The Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) remains one of Miami's most popular plastic surgeries. It continues to be demanded by women who seek to augment the volume of their buttocks while slimming down their waist. The results are often dramatic. Because the BBL uses the body's own fat stores to augment and reshape the buttocks, women are left with curvy figures.
The BBL thus involves two main steps: Liposuction and fat transfer. Your surgeon will first extract fat using one of the various liposuction techniques, the choice of which will largely depend on the amount of fat to be extracted and the degree of liposculpting that you and the surgeon will have agreed to. The surgeon then purifies the extracted fat and reinjects it into the buttocks.
Despite the dramatic visual effects of the BBL, there are variations on the traditional procedure that may better fit individuals with lighter or heavier body types than average. Indeed, many people say that a BBL can only be performed on women with ample fat reserves, and while this can ease the surgeon's task in general, women who do not have much fat can also be proper candidates. Alternatively, many women with high BMI indexes—such as above 30, which would qualify them as "plus-size"—are also seen as not being proper candidates for a BBL, though there are procedures that would certainly fit them.
At Avana, we have a diverse team of surgeons who work with patients with BMI ranging from 29 to 38. You can rest assured that your surgeon will assess your specific conditions and recommend the best procedure, always prioritizing your safety and satisfaction.
The Skinny BBL
A man or a woman may look "thin" or fit and have relatively low body weight, and still, they may qualify as fat. This occurs when a person's fat to muscle ratio is high, meaning that they have more fat than muscle. For women like this, who also want to add the definition that a BBL provides, a skinny BBL might be an option to consider. Like the regular BBL, the skinny BBL is a procedure that employs fat grafting from the waist or abdomen into the buttocks. However, a skinny BBL may employ finer techniques and liposuction technologies, as well as elements of liposculpting. Because the amount of available fat to extract in a thinner person will be much lower than that of an average person, the buttocks will not be as enhanced as in the BBL of a woman with more fat reserves.
Nevertheless, though a woman who is skinny fat may not have a sizeable amount of fat in her body, a skinny BBL could still produce dramatic results. They will not be adding much in terms of volume, but thinner patients need less fat transfer to enhance their gluteal profile.
The Plus-Size BBL
As the name implies, the plus-size BBL is performed on a patient with a high BMI. Though many people think that high BMIs disqualify patients from undergoing certain plastic procedures, many could still benefit.
If your BMI is high enough or you are concerned that your weight and body type disqualify you from a BBL, you should consult with a surgeon at Avana to see if a BBL is right for you. Some of our surgeons accept patients for a plus size BBL procedure with a BMI of up to 35 or 38, so you can have a high BMI and still benefit from this life-changing cosmetic surgery.
Indeed, depending on your goals, your body profile, and the areas you want to target for liposuction, you may perhaps better benefit from another procedure. If your buttocks are already well-developed, you may prefer abdominal liposuction or even a tummy tuck. Again, the success of the BBL is owed to the fact that it produces dramatic differences in your body: your waist is thinned while your buttocks are augmented. This achieves the often-craved hourglass figure. If you already have well-proportioned buttocks, then you will achieve your desired figure with simpler liposuction.
Having said this, we urge you to make sure you select a board-certified surgeon to perform the procedure. BBLs and liposuction performed on individuals with high BMIs can have been shown to have more difficult recoveries, and you want to be in the hands of surgeons with more experience.
Don't hesitate to consult your surgeon about your candidacy for the procedure and receive advice on meeting your aesthetic goals.
