Should I go for a Brazilian butt lift or butt implants? (Photos)

Question

I am a 37 yrs old male and have an active lifestyle and mostly on a keto diet as it has worked for me to maintain my weight and energy levels. I am a crossfitter as well. I have been considering either BBL and butt implants . I would prefer Bbl since its using my own fat for a more projected butt, but will that suit my active lifestyle and keto diet? Wouldnt that ruin my results? Several doctors advised me to gain more weight post op. Which im not happy about and if i do, will definitely drop it

Ryan A. Stanton, MD · Answer

Allow me to answer your question as best i can based upon your photos. However, please keep in mind that an in-person, or at least a virtual, consultation with physical exam is first necessary before any legitimate evaluation or final surgical recommendations can be made.

There are currently only two FDA approved surgical options for augmenting the buttock/hip area:  1) Buttock and cosmetic Hip Implants (which are soft semi-solid silicone rubber implants that cannot rupture &/or leak) and 2)Brazilian Butt Lift (aka BBL) - which utilizes the patients own fat from liposuction then transfers this fat into the buttock. On the other hand, BBL using Sculptra is a dangerous waste of money and is NOT FDA approved. and/or hips and   . So what it comes down to, like any surgery, is proper patient selection and long-term results. Implants provide the only guarantee for a sustained permanent result and tend to be ideal for perking up not only lean or deflated buttocks but also providing substantial projection to any butt, which is what every single patient wants.

Unfortunately, fat typically melts away leaving disappointing results after 12 months, often sooner.  Unless your BBL surgeon is injecting only 200 to 300 ccs of fat into each buttock cheek, a large percentage of that fat is going to die.  Dead fat leads to dents and dimpling like cellulite, unevenness, loss of projection, and fatty necrotic oil cysts which are hard marbles and can be very tender 
Unfortunately, because ~70+ % of the fat transferred will melt away within a year, most patients are not good candidates for BBL because they lack an adequate amount of fat to harvest. Beware, if a surgeon asks you to purposely gain weight (i.e. fat) before BBL, know that the fat you lose first as you get back to your baseline weight after surgery is that very same fat that was transferred into your buttock, hence your new buttock shrinks first, the fastest, and the most...so please do not fall victim to this recommendation. Even those patients that had adequate amounts of fat pre-operatively, still end up seeking buttock implants after a year or so because most of the fat transferred melted away leaving them with minimal result.  Fillers such as Sculptra are cost prohibitive, provided enough volume is injected (i.e. at least 400 cc of active ingredient costing over $300,000) and last only 12 - 18 months.  So, if you're looking for a reliable, predictable, and long-term permanent option that also provides projection in the central buttock, buttock and hip implants are your solution. Please note that an extremely few number of board certified plastic surgeons specialize in buttock implants, so you may need to travel far and away from home to find this particular surgeon.  I hope this is useful information for everyone. Glad to help.

Luis A. Mejia, MD · Answer

Dear Blaze1984, thanks for sharing your pictures and concerns, for a BBL post op you will need to follow a diet with some carbs to mantein the fat and with implants you must to stop exercises like crossfit for a while. But every plastic surgeon has his own postoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. Make sure you go on consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Hope this helps and best of lucks. Dr. Luis Mejia.

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

Based on these photos, you may not have sufficient fat volume to achieve desired augmentation. For that reason, combination of implant and fat grafts may be an option. In person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who performs both procedures, is recommended. Good luck.

Shlomo Widder, MD · Answer

Dear Blaze,
  Thanks for posting your pictures. BBL is a total waste of your time and money because the fat disappears completely or almost completely within few months or even sooner. Think about it this way, if large amount of fat injection would have been reliable and consistent, most women would have preferred it for breasts augmentation over breasts implants. The reality is that the number one cosmetic surgery in the US is breasts augmentation with implants !!!
   Butt implants is your only option for butt augmentation, because they do not disappear and when done by expert surgeon the look very attractive and natural.
    Always consults with experienced board certified plastic surgeons who perform lots of butt implants surgery in accredited surgery center for your safety. Most importantly, check the before and after pictures in the photo gallery to make sure that they are numerous, consistent, attractive and natural looking.
                   Best of luck,
                                   Dr Widder,
                         widderplasticsurgery.com

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Blaze1984,
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

Should I go for a Brazilian butt lift or butt implants? (Photos)

Answers (7)