From the world’s biggest celebrities to countless Instagram models, bigger, fuller butts have taken the spotlight and aren’t going anywhere. But achieving the butt of your dreams can seem impossible. Even after months (or years) of squatting, lunging, and leg curling, you can still miss out on the hourglass figure you want. The Brazilian butt lift provides a more sensual body contour and a lifted, youthful look to your lower body. Plus, as the procedure includes liposuction, you’ll benefit from a full-body transformation.
That’s why the Brazilian butt lift has grown into one of the most talked-about and successful cosmetic procedures available, and now counts itself among the top 10 most popular plastic surgery procedures around the globe. Since 2000, the number of annual procedures has skyrocketed by 256%.
As the Brazilian butt lift uses your body fat liposuctioned, purified, and reinserted into your buttocks, the results look and feel entirely natural. If your body changes over time, your backside will, too—no need to worry about implants becoming unproportioned. For patients who maintain a healthy diet and regular exercise, a BBL can provide results to last a lifetime.
These are just a few of the reasons more and more people each year choose to undergo a BBL. For Dr. Sajjadian and countless other board-certified plastic surgeons around the country, the rising popularity of this procedure means we get calls all the time from curious patients wondering about the surgery and how to have a flawless recovery process.
For most of our patients, the No. 1 (and sometimes only) concern before committing to a Brazilian butt lift is the associated recovery period and downtime. It can seem daunting to take on such a serious commitment, but we are here to help. Dr. Sajjadian will work with you to determine a personalized treatment and recovery plan, but every BBL patient can benefit from learning some tips.
If you have any questions about the Brazilian butt lift or your recovery process, don’t hesitate to call our Newport Beach, CA, office a call today at (949)-515-0550 or contact us online
1. Avoid Sitting Down
While it seems simple, avoiding sitting can be one of the most challenging parts of your butt lift recovery. Take a few seconds and think about how often you sit throughout the day. Sitting is an instinctive response whenever we get tired. At work, you might sit at your desk for hours at a time. We sit down to eat our meals, and we sit if we go see a movie. Usually, most people even sit for a little while on the edge of our beds when we go to sleep or wake up. Once you have your butt lift, however, you’ll need to avoid sitting during your initial healing period.
What’s the big deal with taking a seat? During your procedure, Dr. Sajjadian transplants a precise amount of purified fat cells into your buttocks. These newly transplanted cells require special care while they settle, heal, and begin to be accepted by your body. During your recovery process, no matter how careful you are, your body will reabsorb around 30 to 40% of the fat tissue. This phenomenon is a completely normal and expected part of the recovery process.
However, sitting down on these newly relocated cells puts them under pressure, restricting blood flow. Not only can this lead to some cells shifting – affecting your final results and butt shape – but it can also lead to a greater portion of the cells dying. In the worst-case scenario, this can cause unwanted indentations.
The same general idea applies to sleeping on your back, so during recovery, you’ll need to sleep on your front or side. Putting a pillow between your legs can help keep you in position. If you’re worried about unconsciously turning over, talk to Dr. Sajjadian during your consultation, and we can discuss a range of body pillows and other methods to ensure you don’t cause any issues while you’re asleep.
How To Sit If You Have to
In some cases, there isn’t any option but to sit down. While, as we’ve mentioned, you should do your absolute best to keep pressure off your healing butt, life happens. There are a few general tips to keep in mind if you find yourself in a situation where you have to sit:
- Minimize sitting time to no longer than five minutes, especially during weeks one and two
- Stand up between sitting periods to stimulate blood flow
- During the critical two- to six-week post-op period, always sit on a doughnut-shaped cushion
If possible, when sitting these techniques can also help relieve pressure:
- Sit backward on your chair. Turn the chair around and sit, leaving your buttocks off the seat, place your arms on the chair back, and either leg on the sides of the chair.
- By sitting on the back of your thighs, you can leave your butt off the ground. You can gain further elevation by placing a pillow or cushion under your thighs, as well.
2. Don’t Soak or Drive
As driving a car requires placing pressure on your butt, you’ll need to avoid driving for six to eight weeks post-op, minimum. The same goes for any prolonged soaking. Until you have completely healed and Dr. Sajjadian has given you the go-ahead, you should avoid baths, hot tubs, pools, and the beach. After the first few days of recovery, you’ll be able to shower regularly.
3. Maintain a Healthy Diet
Keeping your weight stable and eating plenty of nutrient-rich, healthy foods is one of the keys to making sure your recovery goes well and that you see ideal results. As much as you might want to jump back in with your workout routine, you’ll need to stay away from the gym or any strenuous physical activity until Dr. Sajjadian clears you to do so. Especially during the early stages of recovery, you want to be sure not to take on any weight-loss diets or exercises, as your body’s natural fat-trimming mechanisms can affect the newly transplanted fat.
It’s also essential not to gain a significant amount of weight, as this can distort your results. Beyond the aesthetic benefits of maintaining a balanced, healthy diet, eating well during your recovery helps give your body the fuel it needs to recover quickly. Try to stick to healthy fats (like fish and avocado), lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates. All these foods are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals that keep your body running in peak shape. Do your best to stay hydrated, as water and other fluids provide your body even more essential electrolytes, salt, and minerals.
4. Stay Active
Though you should avoid any strenuous exercise or rigorous activities for at least a month post-op, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get up and start moving. After your first week of recovery, taking walks is one of the best things you can do to aid your BBL recovery. You’ll improve blood circulation, speed up healing, and even possibly improve your results.
Along with walking, Dr. Sajjadian will send you home with specific stretches and exercises to help reduce your chance of blood clots forming, improve blood flow, and quicken the recovery process. After your fat cells are healthy and established, you can begin to do cardio again.
5. Keep on Top of Your Pain
As with any surgical procedure, patients should expect some discomfort and even pain during the initial recovery period while your tissue starts to heal. Many of our patients experience extensive bruising and swelling – both in the donor and recipient areas. Dr. Sajjadian will do all he can to minimize these symptoms, but each body reacts to the process uniquely.
You don’t need to grin and bear any discomfort. We will send you home with prescribed painkillers for the first part of recovery, and you can switch to OTC medicine such as Tylenol once some of the pain subsides. Use these tools as directed to make your recovery as easy as possible and stay in a good mood.
6. Ask for What You Need
Keeping your spirits up throughout the recovery process is just as important as your physical health. The first couple of days will be very challenging if you try to do everything alone. Asking for help from a friend or loved one can make all the difference and ensure you feel supported and comfortable throughout these early days.
As BBLs tend to require a few hours of surgical time, your dose of general anesthesia is relatively more significant than for minor surgeries, and full recovery from its effects can take between 24 and 48 hours. Having someone around to help you get home, and assist you in tasks around the house after you get out of surgery, is critical. You’ll be sore, and their help will not only keep you comfortable, but it will also avoid the risk of you injuring yourself or causing complications by trying to do too much, too soon.
7. Wear Your Compression Garment
After surgery, Dr. Sajjadian will send you home with a compression garment to help prevent any swelling, aid in comfort, and make sure you see ideal contouring results. Generally, we recommend you wear the garment for between three and six weeks. Some patients may need to continue wearing theirs for up to eight weeks after surgery, though.
Throughout the first two to three weeks, you’ll need to wear it all day and night. The only time you should take it off is for bathing. After this initial period, we recommend patients wear their compression garment for 12 hours a day. Whether you choose to wear it during the daytime or at night depends on your schedule.
Your garment should be snug, but not tight enough to cause any excess pressure to your buttocks. If you have any concerns about the fit of your garment, or feel any discomfort, inspect the area and contact Dr. Sajjadian.
8. Be Patient With Your Body
Your final results will take time. Be patient with your body as it heals. In the first few weeks, you’ll likely see a significant increase in size, partly due to post-op swelling. Don’t be alarmed if at first, it seems slightly asymmetrical or unproportional to the rest of your body. All this is part of the healing process. Even after the swelling subsides, it can take upwards of six months before you’ll see your final, lasting results.
As we’ve mentioned, even if you avoid sitting and follow all of Dr. Sajjadian’s recovery instructions, your body will naturally reabsorb about 30 to 40% of the grafted fat into your bloodstream. That’s why specific sizes require Dr. Sajjadian to go a little bigger at first. Once you hit the six-week mark, you’ll see how much fat you will retain. From there, if you maintain your weight, your results should be permanent.
With all this advice, it’s crucial to remember that every body is unique and responds differently to surgery. There is no one set BBL recovery timeline. Dr. Sajjadian customizes each part of the procedure to fit your needs, from the surgery itself to all of your post-op instructions (such as how long you should wear your compression garment). Throughout the process, be easy on yourself. If you come up against any questions or concerns along the way, we are always here to help.
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These are just some of the most popular tips to make your recovery process go as smoothly as possible. The most critical piece of advice we can offer, though, is to follow your surgeon’s recovery instructions to the letter, as Dr. Sajjadian will tailor them to your unique situation.
Dr. Sajjadian is one of the few triple board-certified surgeons in the United States. He has experience performing Brazilian butt lifts on patients of all ages and body types, and when it comes to recovery, we’ve seen and heard it all. If you have any questions or want to learn more, please give our Newport Beach, CA, office a call today at (949)-515-0550 or contact us online.