Buttock fat transfer at a glance
- Duration2 to 3 h
- AnaesthesiaGeneral
- Hospital stayDay surgery or 1 night
- Time off work5 to 10 days
- Final result3 months
- Price€4,000 to €10,000
Buttock fat transfer (lipofilling), also known as the “Brazilian Butt Lift” (BBL), enlarges and shapes the buttocks with the patient’s own fat, harvested by liposuction during the same operation. It is intended for flat or sagging buttocks. The operation takes 2 to 3 hours at Clinique Oxford in Cannes, under general anaesthesia, as day surgery or with one night in hospital. 50 to 70% of the injected fat takes; the result is final at 3 months. Time off work of 5 to 10 days.
Price: €4,000 to €10,000, on a written quote after consultation (€100).
Fat transfer or Hyacorp: how can the buttocks be enlarged?
| Fat transfer (BBL) | Hyacorp injection | |
|---|---|---|
| Product | The patient’s own fat | Highly cross-linked hyaluronic acid |
| Suitable for | Flat or sagging buttocks, with fat available to harvest | Very slim patients, with no fat to harvest |
| Anaesthesia | General | Local anaesthesia with sedation, or general |
| Duration | 2 to 3 hours | 45 minutes |
| Hospital stay | Day surgery or one night | Day surgery or one night |
| Time off work | 5 to 10 days | From the next day to a few days |
| Longevity of the result | Permanent once the graft has taken | Absorbed over 12 to 18 months, maintenance injection every year |
| Price | €4,000 to €10,000 | €4,000 to €10,000 |
Who is it for?
Fat transfer is intended for flat or sagging buttocks. The cause is most often constitutional: gluteal muscles that have been underdeveloped since puberty, which exercise alone cannot correct. The buttocks can also flatten after major weight loss, an illness, or a neurological or muscular injury. There must be enough fat available to harvest; in very slim people, Hyacorp injection is an alternative. When the buttocks sag with excess skin after major weight loss, a body lift is more appropriate.
Before: flat buttocks and love handles, seen from the side and from behind.
Dr Médard de Chardon’s experience
- Fat transfer (lipofilling) on the face and body: facial fat grafting (lipostructure) , breast fat transfer (more than 4,000).
Before and after photos
Buttock reshaping
Liposuction of the hips and buttock fat transfer
See all before and after photos of buttock fat transfer
How is the operation carried out?
- ConsultationAt the practice, 101 rue d’Antibes, Cannes (€100): examination of the buttocks and of the donor areas, written quote. Statutory 15-day cooling-off period.
- Anaesthetic consultationWith an anaesthetist (anaesthesia and intensive care physician).
- OperationAt Clinique Oxford in Cannes, under general anaesthesia, lasting 2 to 3 hours, as day surgery or with one night in hospital.
- Harvesting and reinjectionThe fat is harvested by liposuction (abdomen, flanks, thighs), purified, then reinjected into the buttocks. The fat is placed under the skin, never in the muscle, to avoid the risk of fat embolism.
- Follow-up visitsDay 10, month 1, month 6.
- 1Skin
- 2Fat under the skin: this is where the fat is reinjected
- 3Gluteal muscle: never any injection into the muscle (risk of fat embolism)
What is the recovery like?
- Moderate pain in the liposuction areas for 7 to 15 days; no pain in the buttocks.
- Result visible straight away but deliberately overcorrected, as only part of the fat takes, over 3 months.
- Compression garment: 2 to 4 weeks; compression stockings: 7 to 15 days.
- Work: 5 to 10 days; sport: 2 weeks.
- Stitches: none to remove.
- Final result for shape and volume at 3 months. A second session can be carried out after 6 months if the volume obtained is insufficient.
Where will you be?
14 days after the procedure
What are the risks?
Like any surgery, buttock fat transfer carries risks, which are explained in detail at the consultation: absorption of part of the fat, asymmetry, irregularities, oil cysts, infection, the risks specific to liposuction at the donor areas and, exceptionally, fat embolism, which is avoided by injecting the fat only under the skin.
Choosing a qualified, experienced and reputable surgeon reduces these risks, and can even eliminate some of them.
Can buttock fat transfer be covered by insurance?
€4,000 to €10,000
Exceptionally, when the wasting of the buttocks is the result of an illness or of a neurological or muscular injury. Otherwise, it is cosmetic surgery and is not reimbursed. Price: €4,000 to €10,000, on a written quote after consultation (€100).
Book an appointment: +33 (0)4 93 68 86 68 or Doctolib.
Frequently asked questions about buttock fat transfer
What does BBL stand for?
BBL stands for “Brazilian Butt Lift”, the English name for buttock fat transfer: enlargement of the buttocks by injecting the patient’s own fat.
How much of the fat injected into the buttocks stays in place?
Between 50 and 70%. This is why the result is slightly overcorrected at first and is judged at 3 months.
Is the result of buttock fat transfer permanent?
Yes, the fat that has taken is permanent. It then follows changes in your weight.
Is the BBL dangerous?
Its main serious complication, fat embolism, is linked to injection into the muscle. Dr Médard de Chardon injects the fat only under the skin.
Can the buttocks be enlarged if I am very slim?
With no fat to harvest, injection of Hyacorp, a highly cross-linked hyaluronic acid, can increase the volume of the buttocks. It is absorbable and needs to be repeated about once a year.
When can I sit down and return to sport after buttock fat transfer?
From the next day, sitting on your sitting bones. Sport resumes after 2 weeks and work after 5 to 10 days.
How much does buttock fat transfer cost?
From €4,000 to €10,000, on a written quote after the consultation (€100).