Double double boil and trouble! Spooky season may be over, but if you just got a BBL you’re not totally out of the woods quite yet. BBL boils are starting to become more common than they should be. And what’s sad is? It’s a totally preventable issue. Let’s explore this

What is a BBL boil? It’s a cyst like capsule that fills up with either pus, sebum or bacteria-like fluid within the gluteal tissue. The area is warm to the touch and gets a glassiness to the thinned, stretched-out skin. Not all boils reach a head, and even if they do, not all of them burst and open on their own. The presence of a BBL boil is commonly associated with cellulitis.

How it happens? There’s actually a lot of ways but here’s the most common culprits:

• sitting or hovering too soon
• surgeon overstuffs the area
• the skin isn’t kept moisturized enough postOp, cracks/thins, and gets infected
• you learned nothing from covid and still struggle to clean your body in a vicinity that just happens to be full of eColi
• staying in the same faja too long (it collects dirt and dead cells that are being held against an area that has a compromised immune system)

Now there have always been debates on when to sit after a BBL but let’s explore just a little deeper into the science around it.

Sitting too soon gets in the way of vascularization and angiogenesis: the process of vessels growing up to service newly grafted fat cells. Fat can’t survive if it doesn’t have branches of vessels to bring it nutrients. When you sit directly on a fat grafted area too soon, the direct pressure compresses the areas minimizing vascularization. We understand and know this— it “makes sense”.

But what about internal pressures? Gravity is still a thing. Gravity pulls on the tissue from the outside, while internal pressures fluctuate on the inside adding an INTERNAL LEVEL OF COMPRESSION based around outside gravitational pull. Think of it like this: the more air you blow into a balloon, the more pressure builds pushing on anything from the inside. Imagine putting a blob of toothpaste inside a balloon. The more air you push into the balloon, the blob of toothpaste will start to flatten out. The pressure inside has risen so much it starts to affect the inside contents look and shape.

Sitting too soon OR too long, even with a BBL pillow or a boppy adds too much internal pressure around the newly transferred fat cells affecting the body’s ability to vascularize. Without nutrients? Cells die and get washed out of the body— it takes about 3-6 months to see those changes.

There are people who say “don’t sit for 3 months,” and then there are some people who sit right away. The difference is somewhere in between a dash of our best friends named “Balance” and “Moderation”. Everything in moderation. While we support waiting til about 3 weeks to sit, be mindful of the internal pressure you create on your booty. Here are things that, when done for extended periods create high levels of internal pressure on the butt:

🧍🏾‍♀️Standing too long

🔥 Having rough sex

🌙 Bending over

💫 Bouncing

🚗 Driving (even with a BBL pillow)

🏄🏽‍♀️ Leaning on one side

🍑 Wearing cutout BBL fajas (before 3 weeks postOp)

What to do if it happens?

Antibiotics. Immediately. As soon as you notice it. Also? Get some bloodwork done to see how aggressive & what type of infection it is. Avoid adding any external pressure.Apply a light/non-heavy cold sourceLeave it alone, keep it clean, and apply any antimicrobial ointments given. Switch from a faja to a waist trainer for a few weeks while the area healsStay hydrated!

As tempting as it may be, avoid picking at the area. Unless it is painful OR a health risk, it doesn’t need to be excised. Lancing this will almost guarantee to leave a scar; wait to see if it opens on its own, but if caught soon enough, the antibiotics will resolve the area. Lancing should be a Plan B, not a first choice; if it doesn’t improve within 3 days after being on meds, discuss having the area drained.

Also? Don’t be alarmed if your PCP or local ER doesn’t know what to do… this isn’t something they see everyday. While WE now know that it’s a BBL boil from cellulitis— typically caused from too much external pressure being placed on trauma dermal compromised pressure (just wanted to reinforce the sciencey details from above)— this is semi new to most people, even medial professionals.

Get clear wound care instructions to help minimize reproduction. Avoid putting any external pressure OR heightened internal pressure pressing on the inside of the wound (translation: stay on your stomach as much as possible). Inbox me on IG if you have questions— Feel better soon!

About the author

International massage therapist who’s career has evolved from sports massage, to oncology massage, to leading the industry in postOperative care and body contouring, specifically pertaining to plastic surgery. Tai is the owner of Taime out Massage Studios and a Tributo partner.