I am scheduled for a BBL but I am so scared of waking up in excruciating pain. Will it be less painful than a tummy tuck?

Aftercare following the BBL will depend upon an individual surgeon's preferences and perhaps how aggressive the liposuction and large the amount of fat transferred per buttock.   Pain control is important.  I typically use whatever medication a patient has used in the past that has had success.  The pain can be managed effectively, and this aspect should not deter you from surgery.  In general, after performing hundreds of BBLs, the average pain or discomfort period lasts from about 3 to 7 days. 

In my experience I , have found that bbl is a lot less painful than an abdominoplasty . In the fluid used to tumesce the fat layer , a local anesthetic is mixed in with the fluid which helps with pain control.   pain control in abdominoplasty is a multipronged approach : Exparel ( a long acting local anesthetic) is injected into the muscle sheath prior to waking up the patient . This can give pain relief up to 72 hours. Secondly, patients are prescribed muscle relaxers as needed , thirdly anti inflammatories such as Toradol can be used, and finally narcotics are prescribed as needed. 

Thank you for your question. A tummy tuck is much different than a BBL 360. After liposuction and fat transfer to the buttocks, you will be very sore and in slight pain. Be sure to follow all post op orders from your surgeon.

Dear gabriella888,
Generally speaking, pain after BBL is lower than pain after tummy tuck. I use long-lasting local anesthetic during liposuction phase, so my patients have less pain in early post.operative period. 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

Hello and thank you for your question. Pain perception is individualized and everyone reacts differently to painful stimuli. Generally speaking, I have found from my patients that the pain from liposuction and BBL is significantly less and more manageable that the pain from tummy tuck. In our practice, we offer Exparel, which is a long-acting local anesthetic to our liposuction and tummy tuck patients and we have seen tremendous difference in their pain level and easier recovery. You should speak with your surgeon about their pain management strategies. Best,
Pejman
Aflaki, M.D.
Johns
Hopkins-trained double board-certified plastic surgeon

Hello dear!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well.
From experience with my patients, I can tell you that a BBL is a lot less painful than an abdominoplasty. And remember that the pain is very manageable with the right medication. 
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 :)

Great question. Everyone has a different pain tolerance during recovery. A tummy tuck involves tightening of the muscles which makes it quite different in how long and difficult recover can be. Patients give feedback on their BBL recovery and we have heard it is quite manageable but can be quite emotional! We require patients to avoid sleeping on their backs or sitting directly on their buttocks for the first few weeks which can be challenging. Medication will help to manage your pain during recovery. Swelling during the first couple weeks will change to different places and areas at different times, which can cause quite the emotional roller coaster of emotions and questions but it is very normal and can take up to 3 months to completely balance and heal all over. Best wishes on you surgical journey!

Thank you for your question. I find most of my patients tolerate liposuction and BBL well. They compare the discomfort to being sore after an intensive workout and generally find the liposuction areas more uncomfortable than the buttocks which typically are not painful. Icing the areas helps as does being compliant with the compression garment. My patients mostly do not require narcotics for these procedures. They do fine on Tylenol and maybe Tramadol for the first 2 days then are usually off medications.Tummy tuck is much more invasive and the muscle tightening can be uncomfortable for several days. In my practice, I routinely inject the muscle repair with Exparel which is a long acting numbing medication to give pain relief for up to 72 hours. This has made a big difference in the recovery.Best of luck on your procedure! - Dr. Leong

A tummy tuck is widely regarded as a much more painful procedure due to the repair of the muscle -- liposuction and BBL is much gentler. You will still feel some uncomfortability akin to being sore over the operative areas, but you should also receive a prescription for painkillers during your pre-op in order to control your post-op pain.If you are a good 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

The recovery of these two procedures are completely different. The recovery from a tummy tuck is probably the most invasive procedure anyone can have. It’s more painful than open heart surgery. The recovery from liposuction and fat transfer From the get go is probably similar to how you felt after the time we talk on Postop day 4.If your surgeon does a good job injecting numbing solution during the procedure then you should have no pain when you wake up. If you wake up with pain then your surgeon didn’t do that great of a job injecting this numbing solution during the surgery.I do all liposuction and fat transfer procedures with my patients awake. They walk out of my office. I also spend A significant amount of time injecting numbing solution. Usually 30 to 40 minutes. Most surgeons do not spend that much time on that step when general anesthesia is used For a variety of reasons.Most patients are moderately sore after liposuction for 24 hours. After that ibuprofen is sufficient to control the pain. Most people can go back to low impact daily activities after three days And unlimited high-impact activities like running at three weeks.I wouldn’t worry too much about this. If you could survive a tummy tuck you can survive anything.If you’re really worried then you can ask your surgeon to inject a long lasting local anesthetic as well that will keep your number for hours after the procedure.Best, Mats Hagstrom MD