How important is the way your butt looks? This may be an appropriate icebreaker for starting a conversation on aesthetic considerations, but the truth is that it matters a lot for many women. The passion for a rounded, firm and well-shaped posterior arises from the conception that it enhances a woman’s overall body contour and explains the increasing popularity of buttock augmentation in recent years. In Manhattan, plastic surgeons offer two buttock enhancement methods – buttock implants and Brazilian butt lift, a natural technique which involves fat transfer.
Surge in Popularity
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Brazilian Butt Lifts accounted for 50% of all buttock augmentation procedures in the United States in 2024, making it the most performed gluteal augmentation technique in the country.
In the South Atlantic region, which includes states like Florida, BBLs represented 50% of all buttock augmentation procedures.
How to Choose between Butt Implants and BBL
The buttock implants procedure involves surgery to place silicone implants for enhancing the size and shape of the posterior. Depending on the patient’s body type, the procedure starts with the surgeon making an incision either in the crease between the buttock and thigh or top of the crease between the buttocks. A pocket is created to hold the implant and after it is placed, the incision is closed with sutures. These implants can be round or oval in shape and have soft and smooth textured surfaces. The most common implant option is one filled with solid silicone. Durability is important as butt implants have to support your weight every time you sit down.
However, more and more women are now opting for the Brazilian butt lift, which uses the patient’s own fat to naturally augment and shape the buttocks. For women with sufficient fat to spare, leading plastic surgeons recommend this option over implants as it offers a more natural look with a reduced risk of complications. The issues associated with silicone butt implants are:
- They come with risks of complications such as implant movement/displacement, fluid collection, and capsular contracture
- Another butt implant procedure may be needed 8 to 12 years after the initial procedure
- High risks of infection
- Implants are a foreign object that may be rejected by the body
- Prolonged healing period
- They don’t offer the natural look and feel that fat grafting provides
Key Advantages of BBL over Butt Implants
Many women now prefer the Brazilian butt lift over butt implants for their safety and natural-looking appearance. Women with excess fat deposits in areas such as the hips, flanks, abdomen, or lower back are ideal candidates for the Brazilian butt lift.
This procedure enhances the volume and shape of your buttocks with fat taken from other areas of your body. In this cosmetic surgical treatment, excess fat is first removed from the back, stomach, or thighs via gentle liposuction. The collected fat is purified to remove the dead fat cells and then re-injected into your buttocks. The main criterion for being a candidate for this procedure is that you should have sufficient fat to harvest from another area of your body. The results of the Brazilian butt lift are superior to that offered through implants.
Other benefits:
- Minimal scarring and less risk of side effects
- No foreign objects are used
- The final result is more natural in both look and feel
- The recovery period is much shorter compared to implant surgery
Compared to implants, the process of harvesting the fat offers a better overall outcome. The removal of fat from the surrounding areas improves the contour of the donor sites. A skilled plastic surgeon can contour the entire lower body complex comprising the waist and love handles to better highlight the curves and frames of the buttock.
The use of advanced energy-assisted methods of liposuction and fat grafting makes Brazilian butt augmentation a minimally invasive procedure. It allows the patient to benefit from smoother, easier extraction of fat as well as safe and effective enhancement of the buttocks – all with lesser surgical trauma to the body and minimal bruising.
Consult an Expert
In an established plastic surgery practice in New York City, surgeons would use advanced technology to provide the best results. This includes unique diagnostic imaging systems for precise placement of the fat. This technology allows the surgeon to view the superficial as well as the deep fat layers, know how much fat is being deposited, and see exactly where it is being placed.
If you are considering having a Brazilian Butt Lift, do your research well and choose an AAAASF-accredited plastic surgery practice with surgeons who are experts in the procedure. This is crucial for attractive outcomes as well as for safe treatment.
From Flab to Fab – See How Fat Transfer Can Reshape Your Body.