Should I Fly straight after a BBL?
Can I fly after a BBL?
You could…. But we don’t recommend it! See the below points why any long distance travel directly after a BBL procedure is not recommended:
1) Consult your surgeon! Many recommend at least a week and sometimes more of recovery time before any kind of travel, let alone long distance or Air-travel. Many BBL clinics offer Surgery After-Care recovery houses for this reason. Ask your surgeon if they would recommend any particular local after-care house, if they don’t already offer one themselves, (plus independently investigate the recommendations yourself)
2.A) Sitting. One major problem with travelling for long periods (whether by air or otherwise), is not the travel itself, but the prolonged sitting. Ensure you have an effective BBL Pillow which keeps you elevated so you don’t place pressure on and compromise your newly grafted fat cells.
Beware! A soft and comfortable pillow may feel good! But it may compress over a long sitting period and not elevate your new butt enough, or even result in restricting circulation and fluid movement. Try to move around as often as possible to aid circulation –walk up and down the isle, march in place, etc as much as you can.
2.B) Swelling. Sitting for long periods can restrict circulation of nutrient-rich blood and of micro-cellular lymph fluid. Adequate lymph flow is necessary to keep swelling to a minimum and reduce risks of post-op problems.
If you do travel after your procedure, look for a Therapeutic BBL Pillow – one that adequately elevates, as well as evenly distributes your weight so you’re not creating constriction points within your circulatory system – setting you up for reduced blood or lymph flow. A good pillow which achieves this may not be the most comfortable- but consider the long perspective!
A cheap or poorly designed BBL pillow may be more comfortable – softer and more yielding, but it may compress, constrict or increase pressure within muscle and skin tissues -this could prolong or increase swelling, restrict bloodflow or compromise lymph movement.
Worse-case scenario – these issues may be a cause of post-op problems such as fibrosis or lymphedema, and this can be exacerbated if you are considering long distance travel before your system has recovered from surgery. Plan accordingly!
3) Your surgeon may recommend compressive garments such as a faja & compression socks, and accessories such as foam boards, etc. Wear them as directed.
4) Airplane cabins use low pressure, dehumidified air. This can lead to dehydration especially if you’ve lost blood/other fluids during your procedure. Keep your water intake up – and don’t drink alcohol – booze has a dehydrative effect!
Low cabin pressure can also draw fluids to the surface levels of your skin, this is the ‘puffiness’ many experience (especially in the feet!) when flying – and is worsened if your lymph flow is compromised by surgery and not yet recovered.
5) Airplanes & Airports are a hub of viral and bacterial load. The nature of an airplane’s ventilation system is to recycle the internal air multiple times. Your immune system may be weakened after a surgical procedure, and you may be susceptible to infection or illness. Even if not required to, it may be sensible to mask-up to limit your potential exposure.
So the short answer to the question “ should I fly after a BBL?” is not if you can avoid it, try to have as long a recovery period as possible, but always consult your surgeon for advice as this is the first point-of-care.
Good luck in your BBL journey!