Fat grafts are permanent if done correctly.
Several people have asked me if fat grafts are permanent. They keep reading from other sources that fat grafts are not permanent or that they may need another procedure. In my experience, when done correctly, fat grafts are permanent, and I have yet to do a second procedure to add more fat in any of my patients. This is because of the way fat is harvested and the choice of sites for harvesting fat are crucial to the success of the Brazilian Butt Lift or any other fat injection procedure.
In this blog entry I will detail how I harvest fat, process it, inject it, and care for the graft after surgery. In a subsequent entry I will describe how choice of harvest site matters.
1)- The fat has to be aspirated properly
Higher pressure suction disrupts and kills a certain percentage of fat cells. For this reason, I use a manual syringe technique, because the pressure generated by a syringe is much lower than that generated by a suction machine. Thus, right from the start, I have a higher chance of success. Is there an advantage to using a regular suction machine? Yes, it’s quicker and is less taxing to the surgeon. But its worse for the fat cells. So–If you hear of somebody doing a Brazilian Butt Lift in less than four hours, chances are the grafts may not take and his patients are coming back for touch ups.
2)- The fat has to be processed properly
I let the fat sit in a cool environment (slows down the fat cell metabolism) so the fluid separates from the fat. Then the fat is transferred to smaller syringes where it is then put in a centrifuge. The centrifuge has to spin long enough to separate fluid and contents of dead and disrupted cells from the remaining live cells, but not so long as to disrupt live cells. We then separate the live fat cells from the body fluid and contents of disrupted cells by a decanting process which does not touch the live cells. What is left is a slurry of almost 100% live cells. There are very little contaminants that may irritate the surrounding tissues. You want the recipient tissues to deal only with live cells, because any inflammation may end up destroying live cells.
3)- The fat has to be injected properly
Think of the fat graft as a tender seedling that has to be planted in the ground, but instead of the roots growing out, the “roots” (blood vessels) from the surrounding tissues grow into the fat graft. If you inject a thick wad of fat cells, the cells in the center of the wad will starve before the blood vessels reach them. Thus the fat grafts have to be injected with very fine needles in small quantities. This is a very painstaking and slow process. If you inject a lot at a time, many cells will not survive. Thus some surgeons may say “most of the fat got reabsorbed”, whereas in reality, most of the fat never took in the first place.
4)- The post operative period is as important as the surgery
I tell all my patients that they should not sit at all for three weeks after surgery. Think again of the tender seedlings. Once the fat grafts are in place, they are not likely to take root if they are being mashed on with all your body weight. You want to keep those grafts completely free of pressure until blood vessels grow into them and until those vessels are hardy enough to withstand the pressure and shearing effects of sitting on them. Wearing compression garments is very important, as they cut down swelling tremendously. When there is swelling, oxygen delivery and evacuation of toxins are impaired. This in turn reduces likelihood of fat graft cell survival.
Fat grafts are permanent when done correctly
In the past two+ years since I have been doing the Brazilian Butt Lift, I have yet to do a touch up. It should be evident that when done properly, fat grafts have a high likelihood of being permanent.
Ricardo L Rodriguez, MD
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45 Comments
March 10, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Tereza:
We are located in Baltimore, but we have had patients coming in from London, Hawaii, etc.
About 30% of our patients are from out of town.
March 10, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Chanel:
There are many options for those who are truly interested in doing this surgery.
Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net and we can direct you to financing companies that specialize in financing plastic surgery.
Where there is a will there is a way
March 8, 2010 at 1:09 pm
do you work in boston area ??? please give me your phone number and direction
March 5, 2010 at 11:37 pm
I really want it done so bad but I need more opions so if u can get back to me I will be so greatful thank u
January 29, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Paula:
The fundamental issue for me is to see how much excess skin you have and how much fat you have.
I have done a brazilian butt lift on a young woman who weighed 105 pounds, but she was 5′ tall. It all depends. I would have to see pictures to make a more informed decision.
If the primary problem is an excess of skin, you will need an incision, but I doubt that is your problem since you only lost 20 pds. That is more common with weight loss of a hundred pounds or more.
I think your best bet is to set up a virtual consultation with us. Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net and she will send you a set of instructions about what pictures to take so we can make a more educated judgement.
January 24, 2010 at 11:03 am
Dear Dr. Rodriguez
Im 29 years old and since 5 years ago I have lost 20lbs which left me with saggy unattractive buttocks. Although I exercise on a very regular basis, unfortunately I see no change on that area. I will very much be interested in fixing the problem and I will like to have both an lift as well as butt augmentation. However, every doctor I have approach to this day they all advise against it: 1) they say I dont have enough fat for the crafting to take place (Im 130 lbs), and 2) implants are not a desirable option.
My questions are:
1. can you extract enough fat for a good result (I like quite perky but small buttocks)
2. Will there be a considerable lift with a BBL so that I could avoid the traditional butt lifting procedure. If not, what is an alternative solution to avoid the massive scar left by a traditional butt lift?
I currently live in the UK but I will consider to fly in for the procedure to be done at your office.
Thank you
Paula
December 30, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Natalie:
Gaining weight undesirable only if you don’t like what you look like. Imagine if you could only gain weight in your buttock area. Would you gain weight? Yes, because it would give you the prominent buttocks.
BBl works because it takes the fat from the places you don’t want it in and puts it in the buttocks.
It truly changes your figure.
Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net if you want more info. We’d be happy to hear from you!
December 30, 2009 at 7:47 am
Happy New Year too!
December 29, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Natalie:
It is possible to use somebody else’s fat, but nobody does it because you would need a lifetime of immune suppression medical therapy. You would be exposed to
life threatening problems. The same goes for butt, breast, or whatever other place you would put the other person’s fat in.
The B’more butt lift IS permanent. Remember, no fat is reinjected, it is your own body redistributing it’s fat.
Happy new year!
December 28, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Dear Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez,
I have been wondering for some time and not to sound weird or whatever, but ive seen in some medical liposuction shows when people take their fat out, could the surgery for brazilian butt lift take someone elses fat from another person and be used for a person with out much fat?
And If so could the same be done for be putting in the breast (augmentation)?
Is bmore butt lift Permanent too?
Last but not least have any of your patients brought in pics of people they desired to want their surgery outcomes to look like?
November 1, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Jean:
This is a good question, because the data out there is confusing.
What is true, is that some surgeon’s techniques are better than others. When properly injected, the cells do get a blood supply. When they do, the fat is now fully incorporated as living tissue.
When I inject fat, i seldom, if ever have to do redos. When fat cells take, you know after a few weeks. The fat that is there can be seen years later.
There is a surgeon in New York that has been sued years after the fact because the patient gained a lot of weight and his face got too fat from the grafted cells gaining volume.
As we get better at increasing the proportion of stem cells in the fat, the results will get even more impressive, because the changes will be not only in volume, but in the quality of the skin.
November 1, 2009 at 8:40 am
I would like to ask a question. If you inject live fat cells in the face, do these cells eventually gain a blood supply? Another words, does it matter what part of the body is injected with fat cells?
Reason I ask: I have heard autologous fat injections to the face are not permanent. I would like it to be, however, if it isn’t, how long are the expected to last. I have heard in the past approximately 3 years. Is that really so?
Thank you.
Jean
October 2, 2009 at 10:09 am
Yes, it can be done.
I will not cause problems if you want to have a baby, as all it is is a redistribution of fat in your body.
Good luck, but be very careful about the choice of surgeon for your procedure. Be very specific in your questions as to how he/she collects, processes, and injects the fat.
Let us know how it works out!
September 26, 2009 at 1:01 pm
i was wondering wether it is safe for someone 20 years of age to have the brazillian butt lift done,please say yes and wether it could cause problems if you wish to have babies in the future.
September 24, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Congratulations on your diet and exercise success! We’d love to hear from you, as a patient who has done a lot of work on her own already is really motivated to do well. That counts for a lot.
I would also tell you that since you lost 40 lbs skin elasticity may be an issue, although at your young age skin does tend to bounce back more readily.
Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net to set up a virtual consultation. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!
September 24, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Hi Dr. Rodriguez,
I have been looking into the brazilian butt lift surgery. I am 23 years old and have been dieting and exercising for quite some, recently lost 40lbs but have recently reached a plateau. At the moment I live in Massachusetts but will like to get the procedure done at your office. Is it possible to get an estimate/consultation by sending pictures over email to you so I do not need to make the trip down to Baltimore?
Thank you for your time.
~Dana
August 7, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I will answer your post as part of a more comprehensive post in another post.
Since you asked about this doctors credentials, I will tell you:
He does not have training in Plastic Surgery.
He is trained in Internal Medicine, and his field of interest was infectious diseases.
Dr. Sachs, in the Curriculum Vitae from his website does not list any training in Plastic Surgery.
He is not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery to perform Plastic Surgery. He is not certified by any Surgical Board to perform Surgery.
If you were a family member, I would advise you to get the surgery done by somebody who is Board Certified in Plastic Surgery.
Furthermore, I would ask for the money back or you will go talk to a lawyer, the newspapers, the Florida Board of Medicine, and The American College of Physicians that he is doing Surgery without having done a residency in Surgery.
August 6, 2009 at 9:31 pm
HI
Im sorry to bother you but im concerned and dont know who to ask
I went in for a brazillian butt lift the other day and got injected with lidocane instead of local anesthesia
They couldnt do anything because I got a bad reaction from it and couldnt breath and I had bad pains on my side
They injected this red stuff in my left arm and told me I wouldnt feel a thing but I did! I felt the needle and now I have 6 holes where they were suppose to lipo the fat
Im taking antibiotics for this now its been since monday and monday again on the 10th I am going to gvet the lift
I will go get it done thru local like he was suppose to do in the first place Im upset
Do surgeons inject lidocaine to people with allergic reactions to anesthesia?Also hes doing my sisters face with fat and says it will last 9 years
How long does it last?He said my brazillian will last 20 years
I payed 7500 for all butt and breast
He had a special going 2 WEEKS AGO and my surgery for my breast is in 3 months he wants to put me under general and I dont want this I d rather have local for my implants plus I HAVE CAPULAR CONTRACTION and he told me hell take them out and wait 3 months and then put my implants in
Is this normal? How many times in a year can a person be put under like this?
I just dont know
Can you do me a favor and see his website and see if he is certified to put people under anethesia im getting a little nervous after all that happened and dont know who to ask I read his profile but what does all that mean its confusing to me and my sister
I have written to you before on makemeheal.com I dont know if you remember me asking about this doctor
The doctors name is dr mark sachs on http://www.youbeyounger.com/cosmetic_enhancement/about.php
I know we cant get our money back my sister and i signed papers im just worried hes not qualified for anesthesia procedures
Where can I look to see if hes a good doctor?
Thankyou SO MUCH AND SORRY FOR THE QUESTIONS
Caridad
July 21, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Hi Tristal,
The brazilian butt lift fee ranges $13,000 to $21,000 depending on the available fat, number of donor areas to receive lipo-sculpting and total time needed in the operating room to perform the surgery.
Our usual patient will have 3-areas of lipo-sculpting performed, making the average cost of the brazilian butt lift $18,000; this fee includes Dr. Rodriguez’ surgical fee, facility fee, IV-sedation with local anesthesia and all visits to Dr. Rodriguez’s office.
As an alternative to the brazilian butt lift, Dr. Rodriguez created the B’more Butt Lift ™. The B’more Butt Lift ™ offers a more subtle result, for patients who want shapelier buttocks without significant volume increase. Furthermore, the B’more Butt Lift ™ procedure is shorter and considerably less expensive than the brazilian butt lift, ranging between $6,000 and $8,000.
The only way to know what procedure is right for you, along with cost, is to have your personal consultation with Dr. Rodriguez. I’d be happy to arrange a convenient appointment for you by email kelly@cosmeticsurg.net or call me at 410-494-8100.
Best regards,
kelly warner
patient coordinator
cosmeticsurg.the science of beauty
410-494-8100
July 21, 2009 at 12:50 pm
What is the total cost of the brazilian butt lift ?
June 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Contact Kelly at Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net
You sound like a good candidate, but we’d need to see photos to evaluate what indeed would be appropriate.
May 30, 2009 at 7:39 pm
dr
i am a 22 years old african male. i am writing to ask if you treat such patients with fat injections to add fullness under the eyes, cheeks and add balance to the face.
i dont smoke, drink or do drugs. my only vice is bad diet as i am a university student. i try to eat healthy foods when i can.
do i sould like an ideal candidate?
please reply back
thank you
May 13, 2009 at 11:11 am
What do you weigh now? Usually, your weight stays stable after any lipostructure procedure. The fat has probably redistributed somewhere else in your body. It would help if we could see your pictures. In any case, you would need to be evaluated by somebody experienced in the procedure, but I’m sure your problem has a solution.
May 11, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I live in kansas city i had the fat injections in my butt about a year ago i have since lost it.My problem is i dont have enough fat to do the procedure again.What should i do???????
May 2, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Thanx for the question. We are preparing a blog post on anesthesia.
If you have a lot of questions, you might want to talk with Kelly. Go to our website, we have some information on breast augmentation recovery times, etc.
You can contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net.
We do many types of Laser, but not Cool touch. It just does not deliver the results patients want and the price point for patients is steep considering you can get so much more from Fraxel at the same price point.
April 30, 2009 at 9:32 am
What is iv sedation and what is the difference between that and general sedation? Is the patient out completely and will not feel anything?Ia interested in Breast augmentation but have a lot of questions.How long would I have to be out of work.I waitress,so a lot of lifting. Also do you do cool touch laser treatments on face?
Sincerely Gabriele Anderson
March 29, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Read my post about safe anesthesia
Yes, we can do lipo of other areas designed to enhance the butt without injecting fat to the butt. It is called the B’more Butt Lift and it is less expensive than the Brazilian Butt Lift.
Hope this helps!
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
March 29, 2009 at 2:55 pm
No tiene que parar de correr. Si se hace la operacion el resultado se mantiene, a menos que pierda mas de 15% de su peso.
March 29, 2009 at 2:45 pm
All our contact information is our website. There is a link on the box that is in the upper left hand side of the page. Click on “locations”.
We are in Baltimore, Maryland.
We are used to doing tummy tuck and brazilian butt lift together.
March 29, 2009 at 2:41 pm
It is not possible at this time to use donor fat. It can theoretically be done, but the patient would have to have significant immune suppressive therapy. The risks are too great.
March 27, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Hi Sandra,
Dr. Rodriguez’ brand new AAAASF accredited out-patient facility is located in Lutherville, a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. Our office/facility is just about 11 miles north of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and 25 miles north of the Baltimore, Washington International Airport. We have a lot of experience with patients coming from all over the world to have their surgery with Dr. Rodriguez.
Dr. Rodriguez specializes in performing multiple procedures in the same operative session. He has a dedicated OR team that he has been working with for years, and they are all experienced at multiple procedure surgeries. Dr. Rodriguez performs most of his surgeries in our brand new AAAASF accredited out-patient facility. AAAASF is the gold standard for safety and operating room protocols. Furthermore, we use only board certified Anesthesiologists MD’s. Dr. Rodriguez performs his out-patient procedures under IV sedation anesthesia instead of general anesthesia. His patients have less nausea, less pain and recover quicker than if they were to have had general anesthesia. Furthermore, most importantly, none of them have a risk for pulmonary embolism with IV sedation.
Sandra, it is possible to have a tummy tuck and brazilian butt lift done at the same time. However, as with all procedures Dr. Rodriguez would need to evaluate you before offering any medical advice. You could start with a virtual consultation to get an idea if you’re a candidate for abdominoplasty with the brazilian butt lift surgery. Otherwise, we would be very happy to see you in our office for your consultation.
Please contact me if you have additional questions and I’d be delighted to arrange your consultation with Dr. Rodriguez. You can call me at the office or e-mail me at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net.
Best regards,
kelly warner
patient coordinator
cosmeticsurg.the science of beauty®
March 26, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Dr. Rodriguez,
You stated that a fat transfer is not recommended for tiny figures as they do not have enough fat to move around. I’m wondering if fat can be donated from a relative who is looking to lose the excess fat they have. Has that ever been done?
Thank you for your time!
Desiree
March 26, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I need to know where you are located and is it possible to have a tummy tuck and brazilian butt done at the same time?
March 22, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Jo:
Fat injections to the breast *is* the new frontier for fat transfer! It is successfully being performed now. I have not yet performed fat injection for a ‘cosmetic’ breast augmentation, but I have had great success with fat injections to the breast for a lumpectomy reconstruction. A lumpectomy is performed on breast cancer patients and is the partial removal of the affected breast tissue.
Fat injections offer a wonderful alternative to implants for these patients. Additionally, if they have had radiation, the tissue is usually damaged and breast reconstruction with implants can be a risky proposition. There is growing evidence that the injected fat even helps the damaged (from radiation) breast tissue to heal! This is indeed a very exciting area of medicine. Read more about it in my blog post about fat injection for lumpectomy reconstruction.
I would be happy to evaluate anybody who is interested in fat injections to the breast–whether for cosmetic or medical purposes.
March 22, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Dear Doctor,
my queston is, if these butt lifts are done by injecting fat succesfully, why isn’t the same possible for breast augmentation? What is the difference between the two?
Thank you so much!
March 21, 2009 at 3:56 pm
yo hago ejercicio 3 veces a la semana y corro alrededor de 10 millas /semana. Tengo miedo de que si me hago Brazillian Butt lift el ejercicio podria quemar la grasa que se me inserto en los gluteos. Puede pasar esto y deberia parar de correr?
March 13, 2009 at 12:44 am
Dr. Rodriguez–my main concern is the anesthesia…this is a surgery ive wanted 4 a long time–but i hear horror stories about people dying from anesthesia and I just soooo scared of going into cardiac arrest or something…how long do u have ur patients under anesthesia and how long does the procedure (lipo and fat inserion to the buttocks) take? Ive had 3 surgeries done–first was a cyst removal and then bunion surgery on both feet….so ive been under anesthesia 3 times–is it too much for your body to go under anesthesia so many times? Please help///also I am not overweight but would like some suctioning in my back.flanks area and lower tummy to create a very sexy silhouette as well as the but grafting for a larger butt–if it turns out to not be so much fat being removed, how much will it cost me then??
March 1, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Dolly:
Hemos tenido varios pacientes con Tummy Tuck y Brazilian Butt Lift. En general duermen en el estomago la mayor parte del tiempo y en los lados la menor parte del tiempo, con almohadas en el torso y las piernas para mantener las caderas elevadas. Cuando se duerme en el estomago se duerme con almohadas en el estomago para poder mantener los muslos un poco doblados.
Ricardo L Rodriguez, MD
March 1, 2009 at 12:40 pm
hello Loui,
In reality, you should not sit for three weeks after the Brazilian Butt Lift procedure. If you sit during that period, you may damage a large proportion of the fat grafts and they will not take. Three weeks will produce a permanent result. If you want a dramatic and long lasting improvement, you should wait until you can take 3 weeks off from work to get a Brazilian Butt lift.
However, if you can’t possibly take that much time off, you might want to consider the “B’more Natural Buttlift”. It is a liposuction of strategic areas around the butt. You get a better looking butt right at surgery, then the body’s natural process of fat redistribution further enhances the butt. The result is not as dramatic as the Brazilian butt lift, but is more naturally proportional. With this technique, you can go back to work in one week. Additionally, you can sit immediately following surgery! This is a new technique that I have developed after performing the Brazilian Butt Lift and Liposuction for many years. I will write more about the B’more Natural Buttlift in my Blog this week. Stay tuned.
Ricardo L Rodriguez, M.D.
March 1, 2009 at 3:21 am
dear Doctor ,
im planning to go through the butt lift surgery but my concern is i read your blog and you mentioned that i cant sit down for two weeks ! my job requires me to sit for 8 hours how would i deal with this ? and how long is the recovery takes ?
thanks
February 27, 2009 at 6:56 pm
doctor, estoy interesada en hacerme t.t, lipo en la espalda y flanks, esa grasa me la quiero poner en los gluteos, usted me podria explicar como debo dormir, ya que con el t.t tengo que hacerlo boca arriba, y no quiero que se me reasorba la grasa de los gluteos. gracias.espero su respuesta.
February 19, 2009 at 10:21 am
Dear doctor,
due to facial paralysis left, I had 3 weeks ago a plastic surgery including tarsoraphy,static suspension of the upper lip and fat - dermis graft into my weaken cheek. My doctor used a quite big graft and the cheek is overcorrected, but he told me that its size will be redused within 6 - 8 months.
Is that true? what do you think about the whole procedure?
Thanks
February 13, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hello. I’m a woman with a medium frame. About 5″7″ and very much in shape. I’m training to be a fitness model. So I have great muscle tone. But I have a very flat rear. I weight about 130lbs. And I am very unhappy with my bottom. I’ve heard that “only” butt implants are guranteed lifetime permanant. Are u saying that with your fat injection procedures that butt injections are guranteed permanant? I know there is always that small window for the exception, but in majority of your cases, are fat injections permanant?
January 28, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Dear Luisa,
Without seeing you in person, I am not able to comment on what your choices are. If you are unhappy with your result, you should go back to the surgeon and discuss this with him! Most doctors , above all, want their patients to be *happy*. There is always the option to also get a second opinion with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Hope this helps.
January 28, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Hi Doctor,
I made some fat inyections on my face and i didnt like it. I feel ugly and very fat. Is there any way to get my previose face.Is there some medicine or some kind of exercice to take out the fat that i put on my face/
Thank you for your comments
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