Dr. Mustafa Aydınol
The Liposuction and BBL Guide
What I explain to every patient before liposuction or a BBL in Istanbul: what fat removal can and cannot change, how VASER, MicroAire and Renuvion work together, how a BBL is made safe, and what your recovery really looks like.
- ISAPS member
- Turkish Society of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons
- Health Tourism Authorization, Turkish Ministry of Health
In this guide
- What liposuction can do, and what it cannot
- VASER, MicroAire and Renuvion
- Which areas, and which approach
- BBL: shape, made safely
- Results from my practice
- Are you a good candidate?
- The operation
- Your days in Istanbul
- After you fly home
- Risks and honest limits
- How to read before and after photos
- Questions to ask any surgeon
- Cost and how to get a quote
- About Dr. Aydınol and your next step
Before you start
Liposuction is a contouring tool, not a weight-loss operation. It removes stubborn fat that diet and exercise do not shift, and it cannot remove loose skin. An ethical clinic will sometimes recommend against it. That is a sign of good judgement, not a lost sale.
A BBL is liposuction first and a fat transfer second. In most patients the liposuction changes the silhouette more, and the way the fat is placed decides whether the operation is safe.
Read this guide at your own pace. When you are ready, send me a few photographs and I will tell you honestly whether liposuction is the right tool for your body.
What liposuction can do, and what it cannot
Liposuction removes fat from under the skin through incisions of a few millimetres. The fat cells removed do not grow back, but the ones that remain can still enlarge if you gain significant weight.
I assess every area in three layers
Skin
Whether it will contract once the fat is gone. Pinch it: if releasing it leaves a fold that stays, the skin needs to be removed, not only the fat.
Fat
The fat under the skin, which liposuction treats: how much there is, where it sits, and whether it can be transferred elsewhere.
Beneath
Fat inside the abdomen, around the organs. Liposuction cannot reach it, so a firm, rounded abdomen stays.
What liposuction will not do
- It is not a weight-loss operation, and it cannot replace a healthy diet and regular exercise.
- It does not treat cellulite, and it does not remove loose, hanging skin.
- It does not reach the fat inside the abdomen.
Loose skin as well as fat?
Renuvion or Endolift help mildly to moderately loose skin contract after liposuction.
When the skin hangs, a tummy tuck, arm lift or thigh lift removes it. After major weight loss, liposuction alone is rarely the right answer.
The honest boundary: if a pinch of skin leaves a fold that stays, no device will take it up. That tissue has to be removed surgically. Renuvion or tummy tuck
VASER, MicroAire and Renuvion
Technique names are often used as marketing. Most of my plans involve two to four areas and several tools, each doing one job.
VASER and MicroAire
VASER uses ultrasound to loosen the fat, with less bruising and better skin retraction; it is the technique of choice for detailed, sculpted work. MicroAire then removes the fat evenly.
Renuvion at the end
Helium plasma under the skin, through the same small incisions, helps mildly to moderately loose skin contract. I rarely use it on its own, and its result is judged at six months.
What about lipo 360 and HD liposuction?
Lipo 360 is not a separate technology; it is an approach that treats the abdomen, flanks and back together, so the waist is shaped from every angle. High definition liposuction is the most artistically demanding and least forgiving of error, and an honest surgeon will sometimes recommend against it.
The technique itself is rarely the problem. The decision-making around it is.
Which areas, and which approach
Abdomen and waist
Fat of the abdomen and waist, usually with the flanks. If the skin is loose or the muscles have separated, a tummy tuck is the better tool.
Lipo 360
The abdomen, flanks, upper and lower back and bra line in one plan, so the waist is shaped from every angle, not only from the front.
Arms and back
Skin that snaps back is a liposuction problem. Skin that stays where you put it needs a lift instead.
Thighs and knees
Hips, outer and inner thighs and knees. In thin, loose skin, liposuction can make sagging worse, and I will tell you so.
Chin and neck
A double chin treated under local anaesthesia with light sedation, with about three days in Istanbul.
Male chest
Fat is treated with liposuction; where gland is the problem, it is removed as well. High definition work is possible where the anatomy allows.
Often planned in the same operation
- A BBL, with your own fat transferred to the buttocks
- A tummy tuck, when skin or muscle needs repair
- Breast surgery, including fat transfer to the breasts
- Renuvion or Endolift where the skin needs help to tighten
Combinations are planned in advance, as one operation and one recovery. That is a consultation decision, not a menu choice.
BBL: shape, made safely
The fat is taken from the waist, flanks, back and often the abdomen, processed, and placed in fine layers. How it is placed is the part you cannot see in a before and after photo, and it is the part that should decide who you let operate on you.
Above the muscle only
All of the fat goes into the layer under the skin, above the gluteal muscle. None goes into or beneath the muscle, where the veins that can carry fat to the lungs sit.
Ultrasound guidance
Ultrasound shows where the cannula is. Blunt cannulas of at least 4 mm are never angled downward, with low pressure and constant movement.
Volume set by tissue
The volume is decided by your tissue, not by a target number. Overfilling is the most common reason transferred fat dies.
Who a BBL suits, and who it does not
- You need enough donor fat, reasonable skin over the buttocks and a stable weight.
- If you are very lean, I will say so rather than harvest aggressively. Implants may then be the better answer.
- If the buttock skin is loose, a lift is better. Adding volume beneath loose skin makes the skin looser.
- Smoking lowers how much of the fat survives, so it matters even more before a BBL.
How much of the fat stays?
A meaningful part is reabsorbed over the first three months: roughly 40 to 60 percent of the transferred fat survives, and the exact figure differs from person to person, so no one can promise it. The shape you have at three to six months is the one that lasts, provided your weight stays stable, and some patients choose a second session.
Results from my practice
These are my own patients. Some give permission for after photos only, and I say so under each one.
Male HD liposuction
Lipo and chest
Double chinThree different areas
High definition liposuction of a male abdomen; liposuction with correction of the male chest; and double chin liposuction one and a half weeks after surgery. Before on the left, after on the right.
360 liposuction and BBL
With a tummy tuck and breast lift, age 60. Before (left) and one week after (right).
Liposuction and Renuvion
After surgery. This patient gave permission for the after photo only.
Liposuction, VASER and Renuvion
After surgery. After photo only, at the patient’s request.
A revision after multiple liposuction procedures: VASER and Renuvion, with fat grafting of the depressions.
More results: Before and after gallery
Are you a good candidate?
The best candidates are close to a stable weight, with reasonable skin and stubborn fat that diet and exercise have not changed.
Most of my liposuction patients fall into three groups
Stubborn areas
Fat that stays in specific areas at a stable weight: the abdomen, flanks, thighs, arms or chin.
Shape and curves
Lipo 360 with a BBL, to shape the waist and move volume to where you want it.
Men
Abdomen, flanks and chest, with high definition work where the skin and anatomy allow it.
When I will say no, or not yet
- You want to lose weight. Liposuction is a contouring tool, and I will tell you so.
- Your skin is significantly loose, for example after major weight loss. Liposuction alone would leave it looser.
- Your weight is still changing, including on weight-loss medication. I usually want it stable for four to six months.
- Your BMI is 30 or higher. Liposuction and BBL then usually wait, although some other operations may still be possible.
The operation
Removing excessive volumes in one operation is one of the causes of poor outcomes. I plan the donor areas as carefully as the recipient site, rather than treating them as a source of raw material.
Incisions and compression
The incisions are a few millimetres long, placed in skin creases and areas covered by underwear, and they fade significantly over twelve months.
You wear a compression garment day and night. Overnight wear remains mandatory for the whole period, because your body cannot be monitored while you sleep.
Your days in Istanbul
Plan five to seven days in Istanbul, and about a week after a BBL.
- Day 0
Surgery
Your operation, then one night in hospital. You walk from the first evening.
- Days 1 to 4
Hotel and massage
Lymphatic massage starts in Istanbul, with two to three sessions included. The drains usually come out within two to three days, depending on how much fluid they collect in 24 hours.
- After a BBL
Walk, rest, sit a little
Short sitting, up to about half an hour at a time, on a cushion that takes the weight on the back of the thighs. Sleep on your front or side.
- Days 5 to 7
Final check and flight
Most patients fly home between day five and day seven, after the final check. After a BBL, pack your cushion for the flight.
After you fly home
- 1 to 2 weeks
Desk work from around one week after liposuction, two weeks after a BBL. Your first shower around day ten. Driving from around day ten, on a cushion after a BBL.
- 3 to 6 weeks
Compression for at least six weeks, many patients until eight; from around week three daytime wear becomes optional, nights stay mandatory. Massage continues at home, two to three times a week. Light cardio from around week three after liposuction alone.
- 6 to 8 weeks
Full training from around week six after liposuction alone. After a BBL, light cardio from week six, normal sitting from around week six and full training from week eight.
- 3 to 6 months
Most swelling has settled by three months, and the final result shows at three to six. The result you see at month three is shaped by what you do in the first six weeks.
Normal in the early weeks
- Swelling and bruising in the treated areas
- Firm or uneven areas early on: massage is like ironing the skin
- A BBL that looks larger now than it will at three months
Contact my team straight away if you notice
- An area that swells quickly or painfully
- A painful or swollen calf
- Breathlessness or chest pain
- Fever
Risks and honest limits
The risks of liposuction are bruising, swelling, contour irregularities, asymmetry, seromas, infection and blood clots. Poor outcomes usually come from decisions: unqualified operators, wrong case selection, unsafe facilities and excessive volumes.
Uneven contour
Waviness, dents or asymmetry. Even removal, massage and compression all matter, and so does an honest limit on volume.
Seroma
Fluid collecting under the skin. An area that swells quickly or painfully needs to be seen, not waited out.
Burns with devices
Renuvion and Endolift can cause burns or irregularity. The risk is related to technique and settings.
Fat embolism after BBL
Fat reaching the lungs, the most serious BBL risk. Placing fat only above the muscle, under ultrasound, prevents it; the published risk fell roughly six-fold.
Two honest limits
Liposuction does not protect you from weight gain. The fat cells removed do not return, but the remaining ones can enlarge.
Transferred fat is partly reabsorbed, so a BBL is judged at three to six months, and a second session is sometimes needed.
How to read before and after photos
Almost any body looks slimmer from a high angle, with a turn of the hips, a held breath or a filter. A fair comparison shows you the whole picture.
What to look for
- The same posture, distance and light in both photos.
- The skin, not only the outline: waviness or dents show in side light.
- After a BBL, the side and back views, and whether the waist and hips flow naturally.
- Time stamps. At one week the body is still swollen and held by compression. Ask to see three to six months.
Quality of placement beats litres claimed. In a BBL, what matters most is the part the photo cannot show: where the fat was placed.
Questions to ask any surgeon
The surgeon matters more than the technique, and the structure around the surgery matters as much as the surgery itself.
- Are you certified in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, and which societies are you a member of?
- Is liposuction the right tool for me, or do I need skin removal?
- Which technique will you use for my areas, and why?
- In a BBL, exactly where is the fat placed, and do you use ultrasound?
- How much volume do you plan, and how is it decided?
- How long will I wear compression, and how many massages are included?
- Who checks me in Istanbul after surgery, and who do I contact once I am home?
- What exactly is included in the price?
Red flags
- A promised number of litres or cc
- A guaranteed fat survival percentage
- No clear answer on where BBL fat goes
- A package priced far below the market
Cost and how to get a quote
Liposuction and BBL in Istanbul cost considerably less than in the United Kingdom, Germany or the wider EU. Be cautious of suspiciously low packages: the costs clinics cut are anaesthesia cover, operating time and imaging guidance.
What shapes your quote
- The number of areas
- The techniques used, such as VASER and Renuvion
- Whether fat is transferred, as in a BBL
- Combined procedures and the hospital stay
How to get your quote
Send your photographs
Front, side and back views of the areas that bother you, standing relaxed, with your height and weight.
Video call
We talk through what you want, what your body allows, and your questions.
Written quote
Your plan and your quote in writing, covering the hospital, anaesthesia, follow-up in Istanbul and the massage sessions there.
About Dr. Aydınol
I completed my specialist training in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery at Dicle University (2012 to 2017) and have run my own practice in Istanbul since 2020. My work covers facial rejuvenation, rhinoplasty, breast surgery and body contouring, always with the same rule: the right procedure at the right time, or an honest no.
Patients from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and many other countries travel to Istanbul for surgery with me. My team and I plan the whole trip around the operation.
- 10,000+ procedures
- ISAPS member
- Turkish Society of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons
- Rhinoplasty Society of Europe
- Health Tourism Authorization, Turkish Ministry of Health
Your next step
Send a few photographs on WhatsApp. Tell me what bothers you most, and I will tell you honestly what I would recommend.
- +90 544 772 07 72
- info@mustafaaydinol.com
- Clinic
- Yeşilçimen Sokak No:12, Polat Tower Residence K:2 D:20, Fulya, Şişli, Istanbul
Keep a copy
Download the PDF to read offline or share it with someone who is coming with you.
Plan your trip
- Recovery plannerWhen you can fly home, work and exercise
- Surgery readiness checkWhat to settle before surgery
- When should I stopWhich medicines to stop, and when
- Combination plannerWhat can be done in one session
This guide is general information and does not replace a personal medical consultation. Your plan, the operation and your recovery depend on your own examination.
