Generally, Brazilian Butt Lift procedures and butt enhancement procedures are increasing in popularity as many patients wish to enhance their curves or achieve a more hourglass figure. However, not all patients who desire a BBL are suitable candidates to undergo the procedure. In some cases, these candidates may be suitable for what is referred to as a ‘Skinny BBL’ which we will explain in this blog.

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What is a Skinny BBL?

Patients who are ‘skinny’ can often have less fat around their bodies.  Since a BBL procedure uses Liposuction to harvest fat deposits from another area of the patient’s body, this can be difficult for those patients as they do not have enough fat to be harvested. Therefore, patients who cannot have fat grafted from their bodies will not qualify for a traditional Brazilian Butt Lift procedure.

Despite this, some patients who are slim or have a low BMI may still be possible candidates to undergo a traditional BBL as even though they have a low weight or BMI, they have a high enough proportion of fat on their body to be harvested by liposuction for a fat transfer. Additionally, other slim candidates may only desire a small butt enhancement and so despite having a low amount of fat deposits on their body, they can be safely taken by liposuction and the fat graft will achieve the results they desire.

Conversely, other candidates may not have enough fat to be able to undergo this type of BBL procedure and instead be more suited to undergo a Skinny BBL. A Skinny BBL uses liposuction of more areas than a traditional BBL because one or two areas of the body will not have enough fat deposits to be used for the enhancement. This means that liposuction of multiple areas will need to occur to ensure that enough fat is gathered. Alternatively, in some cases, patients may be advised to gain some weight before the procedure so that these gained fat deposits can be used to enhance the size of the buttocks.

Who is a Suitable Candidate for a Skinny BBL?

Some patients are informed that they are not suitable to undergo a BBL procedure after having a consultation with their plastic surgeon.  For patients who have been told that they are unsuitable as they are too slim or don’t have enough fat deposits to undergo a traditional BBL procedure, there are other options, they may be suitable for a Skinny BBL. Any potential Skinny BBL patients should book their consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon who has expertise in performing a range of BBL procedures to ensure their suitability for this surgery. Some of the factors that can make a candidate suitable for a Skinny BBL include: 

  • Candidates who are thin or ‘skinny’
  • Patients who have a low BMI of less than 25
  • Patients who are ‘too skinny’ for a traditional BBL can often be suitable candidates for a Skinny BBL 
  • Are in good physical health
  • Do not smoke

However, some patients may not be suitable even for a Skinny BBL as they do not have enough fat deposits across their whole body to be harvested for their buttock enhancement. Additionally, some of these patients may not want to gain weight for the procedure or may physically struggle to do so. Therefore, some patients who are unsuitable for a traditional BBL may also be unsuitable for a Skinny BBL. This is why it is extremely important that all patients interested in a Skinny BBL book a consultation with at least one Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon to ensure that they are suitable for the procedure and can safely undergo liposuction. 

Some patients who are unsuitable question whether they can use donor fat to be grafted to their buttocks. However, this is very rarely a possible option as it does not tend to be safe and the fat also tends to be rejected by the body so it is not an effective procedure.

Candidates who are not suitable do have other options for buttocks enhancement as butt implants do not require a patient to have excess fat deposits across their body to be used for a fat transfer. Butt implants can be inserted and there are a variety of sizes and shapes of implants to ensure that patients can customize their butt enhancement procedure. Finally, it is possible to have injections to enhance the size of the buttocks so there are other treatment options patients can undergo to achieve their surgical goals.

Skinny BBL Surgery

BBL procedures are performed by carrying out Liposuction, this is where a cannula is inserted into an area of the body to vacuum out fat deposits. For a Skinny BBL, this will likely be performed on multiple areas of a patient’s body.  For a BBL, liposuction is often performed on the waist, hips, or back while for a Skinny BBL these areas are often all needed to gather enough fat deposits. Liposuction can be performed on any area across the body including the arms, neck, chin, cheeks, back, waist, hips, love handles, thighs, or lower legs. 

Additionally, liposuction often needs to be more precise for a Skinny BBL as these patients have less fat so it is essential not to remove too much fat. Once these fat cells have been harvested they will need to be placed into a centrifuge so that the fat can be purified before it can be inserted into the buttock. 

After this, the fat that has been grafted will be injected into the buttocks in specific quantities across the buttocks to achieve the results, size, and shape the patient desires. Again, a Skinny BBL often requires more precise injections of fat to ensure that the buttocks remain proportional to the patient’s figure and the results are natural. 

Skinny BBL Results 

The results of any type of BBL can be long-lasting or even permanent as the fat deposits are permanently removed from the body so these results can be long-term. Additionally, the results of a fat graft can be long-lasting after the initial graft has settled. During recovery around half of the fat injected can be absorbed after the procedure and the rest of the grafted fat will remain.

Therefore, the results can be long-lasting but since the procedure revolves around removing and reinserting fat, this fat can be affected like any fat in the body. This means that if a BBL patient gains weight or loses weight this will affect the results

To view the results of the traditional BBL procedure performed by Dr. Markarian you can view the Brazilian Butt Lift results section of our service page.

 

Recovering from a Skinny BBL

According to RealSelf, surgeons are split on whether the recovery from a Skinny BBL is the same as the recovery from a traditional BBL. Since liposuction is undertaken for both procedures the aftercare instructions will be the same for this including needing to wear compression garments. However, for the Skinny BBL, there will likely be many more areas where liposuction was performed and so it may be necessary for these patients to wear garments on more areas of the body. Also According to RealSelf, there tends to be less downtime after a Skinny BBL, and it is often only necessary that patients stay off their buttocks for two weeks rather than the usual six for traditional BBL procedures.

The reason that patients must avoid sitting or putting pressure on the buttocks is the same for both BBL procedures, that more fat will be absorbed if pressure is applied to the buttocks and so will negatively impact the BBL results.

Skinny BBL Before and After

This young patient is shown 2 months following a “skinny” Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) with 360 Liposuction.  Oftentimes in patients who do not have much fat, a BBL can be more about “what you take out”, and less about what you “put in”.  With careful liposuction of the abdomen, flanks, and back in this patient, I tried to “snatch” the waist to accentuate her buttock contour and placed the harvested fat predominantly in the hip dips to optimize her hourglass figure.  As always, extra time was taken in the OR to filter, purify, and concentrate the suctioned fat prior to injecting it safely into the buttocks to maximize fat graft take

Conclusion 

This blog aimed to provide patients with information regarding what a Skinny BBL procedure is and who might be suitable for this surgery. For more information on Brazilian Butt Lift procedures in general you can read our blog ‘The Most FAQS About Brazilian Butt Lift In Boston’ and ‘Brazilian Butt Lift Procedure: What Are The Different Types?’.

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Disclaimer 

Please note: All materials on the Site, such as text, treatments, outcomes, photographs and images and any other material provided on the Site are for information purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding treatments. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Site.

Though the content of this blog has been carefully prepared, the author of this content is not a medical doctor and the content has not been reviewed by a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon. 

Unless specifically stated, patients referred to in this blog have not undergone a Skinny Brazilian butt lift procedure with Dr. Markarian. This blog does not endorse the work of any doctors or surgeons mentioned. Stories relating to patients’ personal experiences of Brazilian butt lift procedures should be treated as anecdotal only.

Any application of the material provided is at the reader’s discretion and his, her, or their responsibility.