I realize this post may not relate to anyone outside of plastic surgery. But at the same time, it’s just plain interesting to anyone that’s a fan of Rube Goldberg (ie, the Mousetrap above)! With the circuitous tubing going from handle to canister to machine, the video below showing the operating room setup for a Brazilian Butt Lift is sort of mesmerizing. And to a plastic surgeon that’s considering building their Brazilian Butt Lift practice, it’s a great introduction.
Getting started
There are many ways to harvest fat via liposuction and ways to reinject into the buttocks. But the technique demonstrated below is my favorite. First, it’s a closed system. The fat is never exposed to air. While I don’t have any research to back up my assertion, it makes sense that any floating dust or bacteria in the air can’t reach the fat if the fat is never exposed to the air. Thus leading to lower infection rates.
I also like how the system measures everything. From the graduated canister that measures fat output to the machine that regulates and measures fat input. This is important because you want to avoid removing more than 5 liters of fat at a time. That could potentially lead to a severe form of dehydration called hypovolemic shock when too much fat is removed.
And you of course want to measure how much fat is going into the buttocks to ensure symmetry. The machine that infuses the fat also has a regulator. What this means is that if there’s too much pressure propagating through the tubing back towards the machine, that suggests there’s enough fat in the area. This can also potentially reduce the risk of accidentally injecting fat into blood vessels in the pelvis. This can lead to another complication called fat embolism.
To see this technique for yourself, check out the video below.
Video of what you need for a BBL
If you’d like to check pricing on this procedure from a doctor near you, click here. Dr. Kaplan has no financial interest in any of the products shown in the video.
