BBL

At Dr. Sean Satey’s practice, we offer a range of transformative procedures to enhance the shape and contours of the buttocks. From Brazilian Butt Lifts to buttock implants, our skilled team specializes in delivering natural-looking results tailored to each patient’s unique goals, providing confidence and curves that inspire.

What is a BBL?

Here are some important topics to consider and discuss about the BBL procedure:

1. Who needs a BBL? Who is a BBL candidate?
2. What’s the difference between a BBL and a buttock and lateral thigh lift/tuck?
3. How do you address the ptotic buttock?

What Exactly is a Brazilian Buttock Lift?

A BBL, or Brazilian Buttock Lift, is performed by taking fat from one area (abdomen, back, flanks, arms, thighs, etc) by means of liposuctioning, processing it, and re-injecting it into the buttock through very small incisions.

Fat Injection

How much fat is injected depends on your ideal buttock shape. You can choose to have upper, middle, or lower pole fullness of your buttock. This addresses your buttock projection. In other words, when someone looks at your side profile- how much your buttock projects, or sticks out. You can also have upper, middle, or lower pole fullness of your lateral hips. This defines your hip-to-waist ratio and allows for a “figure of 8” or “snatched” appearance. Candidacy can be determined at the time of your consultation.

Sagging or Droopy Butt

To address a ptosis buttock, or a buttock that “droops” downward, a lateral thigh and buttock lift may be the answer. Buttock ptosis often happens from rapid weight gain and loss, age, and gravity. There is laxity of the buttocks’ suspensory ligaments that keep the buttocks in place. To correct this without augmenting size, we can lift the buttock with a well-hidden incision that mirrors the natural shape of the buttock. Conversely, we can add significant volume to the buttock to “re-inflate” the size and create a “lift.”

Butt Implants vs. Breast Implants

A common misconception is that buttock and breast implants are the same. In actuality, they’re not but do have a lot of things in common.

While both are made of silicone, the feel and texture are different.

Placement is through a small incision located in a well-hidden spot within the gluteal cleft (or buttock crease). Most patients who proceed with buttock implants are patients who are not candidates for natural fat transfers (or Brazilian Buttock Lifts, BBLs).

Lower Body Lift

Simply put, a lateral thigh tuck and a buttock tuck performed together make a lower body lift! Patients that will opt to undergo a lower body lift include massive weight loss patients (ie, post-bariatric surgery patients), patients that have ptosis (or sag/droop) to the buttocks and/or lateral hips or have extensive cellulite to the lateral thighs and buttocks.

A lower body lift is performed by removing excess skin and fat in the lateral thigh and buttock region.

The incision itself is designed to outline the upper aspect of the buttock as it transitions from the lower back. The goal is to have the incision well hidden within bikini or boxer lines.

Oftentimes, I perform fat transfer to the buttock (BBL) to further augment the size of the buttock as well.

Brazilian Buttock Lift (BBL) Safety

I was recently interviewed live on KNX 97.1FM/1070AM regarding this very topic. I believe that it’s of PARAMOUNT importance to make sure that your surgeon employs the following when performing their Brazilian Buttock Lifts…it can be life or death, literally:

1. Stay as far away from the Gluteal Veins as possible. These veins ultimately drain into the lungs. Inadvertent injection of fat into these veins can be DEADLY. For this reason, I offer ultrasound guided fat transfer for my BBLs.
2. Stay as far away from the Sciatic Nerve as possible. Again, I use ultrasound to help me with this.
3. Graft the fat into the superficial planes; the subcutaneous planes are the safest. This is because the veins, arteries and nerves are deeper.
4. Concentrate on the position of the cannula tip to make sure that there is no transfer to unintended deeper layers
5. Use access incisions that best allow for a superficial plane trajectory; avoid angulation of the cannula
6. Inject/insert the fat while pulling back and while moving to avoid high pressure bolus injections
7. Use instruments that offers control of the cannula; avoid bendable cannulas and mobile leur connections

Not all BBLs are done the same. Make sure you stay safe.

Where Can We Transfer Fat To?

In a different video, I reviewed all of the areas where I can harvest fat from.

In this video, I’m going to go over all of the areas where I can transfer that beautiful, healthy harvested fat! The key thing to remember is that we want to transfer that fat as soon as we harvest it in order to give it the absolute highest chance of survival!

In my practice, I also use VASER assisted liposuctioning which increases my fat harvest yield and survivability!

Fat can be transferred to essentially any part of the body that has become fat deplete (ie due to aging) or that is desired to be bigger (breasts, buttocks, etc).

Common areas include: tear troughs (undereyes; done instead of fillers), lips, chest (for chest masculinization), breasts (in lieu of augmentation with implants), deltoids, lateral hips, and buttocks (aka BBL).

FAQ

A BBL essentially involves the harvesting (removal) of adiposity (fat) from one area and the grafting (transfer) of it to the buttock and/or lateral hips (to fill the hip dips). This also allows for the creation of a beautiful hip-to-waist (hip:waist) ratio.