Round 2 BBL - is it possible to achieve a bubble butt with fat from stomach, arms, and thighs? (photos)

You are in good company with many others who had high hopes for BBL but instead received disappointing results (lumpiness, unevenness, lack of projection in the central and/or lower buttock, post-deflation sagging, etc.). It is not quite as much the quality of the doctor but rather the quality of the procedure that is a large part of the problem. Thus, going back for round 2 BBL most often produces the same disappointing results but at another financial loss. Buttock implants indeed provide a more reliable, predictable, relatively safe, and permanent result, especially for adding projection to the buttock and often smoothing out lumpiness. Occasionally a lower buttock tuck may be advantageous for lower buttock fold asymmetries and/or sagging. Please keep in mind that an extremely few number of board-certified plastic surgeons specialize in buttock implants so be sure to consult with one that is reputable and experienced. Unfortunately you may have to travel long and far away from home to find this particular surgeon. Glad to help.

Dear Intuitive997540,
based on your photos, you look like a good candidate for a BBL. Liposuction of your abdomen, back and flanks should give you more curves and hourglass shape and fat transfer to buttocks should give you more projection. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon because 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

BBL results vary substantially based primarily on two reasons. These two variables are probably equally as important when it comes to quality results. The first one is this experience in skill of the provider.
The second is the candidacy of the individual seeking the procedure.

Some people are not good candidates for a variety of reasons. Projection in certain parts of the buttocks is limited because of connective tissue that anchors the skin to the underlying muscle fascia often found in pressure bearing areas like the back of the thigh and lower inner buttocks. these areas can sometimes lack projection because of this connective tissue which will not allow the skin to project and patients often blame the results and surgeons not putting the fat in the right place.

That said the number of plastic surgeons who do an exceptional job of this procedure is not all that high either.

To answer your question fat can be harvested from any area. You didn’t include good abdominal pictures or extremity pictures so it’s a little hard to tell your candidacy for Liposuction on these areas but most likely I see no reason why at least some fat cannot be harvested from arms, thighs and your torso.

When it comes to both primary but even more so secondary BBL‘s having a very clear understanding of what can and cannot be achieved with fat transfer is paramount in order for patients to realize what their results are not capable of.

The best example is patients who have a flat lower inner buttocks and want that projected. When that’s the case it’s connective tissue that stopping the skin from projecting and doing a BBL will make the shape worse.

Being in the hands of a sufficiently talented, insightful and experienced provider is key for getting a quality assessment they can point out all of the little nuances and variables involved with this procedure.

The BBL primarily makes the bottom bigger and does not always shape the buttocks as much as it does adding volume.

If you want us to make an assessment on the outcome of a procedure you should include a proper before and after pictures. If you don’t have those then you should contact your plastic surgeon and ask them to forward the ones they took.

I see no reason why you can’t move forward with a second BBL. When patients are unhappy with the first BBL it may be that the candidacy for the procedure is limited and having it done again isn’t going to fix the problems. some people are not going to get the shape they want for a variety of anatomic structural issues.

Like I mentioned earlier they’re also a substantial if not the majority of providers doing these procedures in a manner that is so much lacking when it comes to beautiful outcomes.

Delivering consistent high-quality Liposuction and fat transfer results is more difficult than most people including plastic surgeons believe.

Best of luck with your potential second BBL.

I’m assuming you will not be going back to your first provider.

When seeking a new provider for any procedure it’s important to vett that provider thoroughly.

Find the most talented and experienced providers by having multiple in person consultations. For revision work you should always bring a copy of your operative report and standard before and after pictures.

Look for providers with hundreds of impressive before and after pictures and those who have the least number of justified negative reviews on various physician review websites.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD