In this guide16 sections
- Key Points
- What Is the Difference Between a BBL and a Butt Lift?
- What Does BBL Stand For, and Why Is It Called a Lift?
- What Is a Surgical Butt Lift (Buttock Lift)?
- What Does a BBL Involve?
- BBL vs Bum Lift: Which One Do I Need?
- Does a BBL Lift Saggy Buttocks?
- BBL vs Buttock Lift Scars
- BBL vs Buttock Lift Recovery
- Which Is Riskier, a BBL or a Buttock Lift?
- Can You Combine a Buttock Lift With a BBL?
- BBL vs Buttock Lift Results: How Long Do They Last?
- Is There a Non-Surgical Butt Lift?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- BBL and Buttock Lift in London
- References
Key Points
- A BBL adds volume; a buttock lift removes loose skin. A Brazilian butt lift moves your own fat into the buttocks, while a surgical butt lift (bum lift) cuts away sagging skin and lifts what remains.
- Despite its name, a Brazilian butt lift is not a lift. It cannot tighten stretched skin, and adding fat to a heavily sagging bottom can make the droop look worse.
- Scars are the biggest trade-off. A BBL leaves a few 3–4 mm marks in natural creases; a buttock lift leaves a permanent scar, usually placed in the swimwear line or the fold beneath each buttock.
- Who each suits differs. A BBL needs spare donor fat and reasonable skin tone; a buttock lift suits loose skin after major weight loss, pregnancy or ageing, and needs no donor fat.
- Recovery rules overlap but are not the same. After a BBL you avoid sitting on your buttocks for 2 weeks to protect the fat; after a lift you limit long periods of sitting for 2 weeks to protect the wound.
- Flat and sagging buttocks often need both. A buttock lift can be combined with fat transfer, or with your own tissue folded in (auto-augmentation), to restore lift and shape together.
The difference between a BBL and a butt lift is what each one fixes. A Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is fat transfer: fat is taken by liposuction from areas such as the waist, back and abdomen and injected into the buttocks to add volume and projection. A buttock lift, also called a bum lift or gluteal lift, is skin-removal surgery: excess, sagging skin is cut away so the buttocks sit higher and firmer, but no volume is added. If your concern is a flat bottom, a BBL is usually the answer; if it is loose, hanging skin, you need a lift; and if it is both, the two can be combined.
This guide compares Brazilian butt lift surgery and buttock lift surgery side by side: what each procedure involves, who suits which, scars, recovery, risks, results, and when a lift with fat transfer makes more sense than either operation alone. It also explains why so many people in the UK search for a “Brazilian bum lift” when what they actually need is something else.
What Is the Difference Between a BBL and a Butt Lift?
The two operations share a name but solve opposite problems. A BBL adds tissue; a buttock lift takes it away:
- What it treats: a BBL treats flatness and a lack of curve between waist and hips. A buttock lift treats loose skin, drooping (gluteal ptosis) and skin folds under or above the buttocks.
- How it works: a BBL combines liposuction with fat grafting. A buttock lift removes a section of skin and fat and tightens what remains.
- Effect on size: a BBL makes the buttocks fuller. A lift adds no size and can make them look slightly smaller.
- Effect on the waist: the liposuction in a BBL also slims the waist, flanks and back; a lift changes the waist only if liposuction is added.
- Operating time: at Centre for Surgery a BBL takes 3–4 hours and a buttock lift 2–3 hours, both day cases under TIVA (total intravenous anaesthesia).
In short, a BBL changes shape by adding fat, and a buttock lift changes position by removing skin. Neither can do the other’s job.
What Does BBL Stand For, and Why Is It Called a Lift?
BBL stands for Brazilian butt lift, a name that dates back to the Brazilian surgeons who popularised gluteal fat grafting. The word “lift” describes how the result looks rather than what the surgery does. Placing fat in the upper part of the buttock raises its fullest point and makes the bottom appear perkier, which is why the procedure is also marketed as a Brazilian bum lift. No skin is removed or tightened, though, so medically a BBL is a buttock augmentation, not a lift.
This naming causes real confusion. In the UK, “bum lift”, “bottom lift” and “butt lift” are used for both operations. When you speak to a surgeon, describe the problem rather than the procedure name: “I want more volume” points towards a BBL, while “I have loose skin that hangs” points towards a buttock lift. A BBL also comes in several forms, including the mini, skinny and male BBL, which our guide to the different types of Brazilian butt lift explains.
What Is a Surgical Butt Lift (Buttock Lift)?
A surgical butt lift, known medically as a gluteal lift or gluteoplasty, removes redundant skin and fat from around the buttocks and tightens the tissue that remains. It is mainly used after significant weight loss, when the skin can no longer shrink back, but it also corrects sagging caused by pregnancy or ageing. There are four main techniques, chosen according to where the loose skin sits:
- Upper buttock lift: an incision along the upper border of the buttocks, within the swimwear line, lifting loose skin across the whole buttock. Most often used after massive weight loss.
- Lower buttock lift: the incision sits in the fold beneath each buttock, for moderate laxity confined to the lower buttock.
- Butterfly buttock lift: a butterfly-shaped incision sweeping outwards and upwards from the upper centre, for mainly skin excess with thinner tissue.
- Lateral buttock lift: targets the outer buttock with shorter scars, and suits slimmer patients with moderate sagging.
Where loose skin wraps around the whole lower trunk, including the abdomen, flanks and outer thighs, an isolated buttock lift is not enough, and a lower body lift (belt lipectomy) treats the full circumference in one operation.
What Does a BBL Involve?
A Brazilian butt lift has two stages. First, fat is harvested by power-assisted liposuction (PAL) or VASER from areas such as the abdomen, flanks, lower back and thighs, which also sculpts the waist. The fat is then injected into the buttocks through a blunt cannula using expansion vibration lipofilling (EVL). 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 on every BBL.
That matters. In a series of 4,150 BBLs performed with real-time ultrasound, imaging confirmed that the fat stayed above the deep gluteal fascia, the layer separating it from the muscle and its large veins[1]. Our article on ultrasound-guided BBL explains the technique.
A full BBL usually transfers around 1,600–2,000 ml of fat, and a mini BBL 800–1,000 ml. You go home the same day with a responsible adult, who stays with you for 24 hours.
BBL vs Bum Lift: Which One Do I Need?
The deciding question is whether your buttocks lack volume, have too much loose skin, or both. If the skin over your buttock springs back when pinched and you mainly want more shape, a BBL is likely to suit you. If the skin is thin, creased and hangs over the fold beneath the buttock, a lift is likely to be needed. Your surgeon examines you standing, as gravity shows the true degree of sagging.
You may suit a BBL if:
- your buttocks are flat, small or lack projection, or you want a stronger waist-to-hip curve
- your skin has reasonable tone with little or no hanging skin
- you have enough spare fat: a BMI of about 23–28 usually provides enough donor fat for a full BBL, and a skinny BBL uses four to five donor areas for people with a BMI below 23
- your weight has been stable for at least 3 months
- you can follow the 2-week rule of not sitting directly on your buttocks
You may suit a buttock lift if:
- you have loose, sagging skin that diet and exercise have not improved
- you have lost a large amount of weight, through diet, bariatric surgery or weight-loss injections, and your weight has been stable for 6–12 months
- you have a fold of skin hanging over the buttock crease, or a deep crease that has lengthened with age
- your BMI is ideally below 30
- you accept a permanent scar in exchange for a firmer, higher bottom
Age changes the picture as well. In an anthropometric study of 280 volunteers aged 15 to 85, women showed more gluteal ptosis and more loss of buttock volume with age than men, and the authors concluded that rejuvenating the ageing buttock often means lifting the tissue and adding volume together[2]. That is why many people in their 40s and 50s who start out asking about a BBL are better served by a lift, or a lift with fat. You must be 18 or over for either operation, and finishing your family first is sensible, as pregnancy can change the result.
Major weight loss, including on weight-loss injections, leaves buttocks that are both flat and loose, often with little spare fat left to transfer. Our guide to getting rid of saggy buttocks covers every option, from exercise to surgery.
Does a BBL Lift Saggy Buttocks?
Only slightly, and only where the sagging is mild. Fat placed in the upper and central buttock can lift the point of maximum projection and make a mildly drooping bottom look perkier, which is where the “lift” in Brazilian butt lift comes from. It cannot shorten stretched skin. Where the skin already hangs over the crease, extra fat adds weight to tissue that is already struggling to support itself, and the droop can look heavier rather than better.
A buttock lift has the opposite limitation. It raises and tightens, but it cannot create curves that are not there, and some patients find their bottom looks smaller afterwards. Exercise sits in between: glute training builds muscle under the skin and improves shape, but it cannot tighten loose skin or move fat to the buttocks.
BBL vs Buttock Lift Scars
Scarring often settles the decision. A BBL is a low-scar operation: the cannulas pass through incisions of 3–4 mm placed in natural creases, which usually fade to small pale marks. Our article on whether a BBL leaves scars shows where they sit.
A buttock lift always leaves a permanent scar. With an upper lift it runs along the top of the buttocks within the underwear or swimwear line; with a lower lift it sits in the fold beneath each buttock; butterfly and lateral techniques use curved or shorter scars. Lift scars mature over 6–12 months, and your surgeon marks the planned scar with you standing so you can see where it will lie.
BBL vs Buttock Lift Recovery
The rules differ, and so do the reasons. After a BBL, restrictions protect the transferred fat while it gains a new blood supply; after a buttock lift, they protect the long wound.
Recovery after a BBL
- Sitting: no sitting directly on your buttocks for 2 weeks (a BBL cushion if unavoidable); short spells of normal sitting from week 3.
- Sleeping: on your front or side for 2 weeks, not your back.
- Compression: a garment over the donor areas day and night for 6 weeks, leaving the buttocks free.
- Work and driving: 1–2 weeks off work; driving after 4 weeks.
- Exercise: walking from day 1, light cardio from week 3, full exercise including weights from 6 weeks.
- Results: the skin softens (“fluffing”) around 6–8 weeks and the final shape shows at 3–6 months.
Recovery after a buttock lift
- Sitting: avoid long periods sitting directly on your buttocks for 2 weeks, using a cushion; longer limits apply if fat transfer was added.
- Compression: worn continuously for 6 weeks; any drains usually come out within the first week.
- Work: desk work after about 2 weeks; physically demanding jobs after 4–6 weeks.
- Exercise: walking from day 1; no strenuous lower-body exercise until 6 weeks.
- Results: the lift is visible straight away, with swelling settling over 3–6 months.
With either operation you have your surgeon’s direct number for the first 24 hours, a nurse-led wound check and a surgeon review at 6 weeks. Our BBL recovery guide covers the first six weeks in detail.
Which Is Riskier, a BBL or a Buttock Lift?
The two carry different kinds of risk. The most serious BBL risk is fat embolism, where fat enters the large veins within or beneath the gluteal muscle and travels to the lungs. It is rare, but it is why BBL safety guidance changed over the past decade. A 2017 task force survey of 692 surgeons in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal ↗ covering 198,857 gluteal fat grafting cases reported 32 deaths from pulmonary fat embolism, and found that injecting into the deep muscle was linked to a significantly higher rate of fatal and non-fatal fat emboli[3].
After surgeons moved to injecting above the muscle, outcomes improved. A follow-up survey found that the share of surgeons injecting into deep muscle fell from 13.1% to 0.8%, the rate of pulmonary fat embolism fell from 1 in 1,030 to 1 in 2,492, and the estimated death rate trended down from 1 in 3,448 to 1 in 14,952[4]. Subcutaneous-only injection under ultrasound guidance is designed to keep that risk as low as possible. Other BBL risks include fat necrosis (oil cysts or firm lumps), seroma, infection, contour irregularity and asymmetry, and loss of some transferred fat. Our page on BBL risks covers each in detail.
A buttock lift does not carry the fat embolism risk, but long incisions bring wound problems. A 2016 meta-analysis of 28 studies and 1,380 patients in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal ↗ looked at circumferential lower-trunk contouring after massive weight loss, which includes buttock lifting, and found wound separation (dehiscence) in 17%, seroma in 13% and scar irregularities in 12%, with 5% needing revision surgery[5]. Those figures come from larger operations than an isolated buttock lift, and the authors rated the evidence as low quality, but they show where the risks lie. Both operations also carry the general risks of surgery, including bleeding and blood clots, and for both you stop smoking and nicotine, including vaping, for 4 weeks before and after. Having surgery in the UK also keeps your surgeon close by; complications after surgery abroad are often treated by doctors who did not operate, as our article on BBL in Turkey explains.
Can You Combine a Buttock Lift With a BBL?
Yes. For buttocks that are both flat and sagging, combining the two often works better than either alone, and at Centre for Surgery fat transfer can be performed in the same operation as a buttock lift. There are two ways to add volume during a lift:
- Lift with fat transfer: fat from the waist, back or thighs is grafted into the buttocks, as in a BBL, while loose skin is removed.
- Auto-augmentation: tissue at the lift site that would otherwise be discarded is kept, folded under and used as a flap of your own tissue to add shape to the upper buttock. This suits people after major weight loss who have little spare fat to harvest.
Surgeons often use both. In a 2024 prospective series of 23 patients after bariatric surgery in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal ↗, a lower body lift with a lumbosacral flap was combined with liposuction and fat grafting to the buttocks. Four patients had wound separation that healed without further surgery, no one needed a return to theatre, and satisfaction on the BODY-Q questionnaire was high at 6 months[6]. The authors note that a flap alone sometimes fails to give enough projection, which is why fat is added. A 2026 review of buttock surgery techniques likewise describes local tissue flaps as an option generally reserved for patients after massive weight loss[7].
One combination we do not offer is a tummy tuck and BBL in the same operation, as the two need opposite positioning during recovery; they are staged 3–6 months apart, as explained in our article on combining a tummy tuck and BBL. A BBL with 360 liposuction in one session is the most common combination.
BBL vs Buttock Lift Results: How Long Do They Last?
Both are long-lasting, for different reasons. With a BBL, around 50–70% of the transferred fat survives, which your surgeon plans for by placing a little extra. Fat still present at about 6 months is permanent, though it grows if you gain weight and shrinks if you lose it.
Real Centre for Surgery patient, photographed at least six months after BBL surgery. You can see more results in our BBL before and after photos.
A buttock lift removes skin permanently, but the remaining tissue keeps ageing, and further weight loss or pregnancy can loosen it again. A stable weight protects either result.
Is There a Non-Surgical Butt Lift?
For volume, yes; for loose skin, no. Our non-surgical butt lift uses HYAcorp hyaluronic acid body filler, injected by surgeons under ultrasound guidance. It has no downtime and lasts around 12–18 months, but the change is modest and no injection can remove sagging skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Brazilian butt lift the same as a buttock lift?
No. A Brazilian butt lift is fat transfer: fat taken by liposuction is injected into the buttocks to add volume and curve. A buttock lift is skin-removal surgery that cuts away loose, sagging skin to raise and firm the buttocks without adding volume. The similar names cause confusion, but the operations treat different problems, and some people need both.
What is the ideal BMI for a BBL?
A BMI of about 23–28 usually provides enough donor fat for a full BBL while keeping the operation safe. Below 23, a skinny BBL takes smaller amounts from more donor areas to create a proportionate result. A higher BMI may increase surgical risk, and your surgeon may suggest reaching a stable, lower weight first.
What disqualifies you from getting a BBL?
You may not be suitable for a BBL if you are under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, have too little donor fat, have an unstable weight, or have medical conditions that make surgery unsafe. Significant loose or hanging skin on the buttocks also means a BBL alone is unlikely to give a good result, and a buttock lift, with or without fat transfer, may suit you better.
How can I get a BBL without fat transfer?
Without fat transfer, the options for more buttock volume are silicone buttock implants, which give a permanent increase, or hyaluronic acid body filler, which gives a modest change lasting 12–18 months. Neither slims the waist as liposuction does, and neither treats loose skin. If skin laxity is the problem, a buttock lift is the operation to discuss.
What’s safer, bum implants or BBL?
Each has different risks. A 2026 review found fat grafting is the most commonly performed buttock augmentation with the lowest complication rates, while implants are associated with higher risks[7]. A BBL does carry a rare but serious risk of fat embolism, which subcutaneous injection under ultrasound guidance aims to keep as low as possible. Our comparison of BBL vs butt implants covers both in detail.
Why are people removing their BBL?
Some people reduce a BBL that is larger than they now want, uneven or lumpy, or enlarged by weight gain. A BBL cannot be fully reversed, as the surviving fat has its own blood supply, but it can be revised with liposuction to reduce volume or further grafting to correct dents. Our guide on whether you can reverse a Brazilian butt lift explains the options.
What happens 10 years after a BBL?
Fat that survives the first 6 months is permanent, so a good BBL result usually lasts many years. Over a decade, the buttocks change with ageing, skin elasticity and weight, just as untreated buttocks do. Weight gain enlarges the grafted fat and weight loss shrinks it. Some people later choose a buttock lift if skin loosens with age.
How much does a buttock lift cost compared with a BBL?
Both are priced after a face-to-face consultation, as the cost depends on how much fat is moved or skin removed and whether procedures are combined. Our guide to BBL cost in London explains what is included. Finance isn’t available for BBL at Centre for Surgery, so the procedure is self-funded; a buttock lift on its own can be financed, subject to status.
BBL and Buttock Lift in London
Centre for Surgery performs both Brazilian butt lifts and buttock lifts at our Baker Street hospital in Marylebone, rated Good overall by the CQC. Operations are carried out by GMC-registered surgeons as day cases under TIVA, and every BBL uses real-time ultrasound guidance. Your surgeon assesses your skin quality, donor fat and degree of sagging, then recommends a BBL, a buttock lift, or a lift with fat transfer. The consultant who assesses you is the consultant who performs your surgery, further consultations before surgery are free, and 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. For a buttock lift, see our finance options, subject to status.
Phone: 020 7993 4849 | Address: 95–97 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6RN
Contact us to schedule a consultation
References
- Pazmiño P, Del Vecchio D. Static injection, migration, and equalization (SIME): a new paradigm for safe ultrasound-guided Brazilian butt lift: safer, faster, better. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2023;43(11):1295–1306. doi:10.1093/asj/sjad142 ↗
- 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 ↗
- Mofid MM, Teitelbaum S, Suissa D, et al. Report on mortality from gluteal fat grafting: recommendations from the ASERF Task Force. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2017;37(7):796–806. doi:10.1093/asj/sjx004 ↗
- Rios L, Gupta V. Improvement in Brazilian butt lift (BBL) safety with the current recommendations from ASERF, ASAPS, and ISAPS. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2020;40(8):864–870. doi:10.1093/asj/sjaa098 ↗
- Carloni R, Naudet F, Chaput B, et al. Are there factors predictive of postoperative complications in circumferential contouring of the lower trunk? A meta-analysis. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2016;36(10):1143–1154. doi:10.1093/asj/sjw117 ↗
- Alves HRN, Nicolas G. Gluteoplasty with lumbar gluteal flap associated with liposuction and fat grafting: a safe technique for massive weight loss patients. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2024;44(4):404–411. doi:10.1093/asj/sjad339 ↗
- Maruichi MD, Rodrigues TC, Yamada AF, et al. MRI findings of aesthetic gluteoplasty: from pre- to postoperative: a review and pictorial essay. Skeletal Radiology 2026;55(5):931–946. doi:10.1007/s00256-026-05142-1 ↗
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