What is the recovery time for fat transfer to the butt?

I prefer fat transfer to the buttock for the vast majority of patients who have adequate donor sites to preform liposuction with harvest and grafting. It is a much simpler a recovery than with implants. in your case though I am unsure if the arms is sufficient a volume to attain enough volume to transfer to obtain the results you are looking to obtain. I like to have at least 400-500ccs to graft into each side and this frequently necessitates harvest from the abdomen, flanks and maybe thighs as the first choices for donor sites.

This is a very common
question, as I believe that the post-operative care is a very important part of
achieving your final results.

The fat transfer, often called Brazilian butt
lift has become extremely popular because it allows your plastic surgeon to
transform your entire shape. You improve your waist, hips and of course your
buttock.

The area where the fat is harvested
(liposuction) is sore but typically patients don’t have a lot of pain. Patients
also typically do not have a lot of pain in the buttock where the fat is
placed. It is difficult for patients to get comfortable the first few days
after the surgery, as they are sore in multiple places.

The difficult part of the recovery is that I do
not allow patients to sit for the first two weeks after the surgery. The fat
needs time to heal and become part of your buttock. During this time patients
may lie on their stomach, stand and walk, but they need to avoid sitting as
much as possible. The majority of
patients are back at work after a week of recovery.

For six weeks I have patients is a special
compression garment that helps shape the buttock and compress the areas that
have been liposuctioned.

In general of the procedures that I perform this
is one where patients tend to be universally extremely happy.

I can tell you that for a significant long lasting buttock augmentation result, you will need a lot more fat than from just your arms.

 

Allow me to share with you some information that you may not hear elsewhere.   There are only two proven safe and relatively effective methods for Buttock Augmentation: 1) Autologous Fat Transfer (using your own fat, transferring from one area of the body to the other) and 2) Buttock Implants (semi-solid silicone rubber implants that cannot rupture &/or leak).  Both are very good options so what it comes down to, like any surgery, is proper patient selection.  Indeed because at least 50+ % of the fat transferred will melt away within a year, most patients are not good candidates because they lack an adequate amount of fat to harvest.  Although using your own fat is relatively safe, the one serious complication that can rarely happen is "fat embolism" in which some of the fat gets into the blood stream and travels up into the lungs causing serious problems breathing. This complication is more likely to happen with the larger amount of fat being transferred.  This can also happen when using fillers like PMMA and hyaluronic acids. Also fillers, when injected in large quantities, have a relatively high tendency to migrate away from the original area they were placed and tend to stimulate a lot of inflamation and subsequent scar tissue/hardening.

 

Thus buttock implants become a very good, safe, and long term reliable option for most patients seeking buttock augmentation (at least in my practice).  I prefer to insert the implants through a single 2 ½ inch long incision over the tailbone (concealed within the crevice between the buttock cheeks).  The implant should always be placed under or within the gluteus maximus muscle.  In this position, the implant is less palpable, less visible, and does not sag or shift/migrate over time unlike implants placed on top of the muscle.  Therefore it is extremely important to seek consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in this procedure.  And in this case too, at least in my surgical practice, the infection rate is minimized to ~5%.  Hope this helps…RAS

 

As far as BBL recovery is concerned, I generally tell my patients that they may return to work in 10-14 days after a brazilian butt lift. General swelling may take 6-8 weeks to improve, but the inflammation from the liposuction can last several months. I recommend postponing exercise and sexual activity until after 4 weeks. My patients are instructed to minimize sitting for one month. If your job requires sitting, a special pillow can be used to take some of the weight off of the buttocks. Please consult a board-certified plastic surgeon.

It is best to be seen in person and without photos it's hard to say, but if you are having only fat from your arms transferred to the buttocks, that does not sound like enough fat to make a visible difference. Also, in terms of recovery, every patient is different in how they respond to a procedure and every surgeon has their own recovery protocol. After fat in injected into the buttocks, I do not recommend sitting at all for the first week, and after the first week, only for short periods of time with a pillow under your legs above the knee. I do not recommend my patients to sit normally for the first 8 weeks. Good luck!Kamran Azad, MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

The recovery time for fat transfer to the buttocks depends on the amount of fat harvested and from how many areas.  Typically, my patients take one week for recovery after a Brazilian buttock lift.  Good luck and be safe.John T. Nguyen, MD, FACS, FICSDouble Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

In order to perform a true buttock augmentation with permanent results, you will need to have more fat injected than just the amount from your arms. A buttock augmentation is an entire body recontouring and in order to do this you need to have liposuction to your stomach, back and waist area. By taking down these areas and adding volume to the buttock, you will achieve a more feminine shape.

 

I tell my patients to take 2 to 3 weeks off of work and full recovery is 6 to 8 weeks depending on how much fat we transfer. In the first 2 weeks after surgery, it is not a good idea to sit on the buttock for more than 15 minutes at a time so you will have to recover laying down, on your side or standing up.

 

I suggest getting another opinion from a board certified plastic surgeon in your area.

Hello dear!!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well.
I recommend my patients to wait at least 7-10 days before going back to work, and you should not sit for more than 30 mins. every two hours, for the first 2 weeks. If you have any concerns, I suggest you to follow up close with your plastic surgeon.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck :)

Recovery after fat transfer surgery is usually will take 3-4 weeks, but also depends on how many area! The swelling will start to decrease after 1-2 weeks and the area will begin to get better.
For fat injection might take for six months to see the result therefore for fat injection is unpredictable result so it might take some time to wait!

As you mention I don’t think there will be enough fat from your arm to make a different appearance.

Hope this helpful!

Dr.Kanit.W

Plastic surgeon in Thailand.

Great question kendramoody.  I tell my patients to be moving around as soon as they feel up to it.  They are showing the next day and can drive when they want to.  I do not restrict those type of activities. However, if a patient is still taking narcodics, they may not want to be operating a vehicle.  The only restriction I give my patients is no dead lifting about the first week.  They may sit, stand, and sleep how they are most comfortable.  However, we do recommend having a pillow for a few days.  After that, its use your common sense.  My patients are to wear their compressive garments and come back to see me about 1-2 weeks.  You can start back your activities after one week if thats what you want to do.  You will have swelling and bruising for several weeks.  Patients will not hit that final result until you are about 3-4 months out or longer.  I sure hope this information has helped.