Heading Back to Work After BBL, What Can I do to Prevent Damage While Sitting all Day at my Desk?

The Brazilian Butt Lift utilizes your own natural fat for
the augmentation. One of the keys of the
fat transfer is that it is incorporated and becomes your fat just in a better
place!



The key is how do we maximize the amount of fat that is
going “take” or survive for the augmentation.
One of the things that can help increase the amount of fat that stays
after the transfer is preventing any trauma to the buttock area, that includes
sitting. The pressure of sitting can be harmful to the fat for the first couple
of weeks after the transfer.



I typically have patients avoid sitting for two weeks after
the surgery. They can walk and sleep on
their belly, just no sitting. After the
first two weeks they can sit for an hour with a 10 minute break in between
sitting sessions. After six weeks they
can return to all of their normal routines.



There are special pillows that patients can purchase that avoids any pressure
on the buttock in the post-operative period so that they can sit at work and
still protect their fat transfer procedure. The key with these specialized
pillows is that all of the weight is on the posterior thighs and not on the
buttock. The buttock should be hanging
off the end of the pillows.



I hope this helps, be sure to discuss this with your board
certified plastic surgeon.

You should wait at least 2 weeks before sitting without a support cushion and sleeping on your back. Sitting with no support too soon can harm the newly moved fat cells.

Offloading is crucial. Excess pressure can affect the viability of the nascent fat grafts. 
In my practice we provide garments from Design Veronique this is combined with Reston foam and a custom tailor to ensure appropriate fit. With regards to pillows, the "Booty Buddy" is most popular but there are many available alternatives.
However, the best pressure is no pressure. I have found that pillows are often times taken as license to sit. I recommend patients strictly avoid direct pressure for at least 2 weeks followed by progressive incremental increases (with a goal of 1 hour uninterrupted by 1 month post op).
As always, discuss your concerns with your board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

Thank you for question. Every surgeon has a different recovery protocol so it is best to talk with your plastic surgeon about what he/she recommends for you. With that said, I advise my patients not to sit on their rear ends at all for the first week. After then they may sit for short periods of time with a pillow under your legs above the knee for 8 weeks and some patients use a special BBL pillow to alleviate pressure on the buttocks. Being in an office setting, I would take breaks and get up to walk around as much as possible. I would not recommend sitting normally without a pillow for 8 weeks. Good luck!
Kamran Azad, MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Thank you for your question.  You can use your BBL pillow to sit when you return to work.  Follow your plastic surgeons recommendations. Best wishes.

A Brazilian Butt Lift consists of harvesting fat from one area of the body, processing and purifying it, and then injecting it back into the buttocks area to increase volume and enhance shape. When the fat is first injected it has been pulled out of its usual ‘home’ environment, stripped of its blood supply and placed into a new region where it has to re-establish a blood supply from the surrounding tissue. A that time it is very delicate and needs to be treated gently. During the first 10-14 days it begins to ‘grow into’ the new environment. Blood vessels hook up to bring it nutrition and get rid of waste (just like plumbing in your house). Once the new ‘supply lines’ have been established, the fat cells become more durable and tolerant, and eventually become ‘one’ with surrounding tissue. At that point they are no longer vulnerable and can handle normal wear and tear! If those fat cells encounter adverse conditions during the early healing period, they may never develop attachments to their new home, and proceed to die. One of the worst conditions for these transplanted cells is pressure. It can squish them enough to burst, push them into places we don’t want them, and result in poor shape and unsatisfactory results. I would recommend in your situation to plan to take at least 7-10 days off of work completely, and then plan to get up frequently and shift your weight often (every 10-15 minutes or so). Also consider bringing a cushion to sit on for the first week back. Take the precautions necessary to get the best result you can from your surgery. If you follow the rules early, you get a result you can enjoy forever!

Thank you for your question! It is very important that you follow all of your post of instructions given by your doctor.  I usually advise patients to not sit for 2-3 weeks after surgery.  Best of luck!Dr Dhaval PatelDouble Board CertifiedPlastic SurgeonChicagoHoffman EstatesOak Brook

The best person to ask about this is your surgeon, as every surgeon has their own advice. Generally, I recommend that patients don't sit at all for at least 2 weeks after surgery. Sitting for long periods of time during this stage of recovery will damage the fat that has been transferred to your buttocks, compromising results. If you have to sit, do so for very short period of times and alter your position so you don't put too much pressure in one area for too long.

Hello dear!!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well.
Each doctor has their own protocol It is very important that you talk to him about your concerns and goals. I recommend my patients not to sit for more than 30 mins. every two hours, for the first 2 weeks, and always with the help of a boppy pillow. If you have any concerns, I suggest you to follow up close with your plastic surgeon.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck :) 

It is best to have a follow-up consultation with your surgeon and ask all of your recovery questions as all surgeons have their own advice in regard to recovery requirements. It is generally recommended that patients do not sit for a minimum of two weeks after surgery. Sitting during this crucial time in your recovery can greatly affect your results. In your case, when needing to head back to work it is recommended to stand some at your desk/computer if possible. The use of a donut pillow will help prevent sitting on the  injected area.   It is also recommended to stand up and walk  every two hours to prevent complications. Again, consult with your surgeon to answer all of your questions and so you are clear on your recovery process.