Previously, the only option to add volume to the buttocks was with buttock augmentation, in which implants not so dissimilar to breast implants were inserted into the buttocks. A major surgery, there were many complications surrounding the procedure, including potential infection. Thanks to modern liposuction technology and improved technique, a new option has come forward: a fat transfer to the buttocks, more commonly known as the Brazilian Butt Lift.
Actual Brazilian Butt Lift Results of Dr. Louis Cole
According to Duluth cosmetic surgeon Dr. Louis Cole, "A Brazilian Butt Lift is actually two procedure: liposuction followed by fat transfer to the buttocks." The Brazilian Butt Lift allows patients to not only remove unwanted fat to contour the body, the fat which was previously disposed of as waste can now be used as a natural filler to add volume to nearly any place on the body, including the buttocks.
How Long Does A Brazilian Butt Lift Take?
Since the procedure is a two-step procedure, patients can expect to spend approximately 6 hours at the practice. The procedure doesn't take the entire time and includes consultation along with pre- and post- operative photos. "We want to make sure our patients are comfortable with the procedure so we take our time with them, explaining our detailed plan plan of surgery with comprehensive discussions and drawings," explains Dr. Cole, "We want the patient to be on the same page with us as far as expectations and what type of results they can expect."
The patient first undergoes liposuction to remove fat, which will eventually be used to add volume to the buttocks. Traditional liposuction, which uses manual energy to break up fat, typically destroying intact fat cells in the process of elimination. New liposuction technology including Smartlipo, Vaser Lipo, or Tickle Lipo allow more intact fat cells to be removed, which many experts speculate increase the survival of transferred fat. 
Actual Before and After Photos of The Brazilian Butt Lift by Dr. Louis Cole
How Long Do Brazilian Butt Results Last?
While fat transfer has been around for quite some time, many things have kept it from being a popular procedure. In particular, transferred fat often failed to "take" to the new area thus making the procedure largely unsuccessful. However with new technology, more physicians and their patients are seeing better results in which transferred fat cells are not only surviving, they are thriving. "We've had patients 2 or 3 years out that say the results they get after approximately a month to six weeks appears to be the fat that they're going to get long term," states Dr. Cole.
Using the PureGraft System from Cytori, Dr. Cole uses only fat from the patient during a Brazilian Butt Lift. After fat cells are gently removed from the body, Dr. Cole uses the PureGraft to purify, filter and prepare the fat for the fat transfer.
According to Dr. Cole, using the PureGraft has increased the survival rate of transferred fat. "Initially, when we were performing fat transfers, only 60%-70% of fat would survive the transfer. With the addition of the PureGraft, we are finding that 80%-90% of transferred fat survives." However, Dr. Cole points out, more fat removal is required as the system spins out the viable fat vs. the oils and impurities. "The PureGraft system separates the viable fat which is stem-cell rich from the oils and impurities for higher transferred fat survival."
Actual Brazilian Butt Lift Before and After Results of Dr. Louis Cole
If I Lose Weight, Will My Brazilian Butt Lift Results Be Affected?
For those who exercise regularly, they can attest to the fact that not all fat is created equal. There are areas of fat that are more easily worked off than others and typically when patients undergo Brazilian Butt Lifts, fat from the stubborn areas are used and transferred fat also remains stubborn to weight loss.
"We haven't had many patients who have experienced drastic weight loss but we try to take fat from areas that are resistant to lose, for example the flanks or hips - women typically have trouble losing fat from those areas or the lower abdomen," explains Dr. Cole, "Fat has what we sometimes call 'institutional memory.' The transferred fat thinks it is still in the donor site, such as the belly or hips. Since those are the last places patients ordinarily lose weight, those transferred fat cells which still act as if they are in their donor sites, are the last to go when patients do lose a few pounds."
Actual Brazilian Butt Lift Results of Dr. Louis Cole
Dr. Cole stresses the importance of an experienced surgeon when seeking a Brazilian Butt Lift. In light of several tragedies involving foreign substances being injected into the buttocks to add volume, including the death of former Miss Argentina from illegal PMMA injections into her buttocks, it is more important than ever to find an experienced physician with an accredited practice for the Brazilian Butt Lift.
"There are a lot of people who are performing this procedure in backyard alleys and such; they're injecting all kinds of things to increase the size of the buttocks so patients have to be careful and physicians have to be careful about what they're doing," states Dr. Cole, "We have not had any real difficulties, in terms of infections or bad outcomes because we are extremely careful with the procedure itself. We do not inject any foreign bodies or silicone or anything of that nature into the buttocks, just the patient's own fat."
For more information on Dr. Louis Cole and his Brazilian Butt Lift procedure
