Brazilian Butt Lift Turkey

A Brazilian butt lift combines liposuction and fat grafting in one sitting. We take fat from wherever you've got more than you'd like, usually the tummy, waist and lower back, and put it into the buttocks. You lose inches at the waist on the same day you gain them lower down, which is why the shape changes so much.

Before getting into the details of a BBL in Turkey, it's worth dealing with the question most people search for first.

How safe is a BBL now?

A few years ago the BBL had a bad reputation, and it was deserved. A survey of surgeons published in 2017 estimated that roughly one patient in every three thousand died, a far higher rate than for any other cosmetic procedure. Investigations kept finding the same cause. Surgeons had been injecting fat deep into the buttock muscle, close to the large veins that run underneath it, and fat that reaches one of those veins can block the blood supply to the lungs.

The fix turned out to be about depth. Fat is now placed only in the layer under the skin and above the firm sheet of tissue that covers the muscle, never in the muscle. Since surgeons adopted that rule, surveys have shown the risk dropping considerably.

Our surgeons follow it on every BBL. The cannula they use has a rounded tip, and the fat goes in as fine strands rather than large pockets. When you compare clinics, two questions sort them quickly: which layer do you inject into, and how many BBLs has this surgeon done personally? Vague answers are a red flag, whatever the price.

Step one: taking the fat

Our BBL price includes liposuction of three zones. Most often they're the tummy, the sides of the waist and the lower back; now and then the thighs. We choose them partly for how much fat they hold and partly for the shape you'll have once it's gone. Taking fat from the flanks and lower back pulls the waist in, which makes the buttocks look rounder before anything has even been added.

How much fat is available varies a lot. Two people of the same weight can have very different amounts in the places that matter. That's why we judge it from your photos and an examination, not from a number on the scales. People who are naturally very slim often don't have enough for a worthwhile result, and for them a buttock implant can work better.

If you'd like to understand the shaping side in more detail, our 360 liposuction page covers how the waist is treated all the way round.

Step two: cleaning it

What comes out of the cannula isn't pure fat. There's fluid and blood in it, and some cells are damaged on the way out. We filter or spin it so only intact fat goes back in. Skip this and the damaged cells die off after transfer, sometimes leaving hard lumps.

We're often asked about VASER for the harvest. On tough, fibrous fat it makes the liposuction easier. Heat isn't good for fat you want to keep alive, though, so for a BBL our surgeons often leave it out, deciding zone by zone.

Step three: placing it

Injection is done through a few tiny cuts tucked into natural folds. The surgeon fans out across each buttock with lots of separate passes, building shape slowly, layer upon layer. What we're after is a smooth line from waist to hip to upper thigh. Volume alone isn't the goal.

Step four: what survives

This is the part of a BBL in Turkey, or anywhere, that surprises people most. Transferred fat arrives without any blood vessels feeding it. It has to grow new vessels from the tissue around it, and not all of it manages. In most patients, somewhere between 50 and 70 per cent of the fat survives. The rest is gradually broken down and removed by the body over the next three to six months.

The surgeon allows for this by placing slightly more than the final target. Only slightly, though. Overfilling doesn't produce a bigger result in the end, because fat packed too tightly can't reach a blood supply and turns into firm lumps or oil cysts. Be wary of anyone who promises to put in "as much as possible", and ask for the planned volume in writing. If you'd like more fullness later, a second, smaller transfer can be done once the first result has settled.

Once the surviving fat has settled, it stays. Gain weight and it fills out a bit; lose a lot and it shrinks, just as fat elsewhere would.

Choosing the shape

A good BBL isn't only about size. At the consultation we look at your hips, your pelvis and the curve you have at the waist now, and we ask what you're hoping for. Some patients want lift at the top. Others want width at the sides. Bring photos you like by all means. We'll be honest if a shape won't suit your build, since what looks great on one frame can look odd on another, and subtler curves tend to age better.

Fourteen days off your bottom

Everything that happens in the first fourteen days affects how much fat survives, and the single most important rule is simple. Don't put direct pressure on your buttocks. Pressure squeezes the new fat at exactly the stage it's trying to pick up a blood supply.

So you sleep on your front or your side. When sitting can't be avoided, you use a BBL cushion, which takes the load on the backs of your thighs and keeps the buttocks clear. It comes with you everywhere: the car from the hospital, the hotel chair, the plane. From the third week you can usually sit normally on a cushion, and things loosen up gradually.

It's worth asking yourself before booking whether two weeks like that are realistic. If you drive for a living, or have a small child to lift in and out of a car seat, plan help in advance.

BBL recovery after the first fortnight

Your stay in Istanbul is six nights long. You'll sleep the first night in hospital, and you'll be walking from the first day to keep the blood moving in your legs. For most people, the sorest part of BBL recovery isn't the buttocks but the liposuction areas, which feel bruised and achy for roughly seven days.

You'll wear compression on the treated areas for four to six weeks. Swelling mostly goes down within about two months. Squats, lunges and other leg work can restart after six to eight weeks. Ahead of your flight, we check the wounds and make sure you're comfortable sitting on your cushion for the journey.

BBL cost in Turkey

A Brazilian butt lift costs €5,000 with us. That covers three zones of liposuction and the fat transfer, the surgeon and anaesthetist, one night in hospital, compression garments, airport transfers with suitable seating, an interpreter and follow-up during the first year. We also arrange hotels, starting at €75 a night, which appear as a separate item. If a fourth zone of liposuction would help your shape, it's added at our standard zone price and shown in the quote.

A BBL is often combined with a tummy tuck, since the stomach is usually one of the donor areas. The combination of a full tummy tuck, a BBL and liposuction on three zones costs €8,400, and adding breast augmentation brings it to €10,400. Women planning surgery after pregnancy may find our mommy makeover page useful.

Prices abroad are higher. The comparison table puts a British BBL at €6,900 to €12,100, while American clinics charge €7,750 to €15,550 and German ones €7,500 to €9,500. A cheaper price is not what makes a BBL risky. An unclear answer about where the fat is placed is.

When a BBL isn't the right choice

Three situations point to a different operation. If you want more volume but don't have enough spare fat, a silicone buttock implant at €8,000 is the usual alternative. An implant has downsides of its own. It can shift, scar tissue can tighten around it, and in a slim person its edge may be felt.

Where the skin has sagged rather than emptied, a buttock lift at €4,000 is the more direct fix. Adding fat under loose skin only makes the sag heavier.

And if you have a history of blood clots, heart problems or poorly controlled diabetes, or if quitting smoking for several weeks isn't possible for you, we may advise against surgery altogether.

How to judge BBL results and before and after pictures

Your buttocks will look larger at two weeks than they will at the end, because of swelling and the fat that hasn't yet survived or been absorbed. BBL results are usually clear by four to six months, and that's the right time to judge them.

When you look at BBL before and after photos, focus on the ratio between the waist and the hips rather than the size of the buttocks alone. Side and back views show it best. Has the waist actually come in? Does the curve look like it belongs to that body? Are the liposuction areas smooth? Then look at the dates. Pictures from six months on, and reviews written after a full year, are the ones to trust.

We do see men for BBLs, though less often. They tend to want a firmer, squarer shape, and the amount of fat moved is usually smaller.

Who does well with a BBL?

You're likely to be a good candidate if you have enough spare fat, a stable weight, reasonably firm skin over the buttocks and good general health. Just as important, you need to accept that part of the fat won't survive, and to be able to stay off your bottom for two weeks. If that describes you, a BBL in Turkey can give a striking but natural change in shape using nothing but your own tissue.