How to Safely Recover After BBL Surgery

The Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure can make it difficult to sit down or sleep normally for a few weeks. You’ll also need to manage post-operative pain and reduce the swelling—all while retaining the transferred fat cells of the surgery.

This post will guide you through the BBL recovery process, shedding some light on the dos and don’ts, as well as some diet recommendations.

Keep in mind that among the primary requirements for ideal recovery are pain relief and therapeutic compression, which is precisely provided by Thermo Recovery Wear. That being said, here is how to safely recover from BBL surgery.

1. Reduce Pressure on Your Buttocks

After any plastic surgery, the doctor will strongly advise to avoid any tampering with the surgical site.

The first precaution after BBL is to reduce pressure, which means not sitting down for 2–6 weeks of the recovery period.

It’s especially important to avoid sitting down entirely in the first five days. If you can, take this period off work to retain as much as possible of the transferred fat.

After that, you may alter how you sit down until the 6-week mark is over or until your doctor approves.

Here’s how to sit down after BBL surgery if you have to:

Use a BBL pillow, which transfers pressure from the buttocks to the thighs.
Don’t sit down for more than five minutes at a time, especially during the first two weeks. You should stand up every five minutes to stimulate the blood flow to your buttocks and avoid blood clots.
Sit in the opposite direction of the chair to leave your buttocks on the seat. Try to place all the pressure on your thighs instead.

You should also avoid driving for up to eight weeks post-surgery, as driving can cause pain even in people who haven’t gotten a BBL.

2. Be Careful While You Sleep

Sleeping on your back is strictly prohibited until your doctor says otherwise.

The ideal sleeping position would be on your belly. It may not be comfortable for some people, but it’s the position that guarantees the best results.

For people who only sleep on their backs, getting a little creative with pool floats can help.

Get yourself a pool float with openings for your buttocks, place it on the mattress, and cover them, then position yourself onto those openings to alleviate pressure from your buttocks.

3. Wear Compression Garments

BBL surgery is associated with pain and swelling, which is markedly more prominent in the first five days. Recovery often involves taking painkillers to reduce the swelling-associated pain.

Other than that, you can alleviate such pain by wearing compression garments. These garments control the swelling, which reduces pain. They should be worn 24/7 (except when showering) to achieve the desired effect.

These garments can also improve blood flow, making them especially effective in people with reduced blood circulation. However, you should be careful not to wear extra compressive garments, as these can restrict your movement, cause friction pain, and reduce blood flow.

An ideal compression garment should:

Relieve pain
Increase blood flow
Wick moisture
Be compressive yet breathable
Optimize the natural healing process

All of these characteristics can be found in the Thermo Recovery Wear selection. Our product list of ankle, elbow, knee, wrist, back, and shoulder sleeves prioritizes the 3D weave design to allow for 24/7 comfort wearing.

4. Stay Active

By staying active, we don’t mean doing strenuous exercises that could exert pressure on your buttocks. Working out after surgery has different precautions. Mainly, we mean taking daily walks to keep your blood circulation going.

The improved circulation you get from walking will help your body recover after exercising without exerting too much pressure on your buttocks, as they’re not heavily involved in walking. However, you should avoid walking uphill or climbing stairs, as this can be strenuous.

5. Eat Healthy

Since you’ll be spending the first six weeks resting, your physical activity will be reduced, which can make you gain a few pounds. This gained weight risks distorting your surgery results. To prevent that, you should watch your diet, in addition to staying active.

You should eat plenty of nutrient-rich foods to improve your recovery while avoiding fatty and oily foods to avoid putting on weight.

Foods you should stick to include:

Lean protein like fish, skinless poultry, and meat red cuts
Fruits and vegetables
Complex carbohydrates found in beans, peas, and whole grains

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water to keep your body replenished with electrolytes and minerals, which are highly needed in BBL recovery.

6. Stay In Touch With Your Doctor

If you’re following the BBL recovery tips, you’re not supposed to endure excessive pain or extensively alter the course of your life. While post-operative pain is to be expected, severe pain or any side effects that the doctor didn’t tell you about should be immediately reported to them.

Post-operative complications can arise after any surgery, and constantly notifying your doctor of odd side effects can stop these complications early before they get bigger.