BBL Recovery
If you have recently had a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) and are in pain, having difficulty getting around, and wondering if you will ever be able to sit down again, remember that healing is a process, not an event.
BBL Recovery takes many months after surgery is finished. That being said, there are things you can do to speed up the recovery process.
After a BBL not only are you in great pain from where they took the fat out (liposuction), but you are also have to be careful not to damage where they put the fat back in (fat transfer).
Everything hurts. You can’t find a comfortable position. It’s very hard get around and to do simple tasks like – sitting, sleeping, and going to the bathroom. You have to figure out new ways to do things that used to be easy. For example, many women even ride face down in the back seat of the car for several weeks after surgery so they can stay off of their butts.
[Check out this post on How to Sleep on Your Back after a BBL, so you can get some sleep.]
Bruising after BBL Surgery
Bruising is very common following a BBL. You may have excessive bruising that makes it look like you got hit on the backside repeatedly with a lead pipe – like the picture below. This is not at all unusual.
Many doctors and people on social media sites don’t show this part of the surgery, probably because it scares people away. Who would want to look like this, after all? If it looks painful, you’re right. It is.
Thankfully, not everyone gets bruising this bad. Some people get very little bruising and some people get it much, much worse. The severity of the bruising varies widely from one person to the next. There is no way to guess how much you will bruise. The only way you will know what your body will do is to have the procedure.
Regardless of how much bruising you get, it is temporary and having Lymphatic Massage done as part of your recovery will help make it disappear quicker.
Can I Take Anything for the Bruising?
Truly, this is a question for your doctor who is the only person qualified to give you medical advice. Always ask your doctor if taking supplements is safe before doing so.
That being said, many people opt to take a Bromelain supplement for bruising such as this one (amazon ad link). Bromelain is an enzyme and it is believed to help clear metabolic waste. One plastic surgeon describes its benefits here.
Why should you take bromelain supplements instead of pineapple tea or fresh pineapple? Several reasons: 1) the bromelain is primarily found in the core of the pineapple, 2) heating bromelain above 160 degrees Fahrenheit destroys it, and 3) the very high levels of sugar in pineapple make you swell worse.
What Else Will I Go Through after BBL Surgery?
You will have a number of things that come up that will concern you if you did not know about them in advance. For example, the incision sites where the fat was removed using liposuction often leak for a few days. This is normal and shouldn’t be of concern.
Additionally, some people develop swelling in areas where they didn’t have surgery – such as the genital area. This is more common after a tummy tuck, but it can happen after abdominal liposuction. Fluid tends to go to the lowest point it can reach and from the abdomen, this is our genital area.
Blood that leaked out of blood vessels may also work its way down there causing a dark discoloration. This is also nothing to worry about. It can be helped through Lymphatic Massage without getting too “personal.”
What is Involved in BBL Surgery Recovery?
BBL Surgery Recovery is easiest when you get a series of lymphatic massages – usually about 10-12 of them – following your procedure. They can start as soon as you are able to get in to see the therapist and should last about 5-6 weeks at the least. Here is a suggestion for how to schedule your visits.
Lymphatic Massages help to move the swelling and return it to your bloodstream so that your kidneys can help you pee it out. Because we are using the body’s lymphatic system to move the fluid away from an area through gentle skin-stretching techniques, there is no need to try to push fluid out of holes or re-puncture incisions. If you have had this done by someone they were *not* doing lymphatic massage. Questions about this? See the article I wrote about The Dirty Little Secrets of the Plastic Surgery Recovery Industry for more info.
Because it is important not to move or compress the fat, it is important that your therapist be trained properly in lymphatic massage. Lymphatic massage only moves the skin and does not disturb the fat underneath. This helps to drain away the swelling, making it less hard feeling and more comfortable.
While it is normal to want to get the swelling out of the butt area, it is important to remember that the swelling and inflammation that come as a result of surgery are important processes to having the fat survive. That means that any lymphatic drainage done in the area should be minimal in addition to being feather light. Here’s a scientific article on the physiology of fat grafting for people who really want the nitty gritty details.
Choosing the Correct Faja after a BBL
As I mentioned about lymphatic massage after a BBL, it’s important that the therapist not compress the fat. The same is true when you choose your Stage 2 faja. It should not compress the fat either.
Remember that your faja is on for 23 hours a day for at least 8 weeks after surgery, so if you’ve chosen one that is too tight on your butt, then you can easily screw up your BBL and lose a lot of fat.
Quick tip: Choose your stage 2 faja based on your hip/butt measurements rather than your waist. No, it won’t probably fit your waist as well as you’d like without having to take it in, but foam can help with this. Just keep the foam off of your BBL area.
If you happen to be in Albuquerque, and you are my client for lymphatic massage, I sell fajas as an added bonus and can help you get the right fit. I am a trained and certified fitter for compression, so you are getting professional advice. No waiting on poor quality, ill-fitting fajas to come in the mail that you have to ship back and forth and wait weeks to get one that fits properly.
A properly fitting faja is critical. I have seen too many injuries from poorly-fitted fajas. They can be dangerous. Tighter does not mean better. A good-fitting faja should compress firmly in the areas that had lipo or other surgery (but not the BBL area – or other area to which fat has been transferred), but allow room for a person to breathe. Foams should be employed to help distribute pressure, and the faja material should not be stretchy in a stage 2 garment (worn after day 7 or so).
Many ladies want to how long you should wear your faja, so I have a post here about just that.
The End Result
Everyone wants to see the end result as soon as possible. Lymphatic Massage helps to speed up the healing process so you can see your results quicker. The total healing process still lasts for months, but you will be out of pain quicker and you will look normal faster.
More Info
I spend a lot of time educating my clients about the healing process that they will go through, but there are always questions that come up that they forgot to ask. Surgeons also don’t have time to tell their patients a lot of information post op. I do!
I highly recommend taking time to look through this website you get through your recovery. There is a lot of very good advice, and the blog posts will answer questions you didn’t even know you should ask.