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On October 11, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) announced its decision to launch a proper review of the fat-grafting surgery generally known as the Brazilian butt lift (BBL). Outside of the cosmetic surgery industry, the procedure has turn out to be infamous partly as a result of its unusually high mortality rate. But with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reporting that 24,099 BBLs were performed within the US last 12 months (up 19 per cent from 2017), it’s fair to say that buttock augmentation is larger than ever.

Buttock augmentation is the surgical strategy of altering the dimensions, shape, and contour of the buttocks. This will be achieved using silicone implants or fat transfer, what’s commonly generally known as the Brazilian butt lift. BBL surgery begins with liposuction to remove unwanted fat from one area of the body (stomach, flanks, and/or thighs). The fat is processed after which reinjected into the buttocks to enhance contour. 

Brazilian butt lifts help patients achieve the time-honoured hourglass shape and body contouring that was traditionally only achievable via restrictive undergarments and corsetry. Think back to the hourglass corsets, bustles, and cage crinolines that Victorian women used to realize their exaggerated figures. True, a corset can’t enlarge a butt, but in narrowing the waist and enhancing the dimensional contrast, it might definitely give that impression.

Extreme body contouring garments went out of favor within the early 20th century. Fashion shifted toward loose-fitting clothing, with less concentrate on the intense curvature of a corseted form. The Nineteen Fifties favoured a fuller figure, but still with a big chest, tiny waist, and juicy butt à la pin-up girls like Marilyn Monroe. Styles and so-called body ideals ebbed and flowed through the latter a part of the century.

How the buttocks went from natural to surgically enhanced is an interesting story and one which starts inside the lifetime of Monroe and her hourglass peers. Buttock augmentation actually dates back to the Sixties. Brazilian plastic surgeon Ivo Pitanguy (1926-2016) is widely credited because the creator of the Brazilian butt lift, though the technique built upon many years of innovations in its field. Pitanguy was initially known for his philanthropic work, in addition to the artful touch and keen discretion he employed when operating on the world’s rich, famous, and even royal. He also contributed to the surgical advancement of facelifts, breast augmentations, and tummy tucks. Quite the pioneer. 

In 1964, Pitanguy published a paper on early buttock lift surgery, which removed excess skin and tissue to correct sagging. This method tightened and toned, but wasn’t capable of increase volume or projection. A couple of years later in 1969 Bartels et al documented the earliest butt augmentation procedure using a silicone breast implant to correct atrophy of a patient’s left buttock. Cocke and Ricketson went on to document the primary purely cosmetic butt augmentation in 1973. This led to the industrial development of a butt-specific implant. Gluteal implants continued to enhance as style and size options increased consistent with modern latest surgeries and fabrications over the following decade. 

Throughout the Eighties, liposuction gained traction as a viable technique in body contouring, though the sphere was still young and comparatively area of interest, for anyone who could afford it. Medical professionals experimented with processing and reinjecting the fat removed through liposuction. The strategy became more popular within the Nineteen Nineties, after Latest York City plastic surgeon Sydney Coleman published a series of papers outlining standardised practices for the complex procedure. 

“BBL surgery doesn’t just make your butt larger, it also makes your stomach, flanks, and/or thighs smaller”

Today, the Brazilian butt lift is certainly one of the fastest-growing cosmetic surgeries within the US. The procedure’s rise in popularity has been linked to celebrities like Kim Kardashian-West, Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez – whose ample behinds have sparked an exaggerated resurgence of the once-celebrated hourglass figure. BBL surgery guarantees a bubble butt with a ‘snatched’ waist. Patients within the US can expect a mean cost of $4,341, not including anaesthesia or operating room costs. Patients who receive BBL surgery within the UK may expect to pay anywhere from £2,000 to £7,000. It’s value noting that BBL surgery mustn’t be confused with butt lift surgery. A butt lift removes excess skin and fat to offer a tighter look without adding volume. 

The allure of the Brazilian butt lift goes beyond its ability to supply an apple bottom. BBL surgery doesn’t just make your butt larger, it also makes your stomach, flanks, and/or thighs smaller. “There are two groups – patients who’ve a little bit extra weight and would really like liposuction with the additional good thing about putting the fat into the buttocks and hips, or patients who’re very skinny and don’t have any butt,” says Johnson C. Lee, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon who performs BBLs at his Beverly Hills practice. The latter, he says, aren’t at all times candidates for this procedure. As an alternative, he may suggest implants or injecting a filler called Sculptra, which stimulates collagen growth. The non-surgical route is more costly and results aren’t as dramatic.   

Kiwi model and entrepreneur Sarah Harris had a special experience. “Initially I used to be just getting fat transferred right into a divot I had on my stomach attributable to a previous beauty procedure. The fee wasn’t far more to do a fat transfer to my glutes and hips, so I made a decision to do more research about it.” She spent over a 12 months trying to find the correct surgeon. Few were willing to assist her fix the hole in her stomach, a very dangerous job. When considering surgery, patients should concentrate on possible complications starting from pain, infection and deep vein thrombosis, to scarring, contour irregularities and the necessity for revision surgery – most of that are on par with liposuction and plenty of other cosmetic surgeries, says Dr Lee. 

So what are the complications specific to BBL surgery? Fat necrosis and “the dreaded fat embolism, where fat gets right into a larger vessel and travels to the center and other vital organs,” Dr Lee continues. For this reason BBL surgeries have the next mortality rate than every other cosmetic surgery – about one in 3,000 in keeping with the ASPS. BBL recovery is slow and painful. “Most individuals need about 10-14 days of rest before going back to a full day of labor,” says Dr Lee, adding that sitting and sleeping are essentially the most difficult points of recovery. Patients can’t lay on their backs or sit directly on their butt for at least three weeks. He advises patients to buy a special BBL pillow, which elevates the butt while supporting the thighs. 

Sarah had her surgery this past summer. She describes her recovery as “difficult, but more mentally than the rest!” From pre-op to recovery and beyond, Sarah has documented all of it on her YouTube channel. The videos are raw and Sarah is vulnerable together with her followers – a humbling reminder of the gravity of a procedure whose name conjures images of spring break and novelty body lotion. “I feel people forget, it’s not identical to buying a bag. You actually need to do your homework and take recovery seriously. It’s surgery at the top of the day, and any surgery takes a toll in your body.”

Unlike nose jobs and boob jobs, BBLs are complicated by the concept an even bigger, higher butt will be achieved through a little bit dedication and a whole lot of squats. Sarah and her fiancé often share workouts on social media.“I didn’t want my audience to think I had gained a ‘dream butt’ through exercise alone.” Training definitely had an effect, “however the shape you get from a BBL isn’t the identical look you get from training alone. I do know a whole lot of fitness girls on Instagram that sell plans to their followers saying they got their dream booty from their workouts when it’s actually surgery.” This was certainly one of the explanations Sarah decided to talk openly about her BBL. 

Stars aren’t obligated to reveal their cosmetic surgeries to the general public. What’s done between them and their surgeon is entirely their prerogative, but that doesn’t stop speculation. Kim Kardashian-West’s butt has long been an object of the did-she, didn’t-she rumour mill, a lot in order that she underwent an X-ray on Keeping Up With The Kardashians back in 2011. Jennifer Lopez is one other star whose butt has received attention, though she insists she hasn’t had work done. Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea have also sparked rumours. On the opposite end of the spectrum, stars like Jenna Jameson, Heidi Montag, and Latest Jersey ‘Housewife’ Dolores Catania have all spoken openly about their butt jobs.

“As larger butts turn out to be more wanted, the waist-to-butt ratio grows increasingly extreme, and folks will do anything to realize it”

Until recently, skinny was trendy and massive butts weren’t. Having an enormous ass was an insult. Today, it’s turn out to be something to aspire to. In theory, this should be an excellent thing. Still, as larger butts turn out to be more wanted, the waist-to-butt ratio grows increasingly extreme, and folks will do anything to realize it. In a 2018 GQ profile, Cardi B shared a harrowing story of getting black market butt injections. The revelation got here only months before Brazilian plastic surgeon, ‘Dr. Bumbum’ was charged in the death of a patient after over-injecting her butt with a filler called PMMA. Underground butt augmentations are dangerous. Unless performed by a technically expert, board-certified plastic surgeon, BBLs will be too. 

A recent report within the Miami Herald claims that during the last ten years, not less than 16 patients have died following BBL surgery at clinics in South Florida. Two women from the UK have died following complications from the procedure. The BAAPS recently issued a statement to ‘dissuade’ its members from performing BBL procedures until more safety information becomes available. Within the US, there are some board-certified plastic surgeons who refuse to perform BBLs, citing the dangerous risk-to-benefit ratio. In August 2018, the ASPS and several other other cosmetic surgery societies formed the Task Force for Safety in Gluteal Fat Grafting to conduct studies and establish more stringent safety guidelines. 

Yet, all throughout the US, board-certified plastic surgeons proceed to perform Brazilian butt lifts for blissful patients on daily basis. Safety concerns have given option to more specific guidelines for how one can perform the highly-specialised surgery, says Dr Lee. The fat needs to be injected in small volumes, within the superficial, “upper layers of the buttocks and away from the larger blood vessels and muscles below.” Ensuring patient safety is important. When performed by a board-certified and properly trained plastic surgeon, a BBL will be life-changing, but should at all times be approached with caution, as with every huge operation. 

For now, cosmetic surgery stays a daring, and in some places, under-regulated latest frontier. As big butts are glamourised in Hollywood, and far mimicked further down the food chain by “normal” folks, we will only hope for safer techniques and stronger regulations. Everyone has the correct to enjoy their body on their terms, and it looks like a positive sea change that influencers like Cardi B and Sarah Harris have spoken candidly in regards to the dangerous procedures and painful recovery periods. We sit up for future innovations that mean whatever life decisions people make, they’re not risking their lives in an effort to fit latest, and fewer healthy beauty ideals.