Brazilian Butt Lift - Learn the Concerns Shared by Plastic Surgeons

The desire to have a larger and more contoured backside has been growing in popularity over the past decade. One of the most popular methods to achieve a bigger booty is the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) which allows patients to gain a bigger behind without needing to place butt implants in the buttocks. Even though this cosmetic surgery procedure is quite popular with patients all across the United States, there are some doctors sounding a warning to patients thinking about having the surgery. What is their concern when it comes to BBL surgery? The answers await you in this informative article.

Brazilian Butt Lift – Why Doctors are Concerned about Fatal Results

In a recent article in the New York Times, several plastic surgeons discussed Brazilian butt lift risks that can cause potential problems when it comes to the performance of the procedure.

For example, a Brazilian butt lift has the potential to be a fatal surgery. A 2017 report by the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (in Aesthetic Surgery Journal), regarding the BBL death rate, showed that two out of every 6000 Brazilian butt lift procedures can result in the death of the patient.

The possible fatal nature of the surgery exists because the BBL operation requires injecting excess fat, removed from elsewhere on the body of a patient using liposuction, into an area of the butt that is near a vital heart artery. If something goes wrong, and the excess fat is injected into the wrong part of the buttocks, there is a chance that the fat can enter the artery. In turn, this can cause the artery to become blocked and stop the flow of blood (sometimes resulting in the death of the patient).

Brazilian Butt Lift – Cost and Concerns

The total cost of a Brazilian butt lift depends on the extent of the liposuction procedure, the type of results the patient wants to achieve, the area of the country where the surgery is performed, and any type of fees charged by the doctor or the facility. In general, the BBL cost can run anywhere from $2450-$10,425.

Patients should make sure their doctor of choice is experienced in performing Brazilian butt lift surgery along with being a board-certified doctor. There are some patients who want to try and get the surgery for a cheaper price and are willing to visit what are known as “chop shops” to save money on the total surgery cost. These “chop shops” offer a Brazilian butt lift at a lower price but visiting these establishments can also have possibly fatal consequences.

The plastic surgeons interviewed by the New York Times referred to the “chop shops” as unvetted clinics where the procedures are performed by doctors who are also unvetted and/or lacking the proper skills and experience to perform a BBL.

“Chop shops” can be found in multiple cities in the United States and they are often operated by doctors who do not have credentials that are easily understood by the public while performing a Google search of the doctors.

Dr. Steven Teitelbaum, a board-certified plastic surgeon from Santa Monica, CA, told the newspaper, “The problem is not only that these doctors are inadequately trained, but that operating as rogue actors there is no way to either collect their data or send them a warning about the dangers of a procedure.”

Brazilian Butt Lift – Long-Term Effects of “Dead Fat”

As the Brazilian butt lift has grown in popularity with patients in the United States, the total amount of fat that is injected during a procedure has also increased as time has passed. Unfortunately, there is currently no available data on the long-term impact of the surgery. Because of a lack of data about the long-term effects of a BBL, there are some plastic surgeons who simply avoid performing a Brazilian butt lift in order to maintain patient safety.

Dr. Arthur W. Perry, a New York and New Jersey board-certified plastic surgeon, told the newspaper, “As far as I’m concerned, at this moment in time it is not a procedure that is routinely and uniformly done safely.”

If the procedure is performed safely, patients will enjoy an immediate improvement in the shape of the buttocks and the contour of the section of the body where liposuction was performed. Overall, it can take around three months for the final results to become visible thanks to the amount of swelling after the BBL and the fact that the body will need to reabsorb the remaining fat cells.

The final results should be permanent as long as the patient avoids any type of weight fluctuations that can increase or lessen the size and volume of the buttocks. The patient will also need to follow the post-op instructions given by the surgeon in order to have a smooth and successful recovery from the Brazilian butt lift.

- MA