Pregnancy and bringing children into this world is a beautiful thing, but it can take its toll on the body. The mommy makeover includes a selection of cosmetic procedures that correct these changes and help women bounce back to their pre-pregnancy bodies.
Traditionally, the mommy makeover includes six main procedures to choose from: tummy tuck, breast augmentation, breast reduction, liposuction, CoolSculpting, and labiaplasty. However, in some instances, practices will allow patients to include other types of procedures in their mommy makeover surgery. Some women decide to add fillers or lasers, and others inquire about adding in more serious procedures such as the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL).
Can a Mommy Makeover Include a BBL?
Yes, a mommy makeover can include a BBL. However, plastic surgeons make the decision to include it with caution as there are caveats based on the specific patient’s body, age and other procedures opted into the mommy makeover.
During a BBL, surgeons remove excess fat from one area of the body and inject it into the buttocks. As a mommy makeover includes other fat transferring treatments such as liposuction and breast reduction, the BBL aligns quite well with the goals of the procedure. Keep in mind that although it may seem like a convenient addition to a mommy makeover, including a BBL can bring about other challenges, risks, and concerns as it is a complex procedure.
Although mommy makeovers are most known for including breast surgeries and tummy tucks, the procedures within it can vary, as long as they meet the patient’s goals. For most patients, this goal is to seemingly revert their bodies to their shape before having children. The truth of the matter is, that the mommy makeover can include any combination of procedures that target and rejuvenate the specific spots that each patient feels insecure about.
It is very common for women to inquire about including the BBL in their mommy makeover procedure because their goal is to bounce back to their plump, youthful-looking body, which means having curves in all the right places with a tight stomach. Having fat taken from places it is not wanted and moved to a place where it is desired will result in more drastic results from the mommy makeover, resulting in double the confidence. Pairing a butt lift with procedures that transform the stomach, back and breasts can give patients a full-body transformation.
If you plan on getting liposuction to remove excess skin from your stomach, surgeons may take this leftover fat and inject it into the buttocks. Liposuction, typically from the stomach area, is required in a BBL for it to be successful. The fat removed during liposuction is harvested, prepared, and placed into the buttocks tissues.
Unique Challenges When Including a BBL in a Mommy Makeover
Many patients who have received a BBL had a safe surgery and recovery, and are happy with their results. That being said, BBL alone has a long list of serious risks and a long road to recovery, so receiving it at the same time as other procedures brings about risks and concerns.
More Difficult Recovery Period
As the mommy makeover typically already includes multiple procedures that include a long recovery time when paired together, adding in the BBL, which typically has a six-week downtime, creates an even longer period of recovery time. Most physical activity is restricted during these six weeks of recovery. If your job requires physical activity, you’ll be looking at a pretty long period away from work.
During the first two weeks of recovery after a BBL, you cannot sit down or lie directly on your back. As the mommy makeover includes a tummy tuck, bear in mind that you will not be able to stand straight up from that procedure, so pairing a sore core with sore buttocks could make for a truly painful recovery. When your stomach and breasts are healing from mommy makeover procedures, you will want to sit on your buttocks and recline with cushions or lie directly onto your back, but if you include a BBL into this procedure, you will have to lie down on your side with a pillow. Surgeons recommend sleeping on your side or stomach for the first two weeks after getting a BBL, but you won’t want to sleep on your stomach after a tummy tuck and/or liposuction.
BBLs Include Risks of Their Own
Even without pairing it with other procedures in a mommy makeover, the BBL includes several risks when performed on its own. Some of these risks include infection, necrosis of tissue or fat, blood clots, excessive blood loss, and cardiac complications. One of the most serious risks of the BBL is the possibility of injected fat moving into the bloodstream and travelling to the lungs. These risks don’t include the risks in your body’s appearance after the procedure, such as serious bruising and stretch marks. Many women get the mommy makeover to conceal the appearance of stretch marks, but the BBL may add stretch marks to the buttocks and hips.
Some patients considering a BBL do not have enough fat in any areas of their body to have enough removed through liposuction to perform a successful BBL fat transfer. If you are considering getting a BBL on its own or in a mommy makeover, you will want to speak with your surgeon about whether or not it is a viable option for your body.
Fat grafting, or taking fat from one area of the body and putting it into another, can have major complications. Surgeons should consider the unique factors they must pay close attention to while performing a BBL, such as the amount of fat that can be safely removed and injected, where the fat is injected, and how deep the fat is injected.
As the BBL is a complex procedure, some surgeons don’t feel that it is in their expertise to do it safely. The Multi-Society Task Force for Safety in Gluteal Fat Grafting released an advisory on January 31, 2018, regarding the significantly high mortality rate of the BBL compared to other cosmetic procedures. Looking at the mortality rate of receiving the BBL alone, it’s clear that receiving the BBL along with other risky surgeries, such as the tummy tuck, is a more substantial risk. However, if the procedure is completed by an experienced, skilled surgeon with a focus on patient safety, such as Dr. Liland, then the risk is minimal. As the BBL has skyrocketed in popularity and demand over the past few years, many plastic surgeons have taken the time to research and learn the procedure deeply enough to perform it with ease.
Long Procedure Time
Think about it: your surgeon will be performing multiple procedures at once on the day of your mommy makeover. To keep you safe, they must be meticulous about every move they make, especially with procedures that include the transferring of fat and large incisions. The BBL alone takes 3-4 hours to complete. The tummy tuck takes about 2 and a half hours. A breast augmentation takes about an hour, while a breast lift can take two hours. Pairing all of these procedures together, including preparation and other smaller procedures may put you on the surgery table for anywhere between 6-10 hours.
Cost
On average, a BBL alone can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $7,000 here in Dallas. The cost of a BBL depends on the location of the practice and the extent of your desired outcome.
Therefore, adding it into a mommy makeover can significantly increase the total cost of the package.
Safety Guidelines
When a surgeon considers giving a patient a BBL with a mommy makeover, they must comply with guidelines set in place by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Since this is a risky decision to make, they must look at the guidelines with attentiveness and care. These guidelines consist of rules and regulations governing safety protocols surrounding any type of plastic surgery procedure, which include the maximum amount of fat that can be removed during liposuction and more.
Saves Time and Money, But Is It Worth It?
Despite the negative aspects of getting a BBL as part of your mommy makeover, it does save time and money. Undergoing all of these procedures at once saves you money on surgery and anesthesia costs. It also means less time away from actively spending time taking care of children and working in the office. Most mothers feel guilty when taking time away from childcare and work, so this is an upside to adding the BBL to a mommy makeover rather than receiving it separately at a later date.
Ask yourself and your plastic surgeon if your body can handle this much treatment in one day. Saving money and time is certainly not worth seriously injuring yourself long-term. Most surgeons with credibility and experience refuse to perform a procedure they believe will have a bad outcome. Some surgeons refuse to perform the BBL procedure alone because of the risks associated with it.
Despite the BBL being a complex procedure on its own, it is completely possible to receive it as part of your mommy makeover surgery, if done so by a credible and confident surgeon. As such, it’s crucial that you research your chosen surgeon carefully and ensure they have plenty of experience in delivering successful BBL procedures.
Although BBLs and tummy tucks both include semi-painful recoveries, they are great procedures to pair together. As liposuction is typically used during a mommy makeover, it removes unwanted fat in the stomach, and the tummy tuck removes unwanted skin. The BBL would tie it all together by taking the excess fat from the stomach and injecting it in the spot it is most popularly desired, the buttocks.