Brazilian butt lift (BBL) in Istanbul

It is small but real. A 2017 estimate put it at about 1 in 3,000, the highest of any cosmetic operation; after rules limiting fat to the layer under the skin spread, estimates fell to about 1 in 15,000 by 2019. Deaths are linked to fat placed in or under the muscle.

It means the surgeon uses ultrasound during the operation to see, in real time, that the cannula tip stays in the layer under the skin. BAAPS requires it and Florida law mandates it. Evidence is encouraging but mostly from uncontrolled series, so ask whether it will be used for you.

Avoid sitting on your buttocks for about two weeks, except briefly for meals and the toilet. After that, short periods on a special cushion are usually allowed, and sitting without a cushion generally waits until about eight weeks. Your surgeon may give you different timings.

There is no official number of days. ASPS advises avoiding long sitting for about two weeks, and a flight means hours in a seat, which raises clot risk and may harm the grafted fat. Your surgeon sets your date at a check-up; on board, walk for 5–10 minutes every hour.

On average, 60–80% of the transferred fat survives, according to ASPS; some people keep more and some less. The rest is absorbed over the first months, which is why the final shape is judged at about a year and a further session is sometimes needed.

The fat that survives is long-lasting and behaves like the rest of your fat, so it grows or shrinks with your weight. Some firmness is lost with age, but most of the improvement remains. A stable weight and buttock exercises help to keep the shape.

Only if you have enough fat to spare. A BBL depends on fat taken from areas such as the abdomen, flanks, back or thighs. If there is not enough, buttock implants or a combined approach may be considered instead, after an examination.

A BBL uses your own fat; implants use a solid device. In a systematic review, complications were reported in 9.9% after fat grafting and 21.6% after implants. Implants can suit people without enough spare fat, but they bring device-related risks and a different recovery.

Sources give no exact day. Sleep face down or on your side for at least the first two weeks, and longer if your surgeon advises. Pressure on the buttocks in the early weeks may harm the grafted fat, so ask at your check-up before changing position.

Usually after 10–14 days, depending on your job. If you work at a desk, a standing set-up helps until you are allowed to sit, and heavy lifting or strenuous work waits until at least a month. Exercise generally resumes at 6–8 weeks.

Typically 300–500 ml into each side, depending on your shape and the fat available. No universal maximum volume has been set; the limit is how much fits in the layer under the skin. If you want more, a second session is advised rather than deeper injection.

No. BAAPS has reported sepsis, tissue death, infection and scarring after filler injections into the buttocks, and in 2025 the UK government announced that non-surgical BBLs will be restricted to qualified healthcare professionals in registered settings. It is not a lower-risk version of surgery.

From areas where you have fat to spare, most often the abdomen, flanks and back, and sometimes the thighs, knees or arms. Removing fat from the waist and back also sharpens the curve above the buttocks, which is part of the overall shape.