When performed by expert hands, a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) seamlessly balances your silhouette, enhancing your natural curves. Contrary to what some people assume, a BBL can provide natural-looking results.
At Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery, we recognize that no two bodies are exactly alike. That’s why our experienced plastic surgeons tailor their approach to align with your unique vision and suit your frame, balancing your proportions rather than overpowering them.
Here’s how we help you decide between a traditional and a “skinny” BBL in NYC based on your anatomy and beauty goals.
What is a BBL?
A Brazilian butt lift is a multi-step body contouring surgery that redistributes fat deposits to your buttocks to enhance its shape and/or size. During the first part of this 3 to 4-hour-long procedure, a surgeon performs liposuction, removing fat from areas like the abdomen, thighs, or back.
After purifying the harvested fat cells—removing impurities to improve the quality of the fat—a surgeon carefully transfers the fat to your buttocks. This complex procedure addresses concerns such as:
- Asymmetry
- Excess fat in the lower back, hips, and abdomen
- Flat buttocks
- Hip dips
- Skin laxity
- Small buttocks
While not all fat cells survive after being transferred, your surgeon’s techniques significantly influence your long-term results.
What is a skinny BBL?
A skinny BBL is a specialized procedure designed for patients who have less fat available to transfer. Rather than focusing on dramatic volume changes, this technique prioritizes contouring and proportions, offering harmonious results that fit a leaner patient’s frame.
Unlike traditional BBLs, a surgeon often collects fat from multiple, smaller areas—such as the arms, inner thighs, and flanks—to perform a skinny BBL in NYC. This allows individuals with a slimmer or more athletic build to maintain their natural physique while gently enhancing their curves.
The Differences Between the Procedures
While both traditional and skinny BBLs rely on liposuction and fat transfer, the key differences lie in fat availability, surgical scope, and the overall volume achieved. At Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery, we take the time to understand your unique situation, so we can craft a surgical plan that empowers you to safely achieve your aesthetic vision.
Here’s a closer look at how we determine which BBL technique is right for you during your initial consultation.
The Ideal Candidate
Whether you’re considering a traditional or skinny BBL in NYC, start by setting realistic expectations. While your BMI can provide a general guideline for your candidacy, it is not the sole determining factor. During your consultation, we evaluate factors beyond your weight to determine which BBL is best for you, including:
- The location of your fat deposits
- The quality of the fat
- Your health history and lifestyle
- Your aesthetic goals
We typically look for fat in the abdomen and “love handles,” as these areas often yield better-quality fat for traditional BBLs. If a patient lacks sufficient fat for transfer in any suitable area, we may recommend non-surgical alternatives, such as Sculptra or Radiesse injections. However, it’s important to consider that a “non-surgical BBL” requires more frequent maintenance than a surgical BBL and cannot provide as dramatic results.
Ideal candidates have a stable weight for at least 6 months and lead a healthy lifestyle. Patients who maintain a healthy lifestyle well after surgery see the best results. If a patient gains significant weight after a BBL, the fat transferred to the buttocks will grow beyond what is natural, leading to unnatural and disproportionate results and long-term outcomes.
Ultimately, your consultation with a surgeon determines your candidacy, not your BMI.
The Surgical Techniques
Surgical precision is essential, whether you opt for a traditional or skinny BBL in NYC. Both procedures rely on liposuction for fat harvesting, but require a unique setting that’s more gentle than traditional liposuction techniques. This slower fat removal process keeps fat cells’ fluffy texture and cellular integrity intact, increasing their chances of survival and, therefore, making your long-term results more predictable.
During a traditional BBL, surgeons harvest between 1,000 and 3,000 mL of fat from a single, larger area. When harvesting fat for a skinny BBL, surgeons use even finer cannulas to collect fat from multiple, smaller areas, taking a more nuanced approach. The exact amount of fat collected depends on your anatomy and goals, but this process offers body sculpting benefits beyond enhancing the buttocks by removing fat from other areas of the body.
During the fat injection process of a traditional BBL, surgeons may use larger syringes to inject fat into the subcutaneous tissue (beneath the skin and above the muscle) to enhance the projection of the buttocks. They may use smaller syringes when performing a skinny BBL, opting for a “micro-droplet” technique that relies on strategic, meticulous injections to contour more localized areas of the buttocks.
The Recovery Process
The foundational steps of recovering from a BBL—including wearing compression garments, avoiding pressure on the buttocks, and sticking to gentle movement to encourage circulation—remain the same for both kinds of surgeries. However, the recovery timeline of a traditional BBL is longer than that of a skinny BBL.
In NYC, we recognize that many people rely on walking to get around. After either procedure, you can walk immediately. Most patients take between 1 and 2 weeks off work after surgery, but your timeline may vary depending on the surgery you undergo and whether your job requires sitting or physical activity.
Patients who undergo a traditional BBL may experience more prolonged discomfort due to the larger volume of fat transferred and the broader liposuction areas. Those who undergo a skinny BBL have fewer physical restrictions and can return to sitting on their buttocks sooner. If you work a desk job, we recommend standing rather than sitting at your desk while you’re healing.
You can return to more strenuous exercise and fully submerge the area in water once your wounds have completely healed, which is typically about 3 weeks post-op. Skinny BBL patients may be cleared to return to regular activity sooner.
What Makes Our Approach to BBLs Unique
Dr. Brian Bassiri-Tehrani’s impressive collection of honors, certifications, and professional memberships, and his extensive training—including his fellowship with renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Foad Nahai—aren’t the only things that set him apart from other plastic surgeons.
He takes a personalized, artistic approach to every procedure, using advanced surgical techniques to bring your vision to life while honoring your natural beauty, rather than overpowering it. Patients not only trust Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani for his expertise, but also for his commitment to thoughtful, individualized care.
Advanced Liposuction Techniques
Dr. Bassiri-Tehrani specializes in fat grafting in New York City, using specialized liposuction systems to prioritize fat cell viability. We use a closed-system liposuction technique, which collects fat at a lower speed than traditional systems. This allows fat to slowly drip into the sterile canister, avoiding contamination and minimizing cellular damage.
Then, we use the Vitality system to purify the fat cells, removing unwanted elements like blood and skin cells. By maintaining the fat cells’ structural integrity and purity, we increase the chance of cell survival post-injection—optimizing your long-term results. We not only take these additional steps while performing a traditional or skinny BBL in NYC, but also during a fat transfer for breast augmentation.
Ultrasound Imaging
Precise surgical techniques aren’t only important for your safety, but also to ensure the best aesthetic results. At Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery, we use ultrasound imaging during BBL procedures to visualize tissue layers in real time.
Injecting fat cells too deep into the muscular fascia can lead to health complications, as the fat can travel to unintended areas like the heart and lungs. Injecting fat cells too close to the skin’s surface can result in a lumpy, uneven texture and appearance.
Using ultrasound guidance, we inject the fat into the ideal location—in between the muscles and skin—to deliver smooth, natural-looking results while adhering to advanced safety protocols. We prioritize your well-being and your satisfaction, going above and beyond traditional techniques.
Personalized Treatment Plans
When you come to Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery for a traditional or skinny BBL in NYC, you don’t have to commit to drastic changes. Our surgeons take an individualized approach to every Brazilian butt lift, and increasing the size of your buttocks is not the only possibility.
Beyond personalizing your BBL, we can craft treatment plans that empower you to achieve all of your aesthetic goals. Many patients combine a BBL with cellulite treatment to further enhance their buttocks. For mothers looking to reclaim their body confidence after giving birth, we curate a mommy makeover plan that aligns with your specific needs, which may include a BBL, liposuction, tummy tuck, nipple correction, a breast lift, and/or a breast reduction in Manhattan, New York.
We take the time to understand your unique preferences, lifestyle, and vision during your consultation to ensure your results reflect your version of confidence. We empower beauty®, and beauty looks different for everyone.
Refine Your Curves, Redefine Your Confidence
You deserve to trust the hands performing your surgery, and meaningful transformations are an art just as much as they are a science. Beyond his proven medical expertise, Dr. Brian Bassiri-Tehrani‘s passion for helping patients step into the best version of themselves sets him apart.
Everyone’s idea of beauty is unique, and we honor that rather than settling for a standardized approach to a traditional or skinny BBL in NYC. Our personalized techniques require more than precision, skill, and a mastery of anatomy; they require truly getting to know you. Schedule your consultation at Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery to begin your journey on your terms.
