Does fat transfer to hip dips carry the same risk as a BBL?

Thanks for the question. Both fat transfer to hip dips and Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedures involve transferring fat from one area of the body to another. It is generally considered to have a lower risk profile compared to BBL. This is because BBL involves injecting fat into the gluteal muscles, which are rich in blood vessels. If the injected fat enters a blood vessel and travels to the lungs, it can cause blockages and serious respiratory problems. On the other hand, fat transfer to hip dips involves injecting fat into the hip dips or other areas of the body to enhance curves and create a more hourglass figure. The procedure is typically less invasive than BBL, as the fat is not injected deep into the muscle tissue. As a result, the risk of serious complications is generally considered to be lower. It's important to discuss the potential risks and benefits of any cosmetic procedure with a qualified and experienced plastic surgeon before making a decision.

Hello @Sincere920766, thank you for your question. Every procedure is safe in expert hands. When it comes to the risks associated a procedure the answer is not straightforward. Overall, risk levels are highly dependent on the surgical technique employed by the specialist. The type of anesthetic used and any potential underlying medical conditions should also be factored in when you want to have a procedure done. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science Member (IFATS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP)

Fat transfer to hip dips and Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) are two different procedures, and while they both involve the transfer of fat, the risks associated with each procedure can differ.BBL involves the removal of fat from other parts of the body, such as the abdomen or thighs, and transferring it to the buttocks to enhance their size and shape. This procedure carries a higher risk of complications, including fat embolism, which can be life-threatening. This is because the fat is injected into the buttock muscles, which have a rich blood supply, and if the fat enters a blood vessel, it can travel to the lungs and cause serious problems.Fat transfer to hip dips, on the other hand, involves the transfer of fat from one part of the body to another to enhance the shape of the hips. This procedure typically involves injecting the fat into the subcutaneous tissue, which is less likely to cause fat embolism. However, as with any surgical procedure, there are risks associated with fat transfer to hip dips, including infection, bleeding, and asymmetry.You can still also have fat transfer to the posterior gluteal area (buttocks) safely via superficial gluteal lipofilling (SGL) or BEST-F techniques which involves the use of ultrasound scan to insure that the fat is only injected into the subcutaneous space, not into the muscle as recevntly recommended by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). Link here.

In the hands of a board certified plastic surgeon by the American Board of Plastic Surgery the risk should be lower than the untrained hands. If done correctly and safely BBL is not the riskiest procedure in Plastic Surgery and we sure do more invasive and lengthier procedures. To answer your question from anatomical standpoint the risk of injecting fat in the blood vessels is lower as long as your surgeon stays superficial and avoid injecting any fat in the buttock muscles.

Dear Sincere920766,
the risk is the same. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination, you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Hi If your medical condition is good and ıf you are not over weight, it is a safe operation. The fat transfer amount is lesser than bbl. So tja operation does not last too long.

the hip dips are formed right interior to the lateral insertion of your gluteus muscle. if you inject fat solely into that pit then the chances of fat emboli (main risk) is minimal. For contouring purposes though the adjacent area would have to blend in. Choose a much safer echo guided lipofilling is my advice

We don’t know what the actual risks are currently of doing fat transfer either to the gluteal area or the hip area.
The American society of plastic surgeons made one attempt to calculate risks associated with fat embolism‘s from the BBL before safety recommendations were issued. Data was collected from a multitude of sources including data from other countries.
It was not an ideal study but it did point towards there being a correlation with fat embolism‘s from BBL procedures especially BBL procedures done by certain providers and in certain geographic areas.
The committee made assumptions and came out with recommendations. Almost all plastic surgeons follow the new safety recommendations and since the implementation of these there has been no formal data released on the incidence i’m fat embolism‘s related to the BBL procedure.
It is generally believed that fat embolism primarily happen when the plastic surgeons purposely injected fat deep into the gluteus muscle.
Treating the hips that there is very little muscle to inject into and most of the fat is placed in the subcutaneous plane.
There are always risks of medical complications including serious complications with all surgical procedures.
There is no documented safety comparison between the two areas so anyone who answers your question is going to give you an opinion rather than a fact.
Many people worry more about medical complications in reality when people have problems after these procedures it is usually not because of a medical complication but rather because of results and outcomes.
Medical complications from Liposuction and fat transfer are relatively low.
Operations like breast reductions have far higher complication rates.
Liposuction and fat transfer is however notorious for having patients ending up with results considerably different than what they had anticipated or hoped for.
Delivering consistent quality Liposuction and fat transfer results it’s more difficult than most people believe.
The number of providers who do these procedures well on a consistent basis is relatively few.
Likewise not everybody is a good candidate and those who are not good candidates are not going to have a quality results regardless of who does the procedure.
Candidacy for both Liposuction and fat transfer requires making an accurate assessment and this requires in person consultations with an examination.
Simply the ability to make an assessment and determine accurately who has the potential for getting good outcomes and who does not is in itself not an easy task.
We’re all of these reasons I suggest anybody interested in Liposuction with fat transfer be very selective when it comes to choosing a provider.
Patients should be far more selective than they ever thought necessary.
I personally recommend patient start by having at least five in person consultations with local board-certified plastic surgeons Who have a proven track record with both Liposuction and fat transfer.
Providers need to be vetted for both procedures demonstrating quantity and quality results verified by a sufficiently complete collection before and after pictures.
For fat transfer results always confirm the exact timeframe of when after pictures were taken from the date of the procedure.
Early fat transfer results can look very impressive but do not at all represent final results.
Do not ever assume that after pictures were taken as final long-term results.
An experienced provider should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 sets of before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures. Most of my BBL procedures include a substantial amount of fat grafted in the hip dip area and often that area is emphasized more than the buttocks.
Personally I do my BBL procedures with patients laying on their sides because this shows their silhouette or come to work the best.
I do not recommend patient to rely on the virtual consultations to get an accurate assessment and to be able to properly vet providers.
Start by having five in person consultations and consider scheduling more if needed.
As providers to show you before and after pictures only of previous patients who have similar body characteristics to you own.
Ask providers to show you examples of excellent outcomes, average outcomes and outcomes that didn’t turn out as well as they had hoped for.Ask them specifically what their revision rate and revision policy is.
If in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.
If done poorly these procedures can leave people permanently and irreversibly disfigured.
Nobody has to have cosmetic surgery. Those who are highly risk-averse should probably avoid having unnecessary surgical procedures.
The decision to have cosmetic surgery needs to include an acceptance that risk is part of the process.
In reality the majority of patients do not get textbook ideal outcomes that are often depicted on providers websites as their results shown in before and after pictures.
These ideal outcomes are a minority of what results actually look like.
The goal of each patient should be to get the best understanding possible what average results look like on a patient who had your personal candidacy for the procedure.
You should also during consultations ask each provider what complications they personally had with the procedure and how that was managed.
That should get you a fairly good idea of what’s involved and what you are most likely going to experience.
While most people do not have medical complications from these procedures for those who do it is a 100%.
People take risks and make risk benefit assessments on a daily basis.
Driving or riding in a car is one of those that people make regular leave and involves a substantial amount of risk.
The fatality for driving a car is approximately one per 10,000 per year.
People seem to have a little problem accepting this level of risk and sometimes will drive even if not necessary just simply for the pleasure driving.
To keep things simple I suggest focusing your efforts on first and foremost understanding your candidacy for the procedure and secondly finding the most experienced provider for your procedure.
Good luck,
Mats Hagstrom MD