Can fat cells die 10 months post-op?

After the initial resorption phase, the fat that is left is living tissue with a blood supply. For the Brazilian butt lift, about 50 to 70% of the fat survives long term. I have seen patients after a year or two and the pictures reveal that the gain is permanent. Perhaps this is due to injection technique, harvest technique, amount transferred. This will hold stable as long as there is no weight fluctuation. The fat will not move, but losses in weight will distribute differently. The fat that lives in the buttocks from the procedure will get larger with weight gain and smaller with weight loss.

I personally advise my patients not to put pressure on the buttocks for at least 4 to 6 weeks after the bbl procedure. After a fat transfer to the buttocks it is guaranteed that almost 70% of it will survive. But it all depends on the surgeon's technique and the post-operative care that the patient has.

Dear Sophia689,
I instruct my patients not to sit for 2 solid weeks. We provide them a specialized pillow that our patients can sit on during that time. They can sleep on their stomachs or sides. Fat viability depends a lot of surgeon technique. The fat has to be placed back into the buttocks as soon as possible so that it has a greater chance of survival. It has to be placed carefully so that not too much fat is placed in only one area.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Most agree that the fat transferred during a BBL is permanent and stable at 6 months. This does not mean that trauma to any fatty area of the body would not result in some loss, however, it does not seem probable that pressure on one side during exercise would cause such a reduction in fat cells. Not sure what could have caused such a sudden dramatic change at 10 months postop

Patients can experience up to 40% volume loss following their BBL. This is due to the traditional liposuction technique used to harvest the fat. Using VASER liposuction patient will observe ninety plus percent fat retention. If you are a good candidate (less than 5L of fat) for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), the optimal outcomes are achieved with: 1) use of VASER liposuction to harvest the fat, 2) a closed looped system such as Puregraft to process the fat, and 3) strategic micro-packet transplant technique. These three processes have demonstrated over 95% fat graft take. This means that your results will be stable as long as you maintain your weight. As an official VASER trainer, I am routinely referred unhappy BBL patients. One of the most common reasons for disgruntled BBL patients is that patients are not able to accurately communicate their desired buttocks goals to their surgeons. A buttocks assessment tool can be an invaluable tool to communicate to your surgeon the exact buttocks size and shape you are desiring. A Skype or FaceTime consultation with a BBL specialist can help you get an accurate recommendation and pricing.

Respectfully,
Arian Mowlavi MD,FACS
Realself 100 Hall of Fame Inductee

The timeframe that differentiates weather in Grafted fat cell is going to die and be absorbed or stay alive and be there permanently happens within the first 10 days.

During the early period blood supply to the new grafted fat cells is very fragile and needs to be protected.

By six weeks patients should be able to get back to normal activity without having to worry about changing the survival of the fat cells.

At 10 months it’s not possible to change the result of grafted fat from simply doing an exercise.

The human body is asymmetrical in all areas. Many people are not aware of this and sometimes look at their bodies critically after having surgical procedures and notice the asymmetry after the procedure. when that’s the case most of the time the asymmetry was present on the before pictures as well.

I’m not saying that’s the case with you but it is a common theme in cosmetic surgery.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD