Not since the days when Marilyn Monroe sashayed through a Pullman sleeper in her nightie has a woman’s bottom been the focus of so much attention. With full-figured stars like J-Lo and Beyoncé packing plenty in their posteriors, more and more women are wondering if it isn’t time to turn their attention from the top front to the lower backside.

Curves Ahead

Best known as the Brazilian Butt Lift, the procedure is also referred to as a Beverly Hills Butt Lift, or a ‘J-Lo,’ says Dr. Sayed M irrafati, who runs the Mira Aesthetic Center in Costa Mesa, CA. “I usually refer to it as fat transfer buttock re-shaping. But that’s too long and not catchy,” he admits. “What you’re trying to do is enhance the protrusion of the buttocks, so the lady has a fuller curvature back there that mirrors the curvature of her breasts in front.”

To enhance “back there,” a doctor has a couple of options: implants or fat injections. Both approaches have pros and cons. With an implant, you risk infections or crossing paths with the sciatic nerve (ouch!). But while it’s serious surgery, it also supplies immediate gratification.

On the other hand, “The alternative, which I prefer, is doing a ‘fat transfer,’ or Brazilian Butt Lift,” says Dr. Mirrafati, “whereby we take fat from other parts of the woman’s body—her stomach, hips, thighs, and/or back—then inject that fat into her buttocks.”

A rounder derrière PL US a trimmer tummy or thighs? That advantage was welcomed by Dr. Mirrafati’s patient “Beverly.” “I got a two-in-one benefit,” she says, “because I used to have a little belly, which I could never get rid of. So I got that lipoed, and I’ve got a butt now. And I can buy clothes and everything looks so much better on me!”

Shape Shifting

“Because women’s shapes all vary, with the fat transfer you can shape the buttock so that it looks nicer, as opposed to the implant, which allows for no shaping. The buttock is simply the shape of the implant,” says Dr. Melvin Shiffman who mentored Dr. Mirrafati and concurs with him about the virtues of fat transfer.

“The only drawback to fat transfers,” Dr. Mirrafati cautions, “is that you can’t go up a huge amount right away. You can move up, but only about one size per treatment, and then you have to give it time to settle in for a few months.”

This was the case with his patient “Monique” who was looking for natural results. “We did it gradually so people didn’t necessarily notice at first,” she explains. While Monique admits that she didn’t see much of a difference after the first treatment, it was the second treatment that made the difference. “And it looks great, and feels natural. Now I get compliments like ‘Oh, you’ve got a cute butt!’” she giggles. “So that’s nice.”

The Finer Points

Although an outpatient procedure, the fat transfer process is time consuming, lasting three to four hours during which patients are under general anesthesia or monitored anesthetic care (some doctors also do it under local anesthetics). Recovery time for fat transfers is extensive—about six weeks. And the cost for a reupholstered posterior? About $3,000 to $5,000, depending on your particulars. This includes pre-op, anesthesia, and follow-up visits. “On the ride home, we give them a foam cushion to sit on,” says Dr. Mirraftai. “For the next ten days to two weeks, you can sit on a stool, but you must sit up straight, and not lay back on the buttocks,” he cautions. “I urge patients to wear a garment under their clothes which helps mold the area that we sculpted. If they wear this garment for about four to five weeks, it helps solidify their new shape. Everyone’s recovery is different, but if we do the procedure on a Thursday, by Monday many people can go back to work.”

Not everyone, apparently. Beverly was slow getting back to work. “I was out for a week!” she laughs. “Let’s say, depending on your job, you might be ready sooner. If I had an office job, or something where the work load is lighter, okay. But I work with juveniles and I’m very active and physical all the time, working 16 hour shifts, so with my job [as a probation officer} that didn’t work.” But is she pleased with her appearance now? “Yeah, I love it,” she says.