Is a BBL worth it? Weighing the ups and downs

Brazilian Butt lift is a cosmetic procedure that makes great improvements in the buttocks, however, it has some downsides that make people think if is a BBL worth it or not? BBL is a very popular surgery among women who wants to enhance their bodies but it also has some challenges that patients need to face. Everything has some difficulties, but is a BBL worth it for such troubles?

In this article, we are going to show you the pros and cons of BBL objectively together with alternatives of it to help you decide if a Brazilian Butt Lift worth it or not.

In summary: Is BBL worth it or not?

BBL surgery gives the patients a stunning butt and a breathtaking body contour, it affects the patient’s life in a positive way from many aspects. However, the answer to “Is a BBL worth it” can change depending on the person. Below, we listed all of the points that we mentioned previously so that you can see them as a whole and make a better decision.

BBL would be worth it if you:

Want to improve the appearance of your butt
Desire to have a curvier figure
Are sure to make changes in your body
Want to feel more confident with your body
Are sure about the safety of surgery
Are aware of the potential complications
Are willing to deal with the preparation and recovery
Can find a qualified clinic
Won’t be challenged financially

Shaping your buttocks: Is BBL worth it?

You can decide if a BBL is worth it or not by considering the downsides of the procedure from every aspect because they can make you question your decision. To avoid such a situation, you must give attention to the negative sides of the BBL procedure, think if you can deal with them or not, and then come to a decision.

Safety of the BBL procedure

BBL is considered a safe surgery as long as it is performed with the right surgical technique. After the publication of BBL safety recommendations in 2017, BBL became a 5 times safer surgery compared to the past. Now that plastic surgeons know the proper techniques of fat transfer and the moves that they must avoid, the risks associated with the wrong injection technique are significantly reduced.

However, just because it is five times safer doesn’t mean it is a completely safe surgery. Brazilian Butt Lift surgery still has its potential risks and BBL patients need to be aware of them before deciding to undergo a BBL process. Your safety must be the number one priority to consider when deciding to get an operation.

Possible BBL complications

As with any other procedure, BBL also has complications that patients can experience. These complications can create discomfort and pain, or they can cause unappealing appearances on the surgery sites that bother patients from an aesthetical view. Some of the complications are:

Fat necrosis
Fibrosis
Seroma
Anesthesia complications
Asymmetry
Fat embolism

The good thing is that the chances of complications can be reduced by choosing a qualified surgeon and following the post-op instructions. To get more detailed information about BBL complications, you can check our BBL risks and complications article.

The results

BBL will give you the voluminous curvier buttocks with the hourglass body you have always dreamed of. You will like what you see in the mirror, the clothes will look better, you will feel more confident with your body, and it will affect your life positively in many aspects.

However, there is always a chance for dissatisfaction. You may think that the butt is not big enough, the shape is not like how you desired, or there can be an asymmetry between the buttocks. Such situations can be very disappointing after spending that much money and effort on the surgery. In such a case you may consider fixing the problem with revision surgery, or look for additional procedures such as sculptra or butt implants, which will require more money and effort.

Financial aspects

While you are reaching your dream body, you may spend quite a lot of money. The average cost of BBL can go up to 23,000€ because it is a procedure that requires an expert surgeon to perform the surgery, and with additional fees such as general anesthesia fee, it becomes an expensive operation. Also, since it is a plastic surgery procedure that has nothing to do with health, insurance doesn’t cover it, meaning the full BBL cost will be on you.

However, various clinics all around the world offer all-inclusive affordable BBL packages for people who want to get the operation at a reasonable price. Due to the currency difference and the cost of health care, European counties such as Turkey offers high-quality BBL treatment at affordable prices. You can jump into our BBL packages article and learn more about packages.

Factors to check before getting BBL

It is time to talk about the aspects that need special attention before undergoing the surgical procedure. These points can affect both the surgery and your satisfaction. Remember, it is you who will undergo BBL, that’s why it is important to properly consider these to ensure that you can say “BBL worth it” at the end of the process.

Your expectations from BBL

First of all, ask this to yourself. Do I really want to make changes in my body? If the answer is yes, ask yourself more detailed questions. For example, do you want to make big changes or small changes in your buttocks? Do you want projection or a more natural butt shape? How big do you want it to be?

After you know what exactly you want, explain your expectations from the procedure to the surgeon in detail, and discuss if it is possible to achieve it. Make sure that the results will match your expectations and you will get your dream body after undergoing the BBL surgery.

Quality of the clinic

There are a lot of clinics that perform BBL, making the operation easily accessible. Patients have so many options that they can choose and many options mean different prices and different services. What you need to be careful about here is choosing a qualified clinic because not every clinic offers high-quality treatment.

You need to make your research well both about the clinic and the surgeon. You should learn whether the clinic has the necessary certifications or not and read reviews to see the patient’s opinions about the whole process. If you have a doubt that the clinic doesn’t match the safety standards or doesn’t offer high-quality treatment, you should look for another one. Otherwise, you won’t be happy both with the results and the entire BBL process.

The preparation

Before undergoing BBL surgery, you will need to adjust your daily habits and prepare your body for the surgery. The reason for doing this is to ensure that the surgery will be safe and the healing process will be easier. You will need to maintain a stable weight, go on a healthy diet, avoid processed foods, and take some vitamins to make your immune system stronger, which will help you to heal faster.

The hardest part can be for the smokers. You will stop smoking a month before the surgery because it can interfere both with blood flow to the newly injected fat and your lung functions during the surgery. Also, you will stop drinking alcohol around 3 weeks before because it weakens the immune system. If you are a person who has a hard time changing habits, the preparation time can be challenging and make you question your decision during this period.

Post-op care of BBL

The BBL recovery process is also challenging and requires effort. To have a comfortable recovery, avoid complications, and have the best result from the procedure, you need to follow certain instructions. Let’s look at the bullets below and see what makes the healing period challenging.

You will need to:

Eat healthily
Avoid smoking and alcohol
Wear your compression garment 24/7
Take a break from strenuous activities
Stop sitting on your butt and sleeping on your back
Get lymphatic massages

As we can see, you will continue to maintain your healthy diet with foods that promotes healing, you will maintain your cigarette restriction, wear a faja and avoid heavy exercises. The hardest part of the recovery time will be keeping your butt away from the pressure. Not being able to sit on your butt properly and not sleeping on your back for about 2 months can be bothersome.

However, there several steps you can take for a faster recovery. You can create a comfortable place for yourself that allows you to sit to a certain point with some regular and BBL pillows and have a more comfortable recovery.

There are alternatives to BBL

The only treatment that enhances the buttocks is not BBL. There are also some other cosmetic surgeries that have the same goal, giving women a curvier shape and a more voluminous look. Their approaches are different and also have wider eligibility than BBL.

The best BBL alternatives are:

Buttock implants
Sculptra

Instead of the patient’s body fat, butt implant surgery improves the shape of the butt with silicone implants. During the procedure, implants are placed in the buttocks to give them a rounder, fuller appearance.

Sculptra is a procedure where the buttocks are improved with the injection of poly-L-lactic acid. The acid interacts with the collagen which is one of the main components of the muscle and the skin, and makes the body produce more collagen in the targeted area. The increase in collagen production gives the butt a rounder, voluminous look.

References

Benowitz, Neal L, and Andrea D Burbank. “Cardiovascular toxicity of nicotine: Implications for electronic cigarette use.” Trends in cardiovascular medicine vol. 26,6 (2016): 515-23. doi:10.1016/j.tcm.2016.03.001
Rios, Luis, and Varun Gupta. “Improvement in Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) Safety With the Current Recommendations from ASERF, ASAPS, and ISAPS.” Aesthetic surgery journal vol. 40,8 (2020): 864-870. doi:10.1093/asj/sjaa098
Eliasen M, Grønkjær M, Skov-Ettrup LS, Mikkelsen SS, Becker U, Tolstrup JS, Flensborg-Madsen T. Preoperative alcohol consumption and postoperative complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Surg. 2013 Dec;258(6):930-42. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e3182988d59. PMID: 23732268.