The Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) is one of the fastest-rising plastic surgery procedures in popularity. As of 2018, BBL accounted for nearly 20% of all cosmetic surgery done in the United States. With its rise in popularity, people of all demographics have gained an interest in Brazilian Butt Lift. The tens of thousands of BBLs performed every year have led experts to note an interesting effect on a patient’s ethnic background on their desired results and expectations.
This article will highlight some of the more significant factors at play regarding BBL and race and how they may affect your procedure.
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How Ethnic Background Determines Ideal Butt Shape for BBL
A study conducted in 2016 found that the most aesthetically pleasing buttocks waist-to-hip ratio fall within the range of 0.6 to 0.65, meaning the ideal buttocks are roughly 1.4 times the waist’s size. Many plastic surgeons use this figure as the basis for BBL measurements, but recent findings show that it isn’t as simple as using a “universally ideal” ratio.
Moreover, a study conducted the following year found that the ideal ratio change to 0.7 and that people from different ethnic backgrounds preferred different butt shapes and sizes. Plastic surgeons participating in the study reported that non-Caucasian patients preferred more prominent buttocks than Caucasian patients, with respondents from Latin America having a preference for the largest.
This finding was consistent with an earlier study (2009), which listed the following shape preferences based on ethnicity:
- Asian patients preferred small to moderate buttocks
- Caucasian patients preferred fuller but not necessarily significantly larger buttocks
- Hispanic patients preferred full buttocks, with slight fullness in the thighs
- African-American patients preferred buttocks that were as full as possible, along with full thighs
This means that the size and shape of your ideal BBL results will likely differ from those of someone from a different ethnic background. The difference between shape preferences among people of different races will likewise necessitate different surgical approaches in terms of the BBL execution.
Simply put, the ideal buttocks shape isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; instead, your cultural upbringing, as well as your genetics, will determine how your BBL is done.
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Differences in Ethnic Body Shapes and Their Effect on Brazilian Butt Lifts
A study conducted in 2018 looked deeper into racial differences in BBL procedures and found that a patient’s ethnicity influenced their body shapes, which led to adjustments in how the butt lift was performed.
One of the more interesting findings was that Caucasian women tended to have a more convex curve on the sides of their upper thighs. This caused the buttocks to look flatter from the frontal view, as the thighs would protrude further out. To achieve a fuller, more even shape through BBL, more fat had to be liposuctioned from the convex area and grafted into the area just above the curvature.
Hispanic patients, on the other hand, tended to have boxier bottoms. The fat needed to be grafted into the middle and lower third of the buttocks to get their ideal heart-shaped buttocks.
African American patients typically have fuller buttocks, to begin with, but needed fat injected into all major areas of the buttocks to achieve the round shape they desired. In these cases, BBL involved grafting a significant amount of fat into the upper buttocks to create the “shelf-like” aesthetic.
Fat Distribution Varies Per Ethnicity
The influence of race on BBL surgery is also reflected in the ideal Body Mass Index (BMI) for patient candidates, which may vary based on ethnicity.
This is because fat distribution, or where fat accumulates in the body, tends to differ between races. African-American patients tend to have more subcutaneous fat accumulation than Caucasians, which means that a greater concentration of their fat is found beneath the skin layer. This makes the fat larger available at a relatively lower BMI.
Asian patients, on the other hand, tend to accumulate more fat over their abdomen than Europeans of similar BMI, making the abdomen a more favorable site for liposuction during BBL.
This all means that BMI should be treated as a starting point for determining your candidacy for a Brazilian Butt Lift. Your ethnicity may contribute to some variance despite this figure, which makes consulting a board-certified plastic surgeon before the procedure all the more critical.
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Working with the Natural Shape of Your Body Yields the Best Results for You
All these differences mean that approaches to BBL surgery are just as diverse as the patients themselves.
The ideal Brazilian Butt Lift fits your body’s natural shape to enhance your figure. The reshaping created by BBL always looks best when it flows seamlessly with the rest of your body. Keep this in mind when you consult a plastic surgeon for a Brazilian Butt Lift.
