You have probably seen the social media posts: Kenyan women fresh from a Brazilian butt lift, a cosmetic surgery that enlarges the behind, sleeping on their tummies, some even travelling while kneeling or stretched out across car seats, all in a desperate move to avoid sitting down.
Brazilian butt lift, commonly referred to as BBL, is gaining popularity in Kenya, and one of the questions many are asking themselves is, why can’t someone sit or lie on their backs after the surgery? And how long should one not sit?
In this procedure, fat is removed from places like the stomach, thighs, or back using liposuction. The fat is then injected into the buttocks to add volume.
Unlike the assumptions, the no-sitting rule is not just part of the aesthetic procedure. Plastic surgeons say apart from avoiding disfiguring the newly-reshaped butt, it is survival for the fat.
Dr Benjamin Wabwire, the head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Kenyatta National Hospital, explains why sitting too soon can undo the entire procedure.
Dr Benjamin Wabwire, the head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Kenyatta National Hospital.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
“BBL, the procedure is essentially the removal of fat using suction from one part of the body, usually the trunk [abdominal area], and injection of the same into the gluteal area. So the reason why people are told not to sit on their buttocks after that is that you would displace it,” Dr Wabwire says.
He says, in the initial days after surgery, the injected fat is literally floating around before it establishes its roots.
“Because it is free-floating, kind of, if you sit on it, it can easily be displaced by pressure. So people are told to lie on their tummies or to stay in what we call, prone position [lying flat on your stomach, face down] to allow the fat to attach properly, and develop a healthy blood supply.”
This “attachment” phase is what determines how much of the fat actually survives, and, ultimately, how well someone keeps their new shape.
“Once the tiny fat cells find a blood supply, they stabilise, and you can finally sit without risking damage. This happens after about two weeks. Once that happens, now the fat stays where it is, even if someone sat on it, nothing changes,” he says, adding, “the process can be as short as a minimum of a week or so, but we advise two weeks.”
But even with a perfect recovery, not all of the fat survives. What you see in the mirror on the first day or during the first week is not the final result.
“People need to know that some of the fat does get absorbed away if it doesn’t get attached to the blood supply, or what we call, doesn’t get revascularised,” Dr Wabwire says, adding that the BBL fat behaves like a transplant.
“It is essentially a graft; you get the fat from one place, and those cells have to find nutrients and oxygen to survive in the new location. If they don’t, then they die off, and the body removes them.”
This is why many women, even after following all the medical instructions, notice their butt shrinking a few months later.
Brazilian butt lift, commonly referred to as BBL, is gaining popularity in Kenya.
Photo credit: Pool
“That is why some people look much better immediately after the procedure, but after maybe two months, three months, the result may not look as nice as it was immediately after the surgery,” Dr Wabwire adds.
The doctor notes that for lasting results, women often need to undergo more than one session. One session of butt surgery ranges from Sh500,000 and up to about Sh800,000, depending on the clinic, complexity, and add‑ons.
“People should be warned that one may need two, three procedures at different times. Maybe do one after four months, then have another one after almost the same period to refill, then do another one to get a lasting result,” he says.
Dr Wabwire adds that, despite everything, the body’s natural processes still have the final say.
“They [patients] should also be aware that the result can change depending on whether one gains weight or loses, because it [the new butt] is not genetically influenced. If you gain weight, your genetic makeup, shape, and constitution come into play. If you lose weight again, you will still lose the same fat, so you go back to what you looked like [before the surgery].”
“It will not burst,” Dr Wabwire laughs, saying, “What happens if someone sits on it, the fat will just be displaced into a position that is congruent with the pressure distribution. It will not look like what someone might have wanted to look like. Just like if you sit on a balloon, the way you displace it from being round to being maybe like a saucer, it is the same thing.”
