Brazilian butt lift

Overview

A Brazilian butt lift transfers fat from one area, usually the trunk, into the buttocks. It is liposuction plus fat grafting. It is not an implant operation, though implants exist as a different procedure. The result depends on how much of the injected fat survives. This operation has a specific, serious risk: fat entering veins and travelling to the lungs. That risk is why technique and setting matter more here than in most aesthetic operations, and why some surgeons decline to offer it.

Who it is for

Adults with enough fat to harvest and a wish for more projection, who have heard the fat-embolism risk in plain language and still want to proceed. It is a bad match if there is little fat to take, if you cannot avoid pressure on the buttocks afterwards, or if the only place offering it cannot describe how they keep the cannula out of muscle.

How it works

Fat is suctioned, prepared, and injected into the subcutaneous fat of the buttock. Safety guidance from plastic-surgery societies is to inject only under the skin, not into the gluteal muscle, because muscle injection is linked to fat entering large veins. Ultrasound is used by some surgeons to see the plane. Not all of the fat lives; a portion is absorbed.

Anaesthesia

General anaesthesia or deep sedation is usual because two areas are treated and positioning matters.

How long it takes

Often 2 to 4 hours. You should not sit directly on the buttocks for about two weeks, which makes travel, including a flight home the next day, a real problem. Plan local recovery, not a same-week city break.

Typical results and how long they last

Projection depends on surviving fat, often estimated in a wide range rather than a precise percent. A second session is sometimes discussed and is another full set of risks. Weight change later changes both the harvested areas and the buttocks.

Recovery timeline

1. First 2 weeks

   No direct sitting. Sleep on your front or side. Garment on the liposuction areas. This is the awkward part people underestimate.

2. Weeks 3–6

   Sitting returns with a cushion strategy the clinic describes. Swelling is still obvious.

3. 3 months

   Much of the fat that will not survive has gone. Shape is closer to the lasting one.

4. 6–12 months

   Final volume is judged. A second graft is a new operation, not a touch-up included in the first price.

Indicative private-pay ranges

Round advertised bands as of 2026 for self-pay patients in Hungary, Germany, and Austria. They are not a quote, not a median from a registry, and not a promise. A consultation can land outside the band. If a public insurer pays at all, it follows different rules.

for the operation, as commonly advertised with the surgeon and the facility

Hungary

€3,500–6,500

Germany

€7,000–12,000

Austria

€6,500–11,000

Questions to ask your surgeon

1. Do you inject only above the muscle, and do you use ultrasound?
2. What volume do you refuse to inject in one session?
3. Where will I recover if I cannot sit, and for how many days am I in this city?
4. What is your plan if someone becomes unwell in the first hours?
5. What share of your patients need a second session, and what does it cost?

Common questions

Related procedures

• Liposuction
• Abdominoplasty