BBL · Medellín, Colombia
Medellín after a BBL (Brazilian butt lift): a day-by-day guide
Medellín is a major destination for BBLs. Here are the first ten days: no sitting, sleeping face down, short walks near El Poblado, and how to plan the flight home.
Make a dated calendar for your trip
At a glance
- How long to stay
- 10 to 14 days, so your surgeon can check you before a long flight
- What the rules are about
- The grafted fat needs time to take hold, so the rules are about pressure: no sitting on your buttocks except on a BBL pillow, sleeping face down, wearing the garment around the clock, walking a little every day and waiting at least one to two weeks before flying.
- Weather
- Spring-like all year, usually around 17 to 28°C, at about 1,500 metres above sea level. Showers are common, especially in April and May and from October to November. The sun is strong at this altitude.
- Getting around
- Ride apps and taxis are cheap and best for the first days. The metro and the Metrocable cable cars are clean and fast but busy at rush hour. El Poblado is hilly, so even short walks can be steep.
Confirm with your surgeon. These are general activity limits from published aftercare guidance. Your clinic's written instructions always come first, and they may be stricter or looser for your procedure.
Recovery timeline
- Days 1 to 2
Rest at the hotel in the compression garment, lying face down. Move your hands and feet, and from about day 2 get up for short walks.
- Days 3 to 7
Short walks several times a day. No sitting on your buttocks, except briefly on the toilet and to eat.
- Days 8 to 14
Many surgeons allow short sits on a BBL pillow from 10 to 14 days. Ask about flying.
- Weeks 3 to 8
Keep pressure off the buttocks, with short sits only, for about six to eight weeks. Exercise usually restarts at six to eight weeks.
Activity rules, day by day
Sun, water, exertion, heat, alcohol and flying, for each day of a typical stay. Every rule is sourced on the day pages.
| Rule | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sitting | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today |
| Sleeping position | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today |
| Walking | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care |
| Compression garment | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care | With care |
| Exercise | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today |
| Hammam, sauna, baths and swimming | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today |
| Smoking | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today |
| Flying home | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | Not today | With care | With care | With care | With care |
✕ Not today ! With care ✓ OK
What to do each day
You are back at the hotel in the compression garment. Lie face down, move your hands and feet often and let your companion handle everything. The picks below are for them.
For your companion: Coffee farm tour · Comuna 13 graffiti tour · Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero
Day 1 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
From about now, get up and walk a few steps every hour or two to keep the blood moving. Lie face down in between. Today is still for your companion to explore.
For your companion: Comuna 13 graffiti tour · Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Rooftop bars and Parque Lleras
Day 2 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
Short walks around the hotel or the nearest streets. Pick places where you can stand or stroll, never ones where you would sit for long.
Good picks: Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Exotic fruit tasting at the market · Medellín Botanical Garden
Day 3 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
A gentle half-hour on foot somewhere quiet is a good outing. Take a taxi only for short hops and lie across the back seat if your surgeon advised it.
Good picks: Exotic fruit tasting at the market · Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara
Day 4 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
Swelling and tightness are normal. Keep the garment on and keep standing or lying, not sitting.
Good picks: Parque Explora and aquarium · Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Exotic fruit tasting at the market
Day 5 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
Museums and covered markets suit this stage: you stand and walk slowly, and there is always somewhere to stop.
Good picks: Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara · Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Parque Explora and aquarium
Day 6 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
Around a week in, ask your surgeon about sitting on a BBL pillow, the garment and flying dates.
Good picks: Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Parque Explora and aquarium · Exotic fruit tasting at the market
Day 7 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
If your surgeon allows it, short sits on a BBL pillow placed behind your thighs can start. Keep each sit short.
Good picks: Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Parque Explora and aquarium · Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara
Day 8 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
Plan the journey home: BBL pillow, aisle seat, an hourly walk on board and a companion to lift the bags.
Good picks: Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Parque Explora and aquarium · Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara
Day 9 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
Most patients are not cleared for a long-haul flight before about two weeks. Keep the pressure off your buttocks for weeks yet.
Good picks: Exotic fruit tasting at the market · Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero · Medellín Botanical Garden
Day 10 in detail: rules, 4 safe activities, 2 to skip, where to eat
For your companion
Your companion has the same idle days without the restrictions. These are the things the patient has to skip on most days of this guide, which makes them perfect solo outings.
Comuna 13 graffiti tour
Street art, outdoor escalators and hillside lanes with a local guide. Steep, busy and mostly in the sun.
A few hours on foot with breaks, mostly in full sun, about 4 hours
Coffee farm tour
A visit to a coffee farm in the hills outside the city: plants, picking, roasting and tasting.
A few hours on foot with breaks, some open-air walking, about 6 hours
Guatapé and El Peñol day trip
The colourful lakeside town and more than 700 steps up El Peñol rock, about two hours each way, often with a boat ride.
Strenuous, mostly in full sun, about 10 hours
Rooftop bars and Parque Lleras
El Poblado's rooftop bars and clubs. Late, loud and built around drinking, often on your feet for hours.
A few hours on foot with breaks, indoors, about 4 hours
Metrocable ride over the hillsides
A seated cable car ride from Acevedo station over the hillside neighbourhoods, with wide views of the valley.
Seated, shaded or covered, about 1.5 hours
Cafés in Provenza, El Poblado
Leafy streets of cafés and small shops close to many clinics. Sit with a juice or a coffee.
Seated, shaded or covered, about 1.5 hours
Medellín tips for recovering patients
- El Poblado's streets are steep. In the first days, take a taxi even for short distances.
- Many patients spend the first nights in a recovery house with nurses. Ask what is included and how you get to check-ups.
- Medellín sits at about 1,500 metres. The air is mild but the sun is strong, so plan outdoor sights in the shade or early in the day.
- Check current travel advice from your own government before you go, and use ride apps or registered taxis at night.
Pharmacy and clinic map: Medellín
Clinic districts
- El Poblado. Most plastic surgery clinics, recovery hotels, cafés and nightlife. Clinics · Pharmacies
- Laureles. Flatter, quieter streets with hotels and clinics. Clinics · Pharmacies
- Envigado. South of El Poblado: residential, with several clinics and recovery houses. Clinics · Pharmacies
- Centro. Plaza Botero, museums and markets. Busy by day. Clinics · Pharmacies
Pharmacies and emergencies
Pharmacies (droguerías) are on almost every street, and several chains in El Poblado and Laureles open 24 hours and deliver.
Emergency: 123 for ambulance, police and fire.
Questions
Can I take a taxi after a BBL in Medellín?
Keep rides short in the first week. Clinics often advise lying across the back seat, and El Poblado is close to most clinics, so trips are usually brief.
When can I fly home from Colombia after a BBL?
Usually not before one to two weeks, and longer for long-haul flights. Fly with a BBL pillow, an aisle seat and an hourly walk.
More about BBL recovery
Travelling with someone?
Sources
- Buttock enhancement recovery. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Six things you need to know about recovering from a Brazilian butt lift. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Butt lift aftercare and recovery. The Aesthetic Society. Checked 2 November 2026.
- BBL pillow: how sitting works after a Brazilian butt lift, and for how long. Acibadem International (hospital patient guide). Checked 2 November 2026.
- BBL recovery time: honest milestones from surgery to final shape. Acibadem International (hospital patient guide). Checked 2 November 2026.
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): long journeys. NHS (UK). Checked 2 November 2026.