Brazilian Butt Lift

AT A GLANCE

A Brazilian butt lift, or gluteal fat grafting, harvests the patient’s own fat by liposuction and injects it into the buttocks and hips to add volume and improve shape. At Santa Barbara Face & Body in Santa Barbara, California, a board-certified plastic surgeon performs it to current safety standards, injecting fat only into the subcutaneous layer with real-time ultrasound guidance, for a proportionate contour.

A Brazilian butt lift (BBL), formally gluteal fat grafting, uses liposuction to harvest fat, which is purified and injected into the buttocks and hips for a fuller, balanced shape, with no implant. Because fat injected into or below the gluteal muscle can enter large veins and cause a fatal fat embolism, the current safety standard is subcutaneous-only injection above the muscle fascia, confirmed with real-time ultrasound guidance, performed by a board-certified surgeon in an accredited facility.

What it does

A BBL reshapes the lower body using your own fat, not an implant.

Adds volume. Grafts your own purified fat into the buttocks and hips for fullness and shape.
Balances the figure. Improves proportion between the waist, hips, and buttocks, refining the whole lower silhouette.
Contours the donor area. The liposuction that harvests the fat slims the waist or flanks at the same time.

Because it uses your own tissue and no implant, the result can look and feel natural, when it is planned for proportion rather than an exaggerated shape.

Your own fat volume from your own fat, no implant

How it works

A BBL is performed under anesthesia in two stages within one operation: liposuction harvests fat from areas like the waist, back, or flanks, the fat is purified, and it is grafted into the buttocks and hips. The critical safety point is where the fat goes: it is injected only into the subcutaneous layer above the gluteal muscle, never into or beneath the muscle where large veins can carry fat to the lungs, and current practice confirms this with real-time ultrasound during injection. Recovery involves limiting direct pressure on the buttocks early on and a compression garment.

How much fat can be grafted depends on your donor fat and the safe volume the tissue will hold, which the consultation assesses.

Subcutaneous only fat placed above the muscle, ultrasound-confirmed

How safety is built in, and why it is the whole point

With this procedure, technique is not a detail; it is the difference that protects you.

Safety measure	What it means	Why it matters
Subcutaneous-only injection	Fat placed above the muscle fascia	Avoids the veins that cause fat embolism
Real-time ultrasound	The cannula tip is watched during injection	Confirms the safe plane for your anatomy
Board-certified surgeon	Trained to the current standard	Follows the Multi-Society Task Force advisories
Accredited facility	Emergency protocols and monitoring	Where safe surgery belongs

These are the recommendations of the Multi-Society Gluteal Fat Grafting Task Force, and they exist because the historical risk of this procedure came almost entirely from fat injected into the muscle. A surgeon who follows them is the single most important choice you make.

What a BBL works with

This is what the consultation assesses, because candidacy and safety come first.

What you have	What it means	The plan
Flat or shapeless buttocks	Projection and shape goal	Gluteal fat grafting
Enough donor fat	Fat available to harvest	Standard candidate
Very little body fat	Limited graft material	May not be a candidate
Want a balanced shape	Balanced goal	A conservative, safe volume
Health or clotting concerns	Elevated surgical risk	Careful assessment first

The value is not the list. It is that the surgeon confirms you are a safe candidate, has enough donor fat, and wants a balanced result, then performs it to the safety standard.

Why Santa Barbara Face & Body

No procedure depends on the surgeon’s technique and judgment more than this one. Dr. Polynice is a Mayo-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon focused on breast and body surgery, and he performs gluteal fat grafting to the current safety standard, subcutaneous-only injection confirmed with ultrasound, and plans for a balanced shape rather than the exaggerated look the procedure is known for. Safety and a result that looks like your own body are the standard here.

Proportion first a balanced shape, not an exaggerated one

A good fit if you

Want fuller, more balanced buttocks and hips using your own fat
Have enough donor fat to harvest for grafting
Want a balanced result rather than an extreme one
Will choose a board-certified surgeon and an accredited facility

Worth talking through first if you

Have very little body fat to transfer
Have clotting risks or health conditions that raise surgical risk
Are set on a dramatic size that would compromise a natural look
Smoke or have conditions that affect healing and graft survival

What to expect

Dr. Polynice assesses your donor fat, your goals, and your overall health and clotting risk, and explains honestly how the procedure is made safe, subcutaneous-only injection, ultrasound guidance, and an accredited setting. He plans a measured volume rather than an extreme one, and covers recovery, including limiting pressure on the buttocks early on. You leave with a plan that puts safety and a natural result first, and a frank discussion of the risks.

What it costs

A BBL is quoted by the plan, not by a shelf price, because it depends on the donor areas, the liposuction involved, and the volume grafted. You will have that number in writing at your consultation, before anything is scheduled.

What it is: Gluteal fat grafting, using your own fat
Safety standard: Subcutaneous-only injection, ultrasound-guided
Bonus: The donor area is contoured by liposuction
No implant: Uses your own tissue, not a device
Performed by: Dr. Alain Polynice, board-certified plastic surgeon

Is a BBL dangerous?

The procedure earned a serious safety reputation because fat injected into or beneath the gluteal muscle can enter large veins and travel to the lungs, which was the cause of the reported deaths. The current safety standard directly addresses that: fat is injected only into the subcutaneous layer above the muscle, confirmed with real-time ultrasound, by a qualified surgeon in an accredited facility. Choosing a surgeon who follows this standard is essential.

What makes it safer now?

In 2018 and 2022, a Multi-Society Task Force issued advisories that changed practice: inject fat only in the subcutaneous plane, never intramuscularly, and use real-time ultrasound to confirm the cannula’s position during grafting. Performed this way, by a qualified surgeon in an accredited setting, the risk is far lower than with the older technique. A surgeon should be glad to explain exactly how they follow it.

Will it look fake or exaggerated?

It does not have to. The exaggerated look comes from grafting very large volumes; a proportionate result, planned for balance between your waist, hips, and buttocks, looks natural. Our approach is to restore and balance the figure rather than create an extreme shape, so the result looks like your own body.

How long does the fat last?

As with any fat transfer, some of the grafted fat is naturally reabsorbed in the months after surgery, and the fat that survives is generally lasting. A surgeon grafts with that in mind and will give you a realistic picture of the volume you can expect to keep, and whether more than one session is sensible.

What is recovery like?

You will need to limit direct pressure on your buttocks for a period early in recovery, often using a special cushion when sitting, and wear a compression garment over the donor areas. Most people return to nonstrenuous activity within a couple of weeks. Your surgeon will give you specific instructions to protect the grafted fat and your safety.