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.