The Brazilian Buttlift for the Thin or Skinny Patient
Conveniently located to serve the areas of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Kenneth Hughes has performed hundreds of these skinny Brazilian buttlifts in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills for patients ranging in weight from 88 lbs to 120 lbs or more as patient height increases. In the end, the anatomy of the patient and the skill of the surgeon will dictate the result more so than the weight of an individual. Dr. Hughes has successfully performed this procedure on runway models or those classically considered too thin.
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Before and After Photos
Skinny and thinner patients are always concerned that there may not be enough fat for the fat transfer, whether for breast fat transfer or BBL, Brazilian butt lift procedure. Dr. Hughes can achieve results that others cannot because of some technical details that are delineated below.
First, Dr. Hughes is an expert at fat removal for liposuction. In fact, he has performed thousands of liposuction revisions to correct another surgeon’s less-than-ideal result. Liposuction on a thinner patient requires that the surgeon never deviate from the angle that the cannula traverses the fat. If the patient has less than 1 inch of subcutaneous fat, the movement of the cannula must be extremely precise to prevent uneven dissection of the flap. An uneven dissection leads to a lumpy or bumpy appearance that no patient would want. Dr. Hughes will be able to remove as much fat as possible while leaving the liposuctioned area smooth, which is not an easy thing to do. The 100,000+ patients in the US who had liposuction revision in the United States last year can attest to this.
Second, Dr. Hughes will not be conservative in the fat transfer portion of the procedure. In skinny BBL, Dr. Hughes will transfer all of the fat harvested. It is very common for Dr. Hughes to see patients for revision of a BBL who have not had anywhere close to the result that they could have had.
For the patients who are too thin or who prefer butt implants, Dr. Hughes can place butt implants as he has done for hundreds of patients. Patients who are thinner and who do not want butt implants often ask about fat substitutes or fat from other people for injection.
Other Possible Options for Butt Augmentation for Skinny or Thinner Patients
Sculptra for Butt Augmentation
Fat from anyone other than an identical twin or similar would cause tissue rejection, like any other organ transplant. Sculptra is an FDA approval filler that has been used off label for butt augmentation. Sculptra will slowly be dissolved by the body, and the collagen tissue that develops from its use is to be permanent. The problem is that the volume improvement with this method is so small that Dr. Hughes reserves Sculptra for small improvements in dents or unevenness of the buttocks. Transferring 30 cc of Sculptra or more is very expensive and produces very little volumetric improvement. In addition, Sculptra was not approved to be injected in larger amounts.
Renuva for Gluteal Improvement
Renuva is donor fat depleted of its antigenicity and just functions as a scaffolding. The idea is that the body’s own cells will grow into it to volumize the matrix. The extent to which this occurs is relatively unknown and is certainly unpredictable. Renuva itself contains no fat cells and thus has no ability to achieve revascularization.
Renuva, like Sculptra, is added in small volumetric aliquots to improve small volumetric areas, dents, divots, etc.
Renuva is not reversible, like an HA filler, and thus is similar to Sculptra in this respect as well. Renuva will probably require multiple treatments like Sculptra for optimal filling and results.
Dr. Kenneth Hughes would not recommend Renuva for any form of butt augmentation as its efficacy is extremely poor when compared to BBL or butt implants. It may be appropriate for minor improvements. However, small fat transfers would be much more effective than Renuva or Sculptra.
The Newest Butt Augmentation Alternative – AllocCae
Alloclae contains purified fat cells that are minimally processed to preserve the structure of the fat. AlloClae™ is a combination of adipose cells and extracellular matrix.
AlloClae is an FDA-compliant body filler. While it is FDA-compliant, it does not require formal FDA approval or clearance for marketing as human or cellular tissue. As it is approved as HCT/P (Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-based Products), it requires minimal premarket review.
Thus, we do not have data on how this FDA compliant filler performs in butt augmentation, particularly for anything other than very small volumes. Some doctors are injecting 100 cc or more of this substance, but the effectiveness and longevity are unknown.
References
- Bruno A, Cilluffo M. Beyond the Brazilian Butt Lift: How to Objectively Measure Outcome. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Published online March 17, 2025. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-025-04744-9
- Oranges CM, di Summa PG, Giordano S, Kalbermatten DF, Schaefer DJ. A Changing Paradigm: The Brazilian Butt Lift Is Neither Brazilian Nor a Lift—Why It Needs to Be Called Safe Subcutaneous Buttock Augmentation. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2020;146(4):502e503e. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/prs.0000000000007200
- Centeno RF, Sood A, Young VL. Clinical Anatomy in Aesthetic Gluteal Contouring. Clinics in plastic surgery. 2018;45(2):145-157. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cps.2017.12.010
