The Male BBL – BBLs for Men
Many people think that the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure is just for women, but a few men are making these people think twice. In fact, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, BBLs among men increased an astounding 644 percent between 2000 and 2020. It seems that, like women, men also want to make sure they look good from behind. And as more and more guys embrace the idea of plastic surgery, the previous stigma surrounding men and cosmetic surgery is fading fast.
How a Male BBL Works
A male BBL works the same way as a female BBL, although the end goal is slightly different. During a BBL, your surgeon will perform liposuction to remove excess fat from certain areas of your body. You and your surgical consultant will determine which parts of your body before your surgery so you know what to expect.
Once he harvests the donor fat, the doctor will wash it, spin it, and purify it. He will then load it into syringes and strategically inject it into your buttocks to form the desired appearance and shape. This is where the technical side of plastic surgery meets the art. You’ll want to be in the hands of an experienced surgeon so that your male BBL doesn’t end up looking like a female one. Women often want a round, full appearance in their buttocks while men seek out a more square, muscular look. Your doctor will inject the fat into your buttocks as needed to create your desired shape and size.
Because a BBL uses your own body fat, there is no need to worry that your body will reject an implant or that an implant could make you ill. The results of your BBL will be all you, you’ll simply be rearranged a bit. You also won’t need to worry about scarring across your buttocks. Because the surgeon injects the fat with such a small syringe, you won’t have any scars or incisions. Wearing a skimpy Speedo will absolutely be an option after your surgery.
You may have minimal scarring where your liposuction procedures were performed to acquire donor fat, but these are only 2 to 3 millimeters long on average. Your doctor will hide them in the natural contours of your body, and in a few months they typically fade to near invisibility.
The Benefits of Getting a Male BBL
Relentless squats and other exercises may give you glutes so tight you can bounce a quarter off of them, but you may still struggle to get your desired shape. A BBL offers a great 2-for-1 solution, allowing you to remove excess body fat where you don’t want it and place it in your buttocks to get the rear end you’ve always wanted. This is also a great opportunity to balance out the proportions of your hip-to-waist ratio if you feel that it’s off.
A male BBL will:
- Enhance the size and shape of your buttocks
- Improve your body proportions, if necessary
- Provide long-lasting results
- Give you your desired shape without artificial implants or parts
- Improve your confidence and self-esteem
Will the Male BBL Results Look Natural?
Your BBL results will look and feel natural because they will be. Because a BBL uses your own natural body fat to enhance your buttocks, there is nothing fake or artificial about your results. There is no implant to create an odd feeling or move, ripple, sag, or otherwise cause an issue. Your fat cells will simply establish a new blood supply in your buttocks and live there for the remainder of their days. The few fat cells that fail to establish a new blood supply will die and be reabsorbed by your body.
The only caveat to this is the skill of your surgeon. The surgeons at Mia Aesthetics have experience performing BBLs and understand the difference between a male and female BBL. So long as you go with a qualified surgeon who understands exactly where and how to place the fat injected during a male BBL, you’ll have a perfectly natural look after healing from your surgery.
Can the Male BBL Give a More Hourglass Figure?
As he shapes and sculpts your buttocks, your surgeon can exert a great deal of control over your new body contours. If you desire an hourglass figure, your surgeon can work toward that shape for you. He will likely use a combination of techniques to achieve this shape, creating it through both the liposuction and fat grafting portions of your procedure.
While a shape close to an hourglass figure is often possible, it is a rare outcome for a male BBL. Most men prefer a more square, masculine shape. If you want more of an hourglass shape you can discuss that with your surgeon, but don’t avoid a BBL out of fear that it will give you a more feminine shape. Your surgeon will give you the shape you want.
Will the Results be Permanent?
A BBL is considered a permanent surgery, but it’s not quite that simple. BBLs can last for decades, but only when properly cared for. The fat cells injected into the buttocks are living things and need proper care to thrive. The first part of achieving lasting results is to follow your surgeon’s post-op care meticulously. Your newly transferred cells need time to develop a new blood supply and establish themselves in your buttocks. Both sitting and smoking can slow this process and cause the fat cells to die rather than take hold.
After your recovery period ends, it’s important that you eat a healthy diet and maintain a consistent weight. If you lose a significant amount of weight, the fat cells injected into your buttocks will become smaller, altering the shape and volume of your BBL. Gain too much and the fat cells will expand, distorting the shape of your BBL. Gaining weight can also build up fat throughout your body, potentially changing the ratio of your buttocks to the rest of your body and creating a disproportionate look.
You must also understand that your surgeon can’t simply stop the aging process. Some drooping and sagging can occur as you age. Although considered permanent, it may be best to describe a BBL as semi-permanent.
Who is a Good Candidate for the Procedure?
As is true of all surgeries, some people are just better surgical candidates than others. The ideal male BBL candidate will meet the following criteria.
You’re Relatively Healthy
Underlying medical issues can complicate your surgery and interfere with the healing process. A good BBL candidate is healthy overall.
You’ve Reached Your Ideal Weight
There are two reasons why your weight matters for a BBL. One is that carrying excess weight increases your potential for complications. If you’re overweight, you’re prone to issues with anesthesia, heart attack, nerve injury, and infection. Mia Aesthetics requires patients to have a BMI of 33 or less for a BBL.
Reaching your ideal weight before surgery can also help your BBL last longer. As you now know, weight fluctuations after a BBL can change your results. It’s best to get to a healthy weight and then maintain it after your surgery.
You’re a Nonsmoker and You Drink Infrequently
You may have noticed that doctors are always telling you to quit smoking before having surgery. It’s probably fair to say that most doctors would prefer their patients don’t smoke, but that’s not the reason they ask you to quit for surgery. They ask because cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol can all interfere with your body’s ability to heal itself. Steering clear of these substances during your recovery can help prevent complications.
You Have Recovery Time
Recovery after a BBL takes time, and you must have time to give it. You can’t rush back to work or to the gym right after a BBL. It will take several weeks to recover, during which time you may not be able to work and will need a special pillow to sit. You must be willing to follow your surgeon’s orders and devote time to resting and recovering,
You Have Realistic Expectations
Sometimes patients have unrealistic goals for plastic surgery. Your BBL can give you a pretty dramatic change, but you’re not going to wake up in someone else’s body after surgery. During your surgery consultation, you will learn what is attainable and what is not. Unrealistic expectations set you up for failure, and we want you to love your results. To that end, we strive to make sure you understand your potential results before starting the procedure.
What is Recovery Like?
We’re going to shoot straight with you: a BBL is a somewhat difficult procedure to recover from. The two reasons for this are sleeping and sitting. For several weeks after your BBL, you won’t be allowed to sleep on your back or your side. You will need to sleep on your stomach, which is difficult for some people. If you struggle with this, wear a backpack full of tennis balls to bed. The balls will be very uncomfortable and will let you know if you’ve rolled onto your back while you were asleep.
The second challenge is sitting. Your surgeon will instruct you not to sit on your buttocks for at least 6 to 8 weeks after your male BBL. When you do sit, you’ll need to do it on a special BBL cushion to keep your rear end elevated. Patients often underestimate how much they sit until they can’t.
Besides these two special BBL rules, you will find your recovery after a BBL similar to healing from other procedures. You may have some pain and a bruised sensation in your buttocks. You may also notice some soreness and tenderness at your liposuction incisions as well. We will prescribe you pain medication to help you deal with this the first few days, but you will feel a little better each day. You’ll have to wear a compression garment for a few weeks, and your surgeon will ask you to avoid a lot of physical activity.
Does a Male BBL Cost More than a Female BBL?
Costs vary from one BBL to another, but you will not have to pay more for your procedure because you are male. The fees for a BBL vary based on where you have your surgery done, the experience level of your surgeon, and how much liposuction and sculpting you need. At Mia Aesthetics, BBLs start at $3,750 for both men and women. We also run frequent BBL specials and offer financing options to help you cover the cost of your surgery.
Can I Have Other Procedures at the Same Time?
So long as it’s safe to do so, you are free to combine multiple men’s plastic surgery procedures during your male BBL. Perhaps you would like your chest sculpted a bit or would like a full tummy tuck (abdominoplasty). You can absolutely bundle multiple surgeries together, and doing so can save you money.
Bundling means you will only need to pay once for an anesthesiologist and/or the use of a surgical facility. It also means a single recovery period rather than multiple episodes of missing work and several rounds of pain pills. Women bundle procedures all the time, often calling the procedure a mommy makeover. Men can do the same, creating their own customized daddy do-over.
Can I Gain Weight if I Don’t Have Enough Fat?
Getting a BBL requires your doctor to remove unwanted fat from your body and reinject it into your buttocks. This isn’t possible, however, if your BMI is very low and you lack enough excess fat. When finding themselves in this position, men often ask if they can gain weight before having a BBL so they have the necessary fat for transfer. This is generally a bad idea.
For one, the fastest way to gain weight is to eat foods you shouldn’t. This can lead to health problems that can complicate your surgery and increase the risk of complications. Another issue is that after surgery, you’re probably going to fall back into your usual eating habits and then lose weight again. Weight fluctuations can alter your BBL results, however, potentially leaving you unhappy with them. If you lack the necessary body fat, your best option is to accept that you’re simply not a good candidate for a BBL and pursue other options.