A Brazilian butt lift is one of three separately priced buttock operations, and confusing them is the main reason quotes appear inconsistent. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes an average of $7,264 for buttock augmentation with fat grafting, which is the BBL, $7,964 for buttock implants and $7,062 for a buttock lift. All three are surgeon fees that exclude anesthesia, operating room facilities and other related expenses, and a BBL carries one recovery cost that the others do not.
Ask providers for a written price
Three operations, three published averages
Fat grafting moves the patient's own fat, so a BBL is really two procedures in one: liposuction to harvest the fat and grafting to place it. Implants use a prosthesis and are published higher at $7,964. A buttock lift at $7,062 removes skin and lifts rather than adding volume, which is a different goal entirely. A quote is only comparable once you know which of the three it describes, and a patient who has been quoted for implants while expecting a BBL is not looking at an inflated price, they are looking at a different operation.
The harvest is part of what you are buying
Because a BBL takes fat from elsewhere, the amount and quality of the donor fat is a clinical constraint rather than a preference, and the liposuction half of the operation adds theatre time. ASPS names the type of procedure used as one of three drivers of the surgeon's fee, with experience and geographic office location, and how many donor areas are treated sits squarely inside that. It is also why a very slim patient may be told a BBL is not the right operation for them at any price.
The line ASPS names that no other procedure has
ASPS lists buttock enhancement costs as the surgeon's fee, hospital or surgical facility costs, anesthesia fees, prescriptions for medication, post-surgery garments, medical tests, and any special pillows that may be required for your recovery. That last item is specific to this operation and is a genuine cost, because pressure on newly grafted fat is something recovery has to be arranged around. ASPS states most health insurance plans do not cover buttock enhancement or its complications, and that many surgeons offer patient financing plans.
Other questions people ask
How much does a BBL cost in the US?
ASPS publishes an average surgeon fee of $7,264 for buttock augmentation with fat grafting. It excludes anesthesia, the surgical facility, prescriptions, garments, medical tests and recovery pillows.
Are buttock implants cheaper than a BBL?
No. ASPS publishes implants higher, at $7,964, against $7,264 for fat grafting. A buttock lift, which removes skin rather than adding volume, is published at $7,062.
Why does a BBL include liposuction?
Because the graft is the patient's own fat, so it has to be harvested first. That makes the operation two stages in one sitting, and the number of donor areas treated affects the fee.
Does insurance cover a BBL?
ASPS states that most health insurance plans do not cover buttock enhancement or its complications. It advises asking about the patient financing plans many plastic surgeons offer.