accurately communicate their desired buttocks goals to their surgeons.  A buttocks assessment tool can be an invaluable tool to communicate to your surgeon the exact buttocks size and shape you are desiring. A Skype or Facetime consultation with a BBL specialist can help you get an accurate recommendation and pricing.
Respectfully,
Arian Mowlavi MD,FACS

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

In my opinion you should not and do not need to gain weight for a proper BBL. You have enough fat as it is. Based on your pictures you appear to have either muscle separation from previous pregnancies or excess intra-abdominal fat. Regardless your abdomen will get larger if you gain weight.  Your back has skin laxity. The skin folds on your back or not from excess fat but from skin laxity. This can be improved from liposuction and the size of your back can be reduced. No one can change your body beyond your musculoskeletal structure underneath skin and fat with liposuction. That said, your waist will never be as small as in your wish pictures regardless of fat removed from liposuction. Because your abdomen buldges either from muscle separation or excess intra-abdominal  fat or a combination of both, liposuction it will be limited in how flat your abdomen can get.  A full tummy tuck can help in getting a flat abdomen and can pull in your waist substantially Your appear to be an excellent candidate for a BBL but setting expectations clearly from the beginning leads to consistent high patient satisfaction. I suggest having a few in person consultations to get educated on what this procedure can and cannot do for you. Best, Mats Hagstrom M.D.

Manuel Belen, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Hello,
  
Thank you for sharing the information, it is a pleasure for me to answer your question.
Definitely the most appropriate is to start (tummy tuck, liposuction and BBL can also be included), you are a candidate perfect, for the procedure, with this you can eliminate all localized fat and flaccidity, you will get the best results and have a defined appearance according to your body. 
It is advisable to consult with a certified plastic surgeon, for a good evaluation, to provide you with all the information you need to know about the appropriate recommendations, so that you can achieve the desired goals in your body.
  
I hope this answer will help you
  
My best wishes for you...

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