Buttock augmentation with fat grafting

During this procedure, Dr. Lee removes fat from an area where it’s not wanted—such as the abdomen, back or thighs—and places it into the buttocks. Essentially, this procedure is a combination of liposuction AND buttock augmentation. It is not just about increasing the size of the butt, but also about obtaining a shapelier butt, and recontouring the entire torso, including the waist, abdomen, and thighs.

What is involved?

During your Brazilian butt lift procedure, Dr. Lee will harvest fat from areas where you have excess such as the abdomen, thighs, upper back (aka “bra rolls”) or arms. The right spots are going to depend on each patient’s individual needs and previous body shape. By removing fat from certain areas and placing it into the buttocks, Dr. Lee can restore harmony to a patient’s body, accentuate the waist, and re-contour the entire torso. The end result is typically a narrower waist, a shapelier buttock and hip, and a sexier figure. When the patient comes in for a Brazilian butt lift consultation, Dr. Lee will examine the patient from a 360-degree perspective, determining the best places for adding and subtracting fat in order to get the patient closer to his or her desired body. It is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Risks and safety

As with any surgical procedure, there are associated risks. With regard to a Brazilian butt lift, patients should have some specific considerations:

• Blood clots / pulmonary emboli: Blood clots in the legs can move to the heart or lungs and result in serious complications, including death. Patients should be evaluated for any pre-existing risk for forming blood clots, and appropriate prophylaxis should be performed.
• Infection: Surgical infections are always a risk, especially in the setting of large-volume fat transfer like a Brazilian butt lift. It is important to use meticulous sterile technique, and all patients receive appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis.
• Sensation changes: Any area that is operated on will swell and swelling can cause nerves to stop functioning or function poorly. Sometimes nerves even have to be cut or injured in the course of the surgery, resulting in numbness, which is usually temporary, but could in some cases remain permanently. Patients just need to be aware of this rare possibility before surgery because there is no remedy if sensation or nerve function does not come back on its own.
• Poor wound healing/scarring: Wounds are closed nicely at the time of surgery, but if the stitches pop, the scar can widen or look worse. Thankfully the incisions for a Brazilian butt lift are very small, but there is still potential for scarring.
• Contour irregularities: When fat is moved from one area to another there is the potential to have some asymmetry. This means either excess fullness, or possible indentations and asymmetry between the buttocks.
• Fat embolism: There is potential for the fat that is injected to get into the blood stream and travel to other organs (lungs, brain, etc.). This is more likely to happen if fat is injected into muscle, it is injected under unusually high pressures, or if very small cannulas are used.