Renowned New York City cosmetic surgeons Drs. Christopher Chia and Spero Theodorou of bodySCULPT® invented a revolutionary technique called the awake BBL, otherwise known as BBL under Local Anesthesia (BBLULA). BBLULA is an ingenious way to enjoy the faster recovery time associated with local anesthesia and gain the benefits of BBL without the risks of general anesthesia.

Why is Brazilian Butt Lift Under Local Anesthesia (BBLULA) so revolutionary? Recently, traditional Brazilian Butt Lifts under general anesthesia have been reported to have the highest rate of deaths by far for any elective cosmetic procedure. In this operation, fat is removed from unwanted areas, carefully prepared then injected to the buttocks and thighs for either increased volume, improved shape or both. Unfortunately, it was found that when fat is injected into and below the muscle either intentionally or unintentionally, it can have devastating consequences. The fat may enter the bloodstream and cause the heart and lungs to fail and lead to death. This was found to occur in one out of 3,000 cases by the Fat Grafting Task Force, a multi-disciplinary group of plastic surgeons who looked carefully into this.

There are several theories as to why this happens but what is known for certain is that the gluteal (buttock) muscle is penetrated by the fat grafting cannula, the large veins underneath are somehow damaged and that fat inadvertently enters the bloodstream. This catastrophic event is not limited to the United States but has been reported in Central and South America as well as Europe and Asia. In fact, the British Plastic Surgery Society has banned the operation in England.

According to Drs. Christopher Chia and Spero Theodorou, “The Brazilian Butt Lift Under Local Anesthesia operation retains all the benefits of traditional BBL without the risk of general anesthesia and the accidental injection of fat into the bloodstream.” The surgeons took their experience of over 5,000 awake liposuction cases and extended the technique to where patients can have the fat removed from undesired places and have it safely injected into the buttocks and other desired areas.

Since no general anesthesia is used and the patients are awake, they are given medications by mouth to help them relax in addition to an antibiotic. Local anesthesia is then carefully injected into both the areas where fat is to be removed as well as injected for numbing. In contrast to the asleep patient under general anesthesia who is completely non-responsive, the awake patient acts as the best possible monitor. It would be extremely difficult for a cannula to penetrate the gluteus muscle, injure the underlying veins and inject fat into the bloodstream without the awake patient (and, therefore, surgeon) knowing it.

Major features of BBLULA include:

• No implant related risks
• Minimal side effects
• Minimal downtime
• No hospital stay
• Fast recovery
• Minimal scarring and discomfort
• Consistency of the skin is soft
BBLULA is a more holistic approach as it takes into consideration the overall body image, rather than just the buttocks.

For more information on this and other innovative procedures contact bodySCULPT® at
(212) 265-2724. bodySCULPT® is located in New York City at 128 Central Park S, New York, NY 10019.

About bodySCULPT®

bodySCULPT® is a AAAASF-accredited plastic surgery practice with a state-of-the-art surgical center is located on Central Park South in Manhattan, New York City. The facility is lead by two leading plastic surgeons, Dr. Spero J. Theodorou and Dr. Christopher T. Chia. These plastic surgeons are the first to perform the Brazilian Butt Lift under Local Anesthesia and the inventors of the Scarless Arm Lift procedure.