Plastic Surgery & AestheticsIn a BBL (Brazilian butt lift), fat is removed by liposuction – usually from the waist, flanks and back – purified and injected into the buttocks. It shapes both the waist and the buttocks with your own tissue, without implants.
Why the BBL had a bad reputation
A 2017 task force of the American Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation found a death rate of around 1 in 3,000 BBLs – the highest in aesthetic surgery. The cause was fat injected into or under the buttock muscle, where it can reach large veins (fat embolism). Since surgeons place fat only under the skin, above the muscle, the reported rate has fallen to around 1 in 15,000 (Aesthetic Surgery Journal). The rule is simple: fat goes under the skin, never into the muscle.
Who is a good candidate?
- You have enough fat to harvest – very slim people may not.
- You are healthy and your weight is stable.
- You do not smoke, or can stop for several weeks before and after.
- You want a natural shape rather than an extreme size.
How much fat stays?
Part of the transferred fat is absorbed by the body in the first months; the rest stays as living tissue. The shape you see in the first weeks is still swollen – the result settles over the following months. Weight changes later on also change the buttocks, because the transferred fat behaves like your own fat.
Questions to ask before you book
- Is the fat placed only under the skin, above the muscle? How do you make sure?
- Does the surgeon perform the fat injection personally?
- How much fat can realistically be transferred in my case?
- Is the operation done in a hospital, with an anaesthetist?
- How long should I avoid sitting directly on my buttocks, and when can I fly?
Recovery
- 1 night in hospital, then hotel in Istanbul; plan about 7–8 days.
- For the first weeks you avoid sitting directly on your buttocks – a BBL cushion helps, also on the flight home.
- Compression garment for several weeks, as instructed.
- Walk from the first day and drink enough – it lowers the risk of blood clots.
Our BBL costs €3,050 all-inclusive: operation, hospital, hotel, transfers, check-ups, garment and complication insurance.
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We perform BBLs ourselves, so we are not neutral – which is why we stick to facts you can check.
Sources
Updated: · Information on this website is general and does not replace a medical consultation.