Can you do a Tummy Tuck and BBL together? Yes!

Many of my patients request tummy tuck and fat transfer to the buttock (BBL) to be done together. Since I usually do liposuction during most tummy tucks, it seems a waste to discard all of that fat. So, in properly selected patients, BBL can be performed. Although many physicians recommend staging these procedures, in many cases it makes more sense to do them together. Certainly, recovery after a tummy tuck requires resting in a somewhat flexed position on your back which is not the ideal position to recover from a BBL. However, with appropriate cushioning and avoidance of sitting for a prolonged time on a hard surface, the impact of pressure on the grafted area can be somewhat diminished. In most cases, the liposuction of the flank alone will improve the appearance of the buttock as well as the improved contours created by the tummy tuck. The fat transfer component may be a bit more conservative but still worth it in many cases. Patients seeking higher amounts of augmentation may consider staging it or having an additional procedure done later. In fact, many patients will have the original tummy tuck with BBL and opt to have additional fat transfer done about 6 months later. In some cases, this can be done without general anesthesia in the office setting. This 38-year-old woman had lost weight and had concerns about her abdomen but also her buttock. She underwent abdominoplasty with liposuction of the flanks and fat transfer of 670 cc to the buttock.