9 BBL alternatives you should know that can help you achieve your dream body shape

Brazilian Butt Lift is one of the great ways to enhance your butt as big as you want with your body fat. But what if you don’t have enough fat for the surgery, can’t have an invasive procedure, or don’t want to go under the knife at all? Are there any BBL alternatives? Yes, there are more than enough. Each alternative is excellent on its own for increasing the butt volume and their different approaches are what makes them unique.

In this article, we will explain every procedure that can be an alternative to BBL, how they work, and how efficient are they briefly. Without further fuss, let’s explore what they are.

Buttock procedures: Alternatives to Traditional BBL

Before starting, you should know that BBL alternatives can be divided into three different categories: invasive, minimally invasive, and non-invasive. The approach of the procedure can be a determiner of its invasiveness. If something is injected, inserted, or a cut is made in the body, that procedure is invasive. If there is no tissue damage at all, it is non-invasive.

Now that you have learned how the categorization of invasiveness works, we shall dive into the details of all BBL alternatives you can take advantage of.

Invasive procedures

Starting with invasive BBL alternatives, most of them are full-scale procedures that can improve buttocks to a similar or bigger size as BBL does. Also, most of them are more accessible than BBL as the main requirement is not body fat.

Butt Implants

Buttock implants are semi-solid silicone rubbers that are placed above or under the butt muscles. The surgery must be performed with general anesthesia and it is more complex than BBL.

Generally, silicone butt implants are recommended for patients who don’t have enough fat cells, which automatically makes butt implants an alternative to BBL. Also, implants can be more appealing to some patients as they provide more volume than a BBL. Because most butt implant surgeries are done with implants above size 400cc.

In addition, butt implants can’t rupture because of their material. That is why they are considered permanent provided that no post-op complications happen. The only way to remove your silicone implants will be either replacement or removal surgery. Lastly, implant surgery is more expensive than BBL.

Hybrid BBL

Hybrid BBL is a combination of BBL with butt implants. The primary aim of this procedure is to give the patient maximum butt volume while contouring the necessary butt areas with fat transfer. The surgery is done with general anesthesia and is more complex than both BBL and butt implant surgeries.

It is another great BBL alternative for patients who don’t have enough body fat or for patients who think BBL won’t be enough to meet their expectations. Implants will give an enormous volume increase and supporting the projection with fat injection will result in voluminous buttocks.

BBL with implants costs more than BBL typically. Also, finding a qualified surgeon for the procedure can be a challenge due to the complexity of both procedures.

Mini BBL

As you can understand from its name, mini BBL is a small version of BBL. It requires fewer amounts of fat because the main goal is to give subtle improvements to the patient’s buttocks. Also, if the patient wants, instead of general anesthesia, local anesthesia with sedation can be given as surgery areas won’t be wide.

Mini BBL is an excellent option for patients who can’t have general anesthesia due to such health conditions or just want to have more refined buttocks instead of dramatic changes.

The recovery period of mini BBL is easier than regular BBL and results last for at least five years. Depending on where you get the procedure, it can be more affordable or cost the same as traditional BBL.

Minimally invasive procedures

Minimally invasive means there will be minimum tissue damage in your body while the procedure is being performed. For example, approaches that use syringes only. Yes, we are shifting the point to dermal injections which are accepted as non-surgical Brazilian Butt Lifts. Even though there are only two of them, these butt injections are one of the most popular options for butt augmentation.

Sculptra BBL

Sculptra is an FDA-approved dermal filler that is injected into the buttocks to enhance collagen production. With that, new tissues are produced in the area and there will be an increase in volume. Before the procedure, topical or local anesthesia will be applied to prevent any discomfort. Then, the filler will be injected into the buttocks.

Sculptra is one of the best alternatives to BBL surgery for patients who don’t want to or can’t have surgery for butt enhancement. Moreover, it doesn’t require any preparation or has a recovery period which is a great example of in-and-out procedures.

However, Sculptra Butt Lift is pricey and it requires several sessions because one session won’t be enough to boost tissue production adequately. Generally, three sessions are necessary for noticeable changes and the results last for at least two years.

Radiesse

Radiesse is another BBL alternative which is an FDA-approved injectable filler as well. For the procedure, local or topical anesthesia will be applied and filler will be injected. As soon as the gel is injected, it breaks down and the volume increase will be easily noticeable. (1)

Radiesse requires one session and its effects will be immediate after the injection. However, as gel settles in the area after several weeks there can be noticeable changes. Some patients don’t really welcome these shifts and feel dissatisfied.

Radiesse is more affordable than both BBL and Sculptra. It doesn’t have any preparation or recovery stages as well. Lastly, its results last for a year generally.

Non-invasive procedures

If you directly scrolled down to this section because you’re not fond of any types of invasive surgeries or just looking for easier options, here we are. Alternatives to BBL surgery are various which gives flexibility to patients. Non-invasive surgeries don’t have any recovery time as there will be no tissue damage, injection, or incision. For that reason, almost everyone is an ideal candidate for these alternatives to BBL.

Emsculpt

Emsculpt is a portable mini MRI machine that utilizes electromagnetic energy to increase the strength of muscles by causing 100% muscle contradiction and burning the fat at the same time. Basically, muscle contradiction is the tightening, shortening, or lengthening of your muscles which happens while you are working out (2). This causes fatty acids to leak from your muscles and results in fat burning. For that reason, mild soreness can be expected in the buttocks after the treatment.

Contrary to what you might think, instead of shrinking your buttocks by burning the fat, Emsculpt actually strengthens, tones up, and firms your buttocks muscles to give you better contouring. This is why it can be a great alternative to BBL.

You will need four sessions on average and the total cost will be pocket-friendly. The results will be noticeable in two to four weeks and it will last for six months or more.

Vacuum Therapy

Cupping, or vacuum therapy is not exactly a butt augmentation treatment but a butt lift. Vacuum treatment uses suction to lift your skin and massages the tissues with rollers. It removes excess fat and cellulite for an appealing, toned butt. However, its results are not permanent and require constant sessions to maintain the results which can be bothering.

It is recommended to get two sessions per week in the first month and once or twice a month after to keep the results. Each session takes around an hour and is almost free compared to every alternative we have mentioned in the article.

Ultherapy

Ultherapy is a focused ultrasound treatment that aims for natural collagen growth to boost muscle tone. It utilizes ultrasound frequencies at precise temperatures to trigger new collagen buildup. Ultherapy also removes excess fat which lifts the butt by tightening the skin.

Even though the results may seem subtle, it still is a BBL alternative. Without any preparation or recovery period, Ultherapy can be another option for BBL patients to check.

Two to three sessions of Ultherapy will be needed to see the changes. Getting two sessions won’t hurt your pocket but you may need to come up with a plan if you decide to get more. The results last up to two years.

Exercising

So, you decided to go full natural and put every surgical and non-surgical BBL alternative aside by doing exercises. But will exercising really work? Yes, as we mentioned while explaining Emsculpt, muscle contractions can increase the volume and improve the shape of your butt.

The best butt exercises for your gluteal muscles:

Squats
Glute bridges
Hip thrusts
Frog pumps
Good mornings
Bird dog

However, you need a lot of dedication and patience for exercise to work. Results will take time to show and maintaining a routine for a long time can be challenging for most people.

What can be better for you?

First of all, if you are looking for a cosmetic procedure for better curves and voluminous, rounder buttocks, you should go with BBL. Yes, there are various options but what makes BBL procedure special is its liposuction technique to remove fat tissue and transfer it to the buttocks. BBL is the best if a patient wants to reach an hourglass body shape with a rounder butt.

However, not everyone can be suitable candidates for everything. So, if you don’t have enough fat but still want big buttocks, implants or hybrid BBL are great options to consider. They may also provide you with a bigger butt compared to BBL but no body contouring, unfortunately.

Lastly, if having a big butt is not your dream but a more toned, refined back, you should go with minimally invasive or non-invasive BBL alternatives. As they boost collagen stimulation, the results will also look natural. However, non-surgical procedures may require constant sessions and this may exhaust you financially.

References

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/recently-approved-devices/sculptra-p030050s039
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/pma-approvals/radiesse-lidocaine-injectable-implant-p050052s129
(1) Silveira I, Martinez B. Bilateral Gluteal Augmentation With Hyperdilute Calcium Hydroxylapatite Microspheres Performed Using the Bella Vida Instant Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL)™. Cureus. 2022 Jun 23;14(6):e26261. doi: 10.7759/cureus.26261. Erratum in: Cureus. 2022 Jun 27;14(6):c67. PMID: 35911363; PMCID: PMC9313040.
(2) Neto WK, Soares EG, Vieira TL, Aguiar R, Chola TA, Sampaio VL, Gama EF. Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2020 Feb 24;19(1):195-203. PMID: 32132843; PMCID: PMC7039033.