A few days ago I was seeing a patient who was thinking about having the Brazilian butt lift. Two things struck me about the conversation— One was the fact that so many patients are now requesting a procedure that is relatively new. The second was that I am doing the procedure more frequently on women of all ethnicities. As I was showing the patient my collection of pre op and post pictures I noticed quite a few Caucasians and Orientals. This makes me think that for whatever reason, there is a cultural shift going on about what constitutes an attractive figure.
Until recently, “Thin is In” was considered the beauty standard. The excesses of Hollywood starlets such as the Olson twins lavishly illustrated in supermarket tabloids, as well as the deaths of several fashion runway models have turned the tide against thinness as the absolute element of beauty. At the 2000 Grammy award ceremonies, Jennifer Lopez, with the aid of a see through Versace dress, set an alternate standard for the desirable female figure- curvy sensuality.The dress was open in the front, but what caught everybody’s attention was what was partially covered: her other “assets.” Rumors later circulated that she insured her butt for $1 Billion dollars. Of course, J-Lo denied the rumors, but it certainly underscored the public perception of the value of her buttocks.
The effect on popular culture was immediate and lasting. All of a sudden there was a proliferation of words to describe Jennifer’s, and whomever else’s “assets.” In my own practice, I first noticed a decline in requests to do liposuction to the buttocks, then requests for augmentation of the buttocks. Now every month there are more and more people requesting the procedure.
Initially I thought this was a pent up demand from cultural groups (African Americans and Latinos) that had always appreciated a sensuous derriere. As the number of Caucasians who had this procedure increased, I realized the appeal of a sensuous figure was expanding to the general population. More surprisingly, I have done this procedure on a few oriental patients, a group which generally appreciates small petite features as an ideal of beauty.
I think the popularity of the Brazilian butt lift is increasing, but patients should be very careful about their choice of surgeon. Be sure to pick a surgeon who has done more than a few. Ask if he/she ever does “touch ups” or if the procedure requires a second operative session at some later point in time. If he/she is truly adept at this procedure there will hardly be need for touch ups.
Ask the surgeon how long the procedure takes. Frankly, I think operating times of 2-4 hours are not enough to effectively extract, process, and carefully reinject the fat.Luckily for those who chose their surgeon carefully, the Brazilian butt lift can be a highly satisfactory procedure for the surgeon and patient. I have not done a single “touch up” after performing the surgery for a few years. That’s a lot of happy patients!
