Why Is It Called a Brazilian Butt Lift?
You’ve likely heard of Brazilian butt lift, or BBL. A BBL provides patients with a fuller buttock contour while simultaneously removing fat from problem areas. So it’s like getting two procedures in one!
The BBL has become wildly popular, with an average of 20,000 procedures performed each year. Yet, just 20 years ago, in 2005, there were a scant 500 procedures performed. So why is it so popular?
And, also, why is it called a Brazilian Butt Lift?
The Brazilian Butt Lift Procedure
Part of what makes the BBL popular is likely due to celebrities who began to proudly display their large posteriors throughout the early 2000s, such as Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian. They helped to shift aesthetic surgery ideals towards larger and more fully rounded buttocks.
Another reason for the BBL’s popularity is how straightforward the procedure is.
First, excess fat is removed with liposuction from areas such as the thighs, abdomen, the area above your buttocks, and your lower back. This fat is then processed and prepared for transfer. From there, the plastic surgeon injects that fat into targeted areas of the buttocks where you desire more volume or fuller shape.
This is typically an outpatient procedure that uses general anesthesia or intravenous sedation and local anesthesia.
But Why Is It Called a Brazilian Butt Lift?
Does it actually come from Brazil?
Well, maybe. Some sources say that the origin story of the Brazilian butt lift began in 1996 when an American doctor was performing a televised fat transfer surgery on a Brazilian patient. They entitled the show, “Building the Brazilian Butt,” and the name stuck.
Yet, other sources credit Dr. Ivo Pitanguy, a Brazilian plastic surgeon who died in 2016 at the age of 93. Back in 1964, Dr. Pitanguy described a surgical technique to correct buttock ptosis (or sagging) in a well-regarded medical journal. That was just the beginning.
When butt implants made their debut in the late 1960s, various surgeons experimented with them. These implants were the same as those used in breast augmentation surgery. But since breast tissue and butt tissue look and move differently, they weren’t very popular.
Other surgeons dabbled in buttock implant procedures through the late 20th century. And an Argentinian surgeon developed an innovative new design that placed the implants between the middle layers of muscle tissue in the butt. This was a difficult surgery to perform and resulted in too many complications.
The Wonders of Fat Grafting
Implants were clearly not the godsend for the rear that they’d been for the breasts. Meanwhile, advances in fat grafting procedures were making this technique all the more attractive, especially through the 1970s and 80s. Dr. Pitanguy published research on aesthetic surgery of the gluteal region in both 1971 and 1984.
Additional references are made to fat grafting in 1985. Yet, its popularity as a technique wasn’t going to skyrocket until after the year 2000. Before that, the BBL procedure was relatively uncommon. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) didn’t even start keeping statistics on BBLs until that year. But by 2010, the number of BBL procedures exploded.
The Brazilian butt lift was the most natural way for patients to enhance their appearance using tissue from their own bodies. And they’d be able to remove fat from a part of their body where they didn’t want it! So it was a win-win.
Please Don’t Travel to Brazil for Your BBL
Whether the BBL has its origin story in Brazil is still not entirely certain. But whatever the case, there is no need to travel to Brazil to get one. In fact, it’s discouraged.
The BBL is very safe when performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area. Traveling abroad, however, does not guarantee that you’ll have a qualified practitioner. Especially if you’re able to ‘score’ the procedure at a much cheaper rate. This is a red flag. You run the risk of serious or even life-threatening complications in this situation.
Nothing is worth that.
Insist on the Best Care in Metro Detroit
Why is it called a Brazilian butt lift? The world may never know.
What we do know is that our Metro Detroit area plastic surgeons understand the importance of feeling comfortable in your skin. That’s why we offer proven methods such as the Brazilian butt lift to produce a contoured, full buttock that can restore symmetry to your backside, expand your clothing options, and leave you feeling more confident!
So contact us today to set up a consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons. Rio de Janeiro can wait.
