BBL After 10 Years: What Happens to Your Results Long Term

A BBL after 10 years usually still gives you noticeably fuller buttocks than you had before surgery. The fat that survives the first few months becomes a permanent part of your body, so a well-performed Brazilian butt lift does not “wear off”. What changes over a decade, and over 20 years, is everything around that fat: your weight, the quality of your skin, the gluteal muscle underneath and the way your body shape shifts with age, pregnancy and menopause.

This guide explains what a BBL looks like 5, 10 and 20 years on, what the research says about long-term fat retention, how weight gain, GLP-1 weight loss, pregnancy and menopause affect your result, why some BBLs sag, and when a fat top-up or a buttock lift makes sense. It should help you plan a Brazilian butt lift for the long term. If you mainly want to know whether a BBL is permanent, our guide on how long BBL results last covers that in detail.

What Does a BBL Look Like After 10 Years?

For most people, a BBL 10 years later still has more volume, more projection and a better waist-to-hip curve than the buttocks had before surgery. The difference between a 1-year result and a 10-year result is usually not the amount of fat, but how it sits:

• Softer skin. Collagen and elastin decline with age, so the skin over the buttocks becomes thinner and less springy.
• A slightly lower position. The lower buttock can begin to fold over the crease, and the crease itself can lengthen.
• A change in volume that tracks your weight. If you are heavier than when you had surgery, the buttocks are usually bigger; if you are lighter, they are smaller.

An “aged BBL” is mostly an aged buttock with extra fat in it. You simply start from a fuller, better-shaped base, and that base remains.

BBL Long Term: What Happens to the Transferred Fat?

Injected fat has to pick up a new blood supply in the buttocks. Cells that fail are absorbed by the body, mostly within the first 3 to 6 months; cells that survive behave like normal fat from then on. That is why surgeons slightly overfill, as our guide to how much fat is transferred in a BBL explains.

The best evidence on BBL long-term retention comes from studies that measured the buttocks with ultrasound or 3D imaging:

• A 2019 prospective ultrasound study of 50 women in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ↗ measured the fat layer before surgery, immediately afterwards and at 12 months. Fat was placed only in the subcutaneous layer. Thickness increased by an average of 56.5% straight after surgery and fell by an average of 18.2% from that peak by 12 months, leaving a clear lasting gain^[1].
• A 2024 prospective 3D imaging study in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery ↗ followed 35 Asian women after ultrasound-assisted subcutaneous fat grafting. Fat retention was 77.9% at 3 months and 64.7% at 6 months, and the average waist-to-hip ratio improved from 0.78 to 0.74^[2].
• A 2024 series of 3,000 BBL patients reported that around 70% of transferred fat survived and 86% of patients were satisfied with their outcome^[3].

The big change happens in the first months; after 6 to 12 months the result is broadly stable. No published study has measured BBL volume at 10 or 20 years, so long-term expectations are built from these 1-year data, how grafted fat behaves elsewhere in the body, and how buttocks age with or without surgery.

BBL Results Over Time: 1 Year, 5 Years, 10 Years and 20 Years

Every body is different, but most long-term BBL results follow a broadly similar pattern.

BBL After 1 Year

Swelling peaks in the first 3 to 5 days and settles over the following weeks, and the skin softens or “fluffs” at around 6 to 8 weeks. Most of the result is visible by 3 months and the final shape is reached between 3 and 6 months. By one year, any fat that was going to be reabsorbed has gone and the 3 to 4 mm incision scars have faded.

Tap to reveal

Real Centre for Surgery patient, photographed at least six months after BBL surgery. See more results in our BBL before and after gallery.

BBL After 2 Years

At two years the result is settled. Any change from here is driven by your weight and lifestyle rather than by the graft itself.

BBL After 5 Years

A BBL after 5 years usually looks very similar to the 1-year result in people whose weight has stayed within a few kilos. The most common reasons for a noticeable change at 5 years are significant weight loss, weight gain or a pregnancy.

BBL 10 Years Later

By the 10-year mark, natural ageing starts to show. The skin is less elastic, the lower pole of the buttock may sit a little lower and the overall shape is softer. The volume from the original graft is generally still there, but it is carried by older skin. Some people are entirely happy at this stage; others choose to refresh the result with a top-up or a lift.

BBL After 20 Years

A BBL after 20 years has gone through two decades of normal ageing, and often a menopause. The surviving fat is still present, but the muscle underneath is usually smaller, the skin is looser and the gluteal crease may be longer. Most people will look fuller than they would have without surgery, but the “lifted” look of the early years tends to fade unless the skin is tightened. This is the stage at which a buttock lift, with or without extra fat, is most often discussed.

What Happens to a BBL When You Get Older?

Buttocks change with age whether or not you have had surgery. In a 2013 anthropometric study of 280 volunteers aged 15 to 85, women showed more atrophy, more loss of gluteal volume and more ptosis (sagging) of the buttocks with age than men^[4]. A separate classification of gluteal ptosis identified weight gain, ageing and weight loss as causes of sagging buttocks^[5].

In practical terms, three things change as you get older:

• Skin. Collagen and elastin fall, so the skin holds the shape less firmly.
• Muscle. The gluteal muscles shrink with age if they are not worked. The grafted fat sits on top of the muscle, so a smaller muscle means less underlying support and projection.
• Fat distribution. Fat tends to move towards the waist and abdomen in midlife, which can reduce the contrast between the waist and hips that a BBL creates.

None of this removes the grafted fat. A BBL in your 50s or 60s usually still looks fuller than an unoperated buttock of the same age, and an older woman with a BBL done well years earlier often keeps a better shape than she would have had otherwise. Keeping the gluteal muscles strong helps the fat sit higher as you age.

Why Do Some BBLs Age Better Than Others?

Two BBLs done in the same year can look very different a decade later. The main reasons are:

• Where the fat was placed. Fat placed in thin, even layers in the subcutaneous space picks up a blood supply more reliably than fat injected in large clumps, and gives a smoother long-term contour. At Centre for Surgery, fat is placed only in the subcutaneous layer above the gluteal muscle, never into or beneath it, under real-time ultrasound guidance with a blunt cannula. Our article on ultrasound-guided BBL explains the technique.
• How much fat was transferred. Overfilling beyond what the skin can hold stretches it and raises the risk of fat necrosis.
• Skin quality at the start. If the skin was already loose, a BBL alone may sag sooner.
• Weight stability since surgery. The factor most under your control.
• Smoking. Nicotine reduces fat survival in the first weeks and speeds up skin ageing over the years.

Technique also matters for safety. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled four studies of 6,235 women who had ultrasound-guided gluteal fat grafting and found no reported deaths or fat embolism, with minor complications in around 6 per 100 patients^[6].

What Happens to a BBL If You Gain or Lose Weight?

Fat cells that survive a BBL keep the characteristics of the area they came from. They grow when you gain weight and shrink when you lose it, exactly as they would have done in your abdomen or flanks. A review in Aesthetic Surgery Journal found that grafted fat retains the behaviour of its donor site and can enlarge out of proportion when patients gain weight after fat grafting^[7].

• Weight gain makes the buttocks bigger but also adds fat to the waist and thighs, so the curve can look less defined.
• Weight loss shrinks the grafted fat cells, so the buttocks look flatter. The cells usually remain, so some shape returns if weight goes back up.
• Repeated swings are the hardest on the skin and are a common reason for a saggy BBL in the long term.

Small changes of a few kilos rarely make a visible difference. Our guide on what happens if you gain weight after a BBL goes into more detail, and if your result looks smaller than expected in the first year, our article on BBL shrinking explains the early causes.

Does GLP-1 Weight Loss Affect a BBL?

GLP-1 weight-loss medicines can cause large weight loss, and grafted fat is not protected from it. People who lose a lot of weight on them often notice a smaller BBL and looser skin.

Timing matters if you are thinking about a BBL or a top-up after GLP-1 weight loss, as weight often comes back when treatment stops. A 2022 randomised trial extension in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism ↗ followed 327 adults who had lost an average of 17.3% of their body weight over 68 weeks on a weekly GLP-1 medicine. One year after stopping treatment, they had regained around two-thirds of the weight they had lost^[8].

What this means for your BBL:

• Wait until your weight is stable. We usually ask for a stable weight for at least 3 months, and 6 to 12 months after major weight loss, before a BBL or a revision.
• Plan around the weight you expect to keep. If you stop treatment and regain weight, the grafted fat grows again.
• Donor fat may be limited. After large weight loss, loose skin may need a lift instead.
• Tell your surgical team. GLP-1 medicines slow stomach emptying, so the team will give you specific advice about stopping them before anaesthesia.

Does Pregnancy Ruin a BBL?

Pregnancy does not destroy a BBL, but it can change it. Weight gain during pregnancy enlarges the grafted fat, hormones loosen the tissues and the skin stretches. After birth and breastfeeding, the volume often falls and the skin may not fully recoil.

A BBL is not done during pregnancy or breastfeeding. If you plan more children, it is reasonable to have surgery first, but you should expect that a top-up may be needed later. If you have finished your family, wait until breastfeeding has stopped and your weight has been stable for several months before a BBL or a revision. Our guide to BBL results after pregnancy covers this in more depth.

What Does Menopause Do to a BBL?

Menopause changes body composition even when the scales do not move. In a 2019 longitudinal study of women followed through the menopause transition, the rate of fat gain doubled and lean (muscle) mass began to fall at the start of the transition, and both changes continued until about 2 years after the final period before levelling off^[9].

For a BBL, that means less muscle underneath the grafted fat, more fat around the middle and skin that is losing collagen at the same time. Many women notice that their buttocks look flatter and lower in their early 50s even though their weight is unchanged. Strength training for the glutes and legs is the most effective way to counter the muscle loss, and if the shape has changed a lot, a fat top-up or a buttock lift can be considered once your weight has settled.

Saggy BBL: Why It Happens and What Can Be Done

A saggy BBL usually has one of three causes: the skin was already loose before surgery, the skin has aged or been stretched by weight change or pregnancy, or more fat was placed than the skin could support. Adding more fat to sagging skin tends to make the problem worse, as the extra weight pulls the tissue down further.

• Volume loss with good skin: a fat top-up is usually the answer.
• Loose skin with reasonable volume: a buttock lift removes excess skin and repositions the tissue. It leaves a permanent scar in the swimwear line.
• Both: a buttock lift can be combined with fat transfer, or with auto-augmentation, where your own tissue is used to add projection.
• Loose skin around the whole lower body, often after major weight loss: a lower body lift treats the buttocks, hips and abdomen together.

Do BBLs Go Away?

No. Once the transferred fat has survived the first few months and developed its own blood supply, it does not go away on its own. A BBL can, however, look as if it has gone if you lose a lot of weight, as the fat cells shrink, or if the skin and muscle around it have aged. Exercise will not make a BBL disappear either: glute training builds the muscle underneath, which usually improves the shape rather than reducing it.

For the same reason, a BBL cannot be fully reversed. The fat can be reduced with liposuction or adjusted with further grafting, but it cannot simply be removed in one piece like an implant.

Fat Top-Up or Buttock Lift: Refreshing a BBL After 10 Years

Many people never need further surgery. Others refresh their result after 10 years or more, usually to counter ageing. The right option depends on what has changed:

• Fat top-up (second BBL). A further round of liposuction and fat transfer to restore volume and projection. It needs enough donor fat. Our page on revision BBL explains what a second procedure involves.
• Buttock lift. Removes loose skin rather than adding volume, using an upper, lower, butterfly or lateral technique.
• Buttock lift with fat transfer. Suits people who have lost both volume and skin tone, which becomes more common with age.
• Buttock implants. An option for people who want more projection but no longer have enough fat to harvest. Solid silicone implants sit within the muscle.
• Non-surgical butt filler. Hyaluronic acid body filler can soften a small dent or hollow, but the change is modest and lasts around 12 to 18 months.

If you had your BBL elsewhere, we can still assess you; bring any details of the original surgery.

What Are the Long-Term Side Effects of a BBL?

Most problems after a BBL appear in the first weeks and months. Long-term effects are uncommon, but they include:

• Lumps from fat necrosis or oil cysts. Small areas of fat that did not survive can form firm lumps or fluid-filled cysts. With ultrasound-guided grafting, fat necrosis was reported in roughly 1 in 1,000 patients in the pooled analysis above^[6]. Our guide to fat necrosis after BBL explains how lumps are assessed and treated.
• Asymmetry or dents. Uneven fat survival or weight change can make one side look different from the other years later. Small amounts of liposuction or grafting usually correct them.
• Changes in sensation. Areas treated with liposuction can feel numb for months; long-term numbness is uncommon.

Any new lump, pain or change in shape years after a BBL should be checked rather than assumed to be part of the surgery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Brazilian Butt Lift in London

Brazilian butt lift surgery at Centre for Surgery is performed by GMC-registered surgeons at our CQC-regulated Baker Street hospital, rated Good overall by the CQC. Every BBL is done as a day case under TIVA (total intravenous anaesthesia), with fat placed only in the subcutaneous layer above the gluteal muscle under real-time ultrasound guidance. We also offer revision BBL, buttock lift and buttock implants to refresh a result from years ago, including BBLs performed elsewhere. The consultant who assesses you is the consultant who performs your surgery, and follow-up appointments are included. We recommend a two-week cooling-off period before you go ahead. Your initial consultation is £100, redeemable against the cost of surgery if you go ahead. Finance isn’t available for BBL at Centre for Surgery, so the procedure is self-funded; our guide to BBL cost in London explains pricing.

Phone: 020 7993 4849 | Address: 95–97 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6RN
Contact us to schedule a consultation

References

1. Cansancao AL, Condé-Green A, David JA, Vidigal RA. Subcutaneous-only gluteal fat grafting: a prospective study of the long-term results with ultrasound analysis. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2019;143(2):447–451. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000005203 ↗
2. Wang B, He P, Zhao R. B-ultrasound-assisted gluteal fat grafting in Asians: a prospective study of quantitative results from three-dimensional imaging and B-ultrasound analysis. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery 2024;94:12–19. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2024.04.035 ↗
3. Güzey S, Ergan Şahin A. Brazilian butt lift: an experience over 3000 patients. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2024;48(14):2677–2693. doi:10.1007/s00266-024-03965-8 ↗
4. Hoenig JF, Swetje K. Age-related ptosis of the buttock: an anthropometric gender-specific analysis. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2013;37(6):1090–1099. doi:10.1007/s00266-013-0205-2 ↗
5. Gonzalez R. Etiology, definition, and classification of gluteal ptosis. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2006;30(3):320–326. doi:10.1007/s00266-005-0051-y ↗
6. Milani Reis A, Roca Mora MM, Bicudo Bregion P, et al. Ultrasound-guided gluteal fat grafting: what is the evidence? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2025;46(1):57–62. doi:10.1093/asj/sjaf059 ↗
7. Anderson L, Nguyen CDT, Trinh K, et al. Facial hypertrophy as a complication of weight gain in autologous fat graft patients: considerations and recommendations. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2023;43(10):NP738–NP747. doi:10.1093/asj/sjad196 ↗
8. Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Davies M, et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: the STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 2022;24(8):1553–1564. doi:10.1111/dom.14725 ↗
9. Greendale GA, Sternfeld B, Huang M, et al. Changes in body composition and weight during the menopause transition. JCI Insight 2019;4(5). doi:10.1172/jci.insight.124865 ↗

Related Articles

• How Long Do BBL Results Last?
• BBL Shrinking: Causes and Prevention
• What Happens to BBL Results After Pregnancy?
• Revision BBL