How am I supposed to sleep after having a tummy tuck and a BBL done at the same time?

Thank your for your question. A tummy tuck can address the skin and muscle laxity of the abdominal region as well as reducing the excess fatty tissue. A brazilian butt lift helps to shape the buttock by borrowing fat from one part (or several) and transferring this fat to another. They are both extremely rewarding procedures. The best approach for a patient who wants to have both procedures is to stage them and possibly start with the BBL. Here is why:1) A brazilian butt lift is transferring fat from one area to the buttock. One common donor area is the tummy. Once the fat is transferred, you need to keep pressure off the buttock as this allows new blood supply to develop to the newly grafted fat cells. Any stress such as pressure can reduce the efficacy of this process and hence you may lose some fat. Hence, no sitting or laying on your bottom for ~2 weeks.2) A tummy tuck is removing excess skin and tightening the muscle as well as remove extra fat. To make the skin removal efficient and protect the incision, you surgeon will often remove skin while your hips are flexed. You will need to maintain this position after surgery for about a week. This will required you to sleep in a recliner position for a good week. In addition, l often combine liposuction of the abdomen and flanks as part of this procedure and once this fat is removed, it cannot be stored for the brazilian buttock lift in the future.Since the recovery process for these two popular procedures compete, I would recommend staging them. If your surgeon is needing as much donor areas to recruit as much fat as possible, then I would start with the brazilian buttock lift so you can use the abdominal and flank regions as donor areas.

While these two procedures can be completed at the same time, We usually recommend doing the BBL first in order to harvest the maximum amount of fat to transfer and allow the abdominal skin to retract and let the surgeon determine how much excess abdominal skin will need to be removed for the abdominoplasty procedure. This will also allow for the procedure to be completed in a reasonable amount of time while allowing for you to heal properly. If you are choosing to have these procedures completed as some do, due to the added benefit of lower cost in combining procedures, it is important to understand that there may be added recovery that will also be limiting on your rest. You will need to rest only on your right or left side and will need assistance the first week or more as your body heals and deals with swelling, bruising, post-surgery pain etc. while your movements are limited. This could be challenging for you to relax or find a comfortable position for the first couple of weeks.  

Hello Dominican_luvly,

I appreciate your questions! I would recommend you having a Vaser Liposuction with fat transfer to the buttocks (Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) done first, and an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), 6 months after you’ve completely recovered from the initial procedure. Based on my experience, after performing BBL surgery you must avoid sitting or sleeping on your back for 8 weeks or else the desired outcome will be negatively affected. Putting pressure on your bottom by sitting down or laying on it during the recovery period can stiffen, deform and even cause the resorption of the newly transplanted fat cells. On the other hand, if you get an abdominoplasty done at the same time, you’ll be required to sleep on your back and keep your upper body elevated or else you would hurt the results. Hence, it wouldn’t be suitable to get all the procedures performed at once. Consult with your plastic surgeon about your specific needs and concerns. Best wishes! Dr. De La Cruz.