The Brazilian butt lift is an extremely popular procedure that improves the contour, projection, and overall shape of the buttocks. Even when you choose the best plastic surgeon in Washington, DC, however, you can compromise your results if you don’t closely follow the postoperative instructions. That’s because excessive pressure on the newly transferred fat cells can reduce the number of cells that survive the process.
What Happens During a Brazilian Butt Lift?
Before discussing the recovery, it’s important to understand the steps involved in Brazilian butt lift surgery. The process involves 3 distinct steps:
- Using liposuction to remove fat from another area of the body
- Spinning the fat extracted with liposuction in a centrifuge to separate impurities from the fat
- Reinjecting the fat into the buttocks using specialized syringes called cannulas
The length of the surgery depends upon the extent of the liposuction, but in many cases, you can expect the procedure to take about 4 hours.
Patients are on their backs when they wake up in the recovery room, but the anesthesiologist will ask them to lay on their bellies when he or she feels they are stable. Over the next few hours, as patients become more alert, they continue to lie on their bellies or on either of their sides, but not directly on their backs or buttocks.
How Long Before You Can Sit After a BBL?
For the first 10 days after surgery, patients have to avoid sitting except when using the toilet. After these first 10 days, you may sit with a pillow underneath your thighs or use a special chair, such as a cane chair, that keeps pressure off the buttock region.
How Long After a BBL Can I Go Back to Work and Routine Activities?
With the above modifications in place, you should be able to return to work, drive, go out to dinner, and perform other daily tasks about 2 weeks after surgery. You’ll need to continue following these guidelines for sitting for 8 weeks.
Even though this may sound inconvenient, the vast majority of our Brazilian butt lift patients in Washington, DC. say it’s completely worth it, as you can see in our gallery of before-and-after photos.
Achieving the maximum result after a Brazilian butt lift requires a commitment on your part to follow a rather strict recovery process, but it is the key to getting that buttock shape you desire. If you want to learn more about this procedure, contact us using the online form or call us at (703) 560-2850 (Annandale, VA) or (301) 652-7700 (Chevy Chase, MD).