How much fat is injected with the Brazilian butt lift?

I have been performing the Brazilian butt lift for almost a decade. With this procedure, I remove fat from unwanted areas with liposuction, and then reinject into your buttocks. Patients are now doing so much research, that I often get the question about how much fat is injected into the buttocks.

To answer the question in 2013, I looked at my last 100 procedures to find out the average amount of fat which is injected per patient, per buttock cheek.  Before I give you the answer, you should know that the final amount injected will NOT be the amount which is removed.

my average patient has 580 cc fat injected into each buttock cheek

– Dr. Rodriguez

Fat extracted is mixed with tumescent fluid

First, keep in mind that almost all surgeons inject tumescent solution prior to performing the liposuction fat extraction. The fat that collects in the canister is called lipoaspirate. That lipoaspirate is a combination of your own fat PLUS the tumescent solution.

Fat available for reinjection is typically only 50% of the extracted amount

The amount reinjected will only be  a fraction of the amount of lipoaspirate that I have removed. How much depends on several factors, and I only keep the ‘good fat.’ The rest of the lipoaspirate contains dead cells , blood, and other components that are not suitable for a fat graft. So I may end up reinjecting a fat concentrate that is on average 40-50% of the original lipoaspirate.

It is important that I inject only healthy and viable cells that will yield a successful fat graft. When proper processing and injection techniques are used, the fat graft has a much better chance that it will ‘take’ and be long lasting. Having a permanent fat graft is the only way to avoid a need for ‘touch ups’.

Average amount of fat injected into buttocks

The average statistics on my last 100 Brazilian butt lift cases are as follows:

• Average Fat Injected (both buttock cheeks): 1160 cc
• Average age at surgery: 37 years
• Average height of patient:   5′ 3″
• Average weight of patient: 151 pounds

Therefore, my average patient gets approximately 580 cc of fat injected into each buttocks cheek.  However, this is fat that has been centrifuged to get rid of all the tumescent solution. It is pure fat.

To give you an idea of how much 580 cc is equivalent to, we placed this amount of crushed ice into a plastic bag. The photograph to the left shows that this quantity is a substantial amount!

Please see our before and after photos of Brazilian butt lift patients and to learn how much fat was injected into different patients. If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them here.

(originally published October 20, 2013)