What is a Brazilian Butt Lift?
This method is sometimes combined with the use of silicone implants. The Brazillian Butt Lift (BBL) has increased in popularity over recent years, thanks to curvaceous celebrities such as socialite and media personality Kim Kardashian, rapper Nicki Minaj and American model Amber Rose.
Is the Brazilian Bum Lift procedure safe?
A Brazilian buttock lift with butt injections can have some very serious side effects and can even lead to death.
Under no circumstances are BBL’s performed at the Cadogan Clinic, or any other reputable clinic in the UK.
Side effects include:
- Scarring
- Pain
- Infection
- Lumpy scars/contour deformity
- Loss of skin in the treated areas caused by a deep infection
- Fat embolism in the heart or lungs, which can prove fatal
In 2018, the Multi-Society Task Force for Safety in Gluteal Fat Grafting, representing board-certified plastic surgeons around the world, pointed to an ‘unusually high mortality rate’ caused by Brazilian Butt Lifts. The current fatality rate stands at 1 in 3,000.
When a buttock lift is performed incorrectly, injected fat can enter the large veins in the buttocks, and then travel to the lungs or heart, with fatal consequences. In 2018 a British woman sadly died during Brazilian Butt Lift surgery in Turkey when a fat clot blocked one of her arteries.
Another known side effect of Brazilian Butt Lift surgery is the failure of the buttocks to take up the grafted fat stores. A certain amount of the fat transferred to the bum is broken down and absorbed by the body. A patient may need an additional one or two procedures, putting them at a higher risk of experiencing side effects.
If the procedure is combined with silicone implants, there is a risk of these slipping or moving out of place, leading to an uneven appearance. This will require further surgery in order to fix the problem.
Why do we not offer Brazilian Butt Lift at Cadogan Clinic?
Here at the Cadogan Clinic, we do not carry out Brazillian Butt Lifts. Our surgeons are qualified to the highest level and all are experts in their field. We recognise how dangerous fat transfer to the buttocks can be if carried out by inexperienced or unqualified surgeons.
As a leading cosmetic surgery practice, The Cadogan Clinic is committed to increasing safety and awareness around fat grafting procedures and will continue to partake in scientific studies to educate surgeons, improve standards and reduce fatalities and complications.
Is it possible to get a Brazilian Butt Lift in the UK?
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) has advised its members not to carry out Brazilian Butt Lift surgery until more is known about safer techniques of fat injection into the buttocks.
However, despite this concern about butt injections, some clinics continue to offer this procedure. We believe this technique is very dangerous and we do not offer this procedure at the Cadogan Clinic.
Why is fat transfer to buttocks considered dangerous?
Fat injections into the bum as part of a Brazilian Butt Lift can be extremely dangerous if the procedure is not carried out correctly.
When administering the butt injections, the fat should be placed under the skin through a cannula and never straight into the muscle. However under-qualified surgeons and physicians have simply injected fat straight into the buttocks without understanding the anatomy. By injecting fat into the muscle, this causes a fat embolism to enter the blood through large veins in the muscle of the buttocks. This fat then travels to the heart or lungs, causing respiratory distress and death.
Should I get buttock injections or avoid them?
We do not carry out Brazilian Butt Lifts at the Cadogan Clinic and would advise against butt injections. This technique is too risky and the mortality rate is simply too high.
However, we do carry out fat transfer procedures elsewhere in the body. Fat transfer, also referred to as fat grafting and lipofilling, has become widely accepted as the optimal means of soft-tissue filling in all areas of the body, in smaller volumes and areas other than the buttocks.
The method involves the strategic replacement of the body's own fat resources to add volume in areas lacking it, as well as simultaneously rejuvenate the overlying skin.
The procedure involves the removal of fat from areas where it is either unnecessary or unwanted via liposuction, and the re-injection of it into other areas of the body for augmenting, healing or rejuvenation purposes.
Between 50 and 70 per cent of fat cells survive the transfer process meaning the results are permanent, and such is the organic ('autologous') nature of the donor material and the minimally invasive nature of the procedure, recovery times are minimal.
The Cadogan Clinic are specialists in this innovative field, and host the leading conference in the UK on the topic each year. Having performed hundreds of such procedures, we are the leading centre of excellence in the country for this treatment.
Are there safe non-surgical buttock lift alternatives?
Dermal filler procedures are considered safe as long as they’re performed by a licensed and experienced provider.
The side effects are much more minor than those associated with the Brazilian Butt Lift, which can cause death if the procedure is carried out incorrectly. Side effects of filler procedures can include moderate pain in the buttocks and possible infection. The results can vary from patient to patient, with the main complaint that procedures are very expensive and the effect only temporary.
How much is a Brazilian Butt Lift?
To have a Brazilian Butt Lift procedure in the UK, it costs in the region of £6,000 to £8,000. We do not offer this procedure at the Cadogan Clinic, nor do we advise anyone to undergo this highly risky and dangerous treatment.
Instead our expert surgeons offer a buttock lift, which is a much less invasive, and far safer, procedure. Book a consultation to come and see our specialists to discuss prices and how we can help you achieve your body goals.
What is a buttock lift and how is this different to a Brazilian Buttock Lift?
The aim of a buttock lift is to lift and reshape the buttock area, and reduce volume to create a more shapely, firmer appearance in the buttock area. This is different to a Brazilian Buttock lift that seeks to add volume to the buttock region via the injection of large volume of fat.
During a standard buttock lift, excess skin and fat are removed from the buttocks. The remaining skin is then repositioned to create a more toned and contoured look.
A buttock lift is commonly performed after dramatic weight loss where the buttock tissue has been stretched and 'sags' down from the buttocks and thighs.
It is commonly combined with a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), Liposuction or thigh lift to contour the buttocks, groin, thighs and abdomen area.
