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Doctors warn that the popular trend to get a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) can prove deadly, especially when women travel abroad for a cheaper procedure.
Celebrities like rapper Cardi B have undergone the famous surgery, in which a person has fat moved from the abdomen to the hips and buttocks to create an hourglass shape.
More than 61,000 butt implants were performed in the US in 2021, an increase of 37 percent over the previous year. These numbers do not include the many women who travel abroad to receive a BBL for a lower price.
It is known as the riskiest cosmetic procedure a person can undergo, as one in 3,000 patients dies from complications. These problems can show up at any time, and some don’t show up until years later.
Cardi B recently revealed that she had 95 percent of her implants removed out of concerns about her long-term health and warned fans against getting the procedure.
Cardi B (left) revealed on an Instagram live last week that she had 95 percent of her BBL silicone implants removed because she feared long-term health risks. Taryn Quinterri (right), of Arizona, said she thought her silicone implants would kill her.
“It’s an epidemic that’s actually getting worse as social media becomes more popular,” said Dr. Tansar Mir, a New York-based plastic surgeon. abc.
These procedures are already dangerous when performed by licensed physicians in the US.
Known risks include fat embolization, where fat from the injection enters the bloodstream and travels to the lungs or heart.
Women can also get a seroma, where fluid collects under the site of a surgical incision and could become infected.
The risk of suffering from these problems only increases when a person looks for cheaper options in less developed countries.
Inadequate sanitation can increase the risk of infections, and poorly trained or certified doctors are more likely to make mistakes that increase the risk of complications.
Even when done correctly, recovery from a BBL can take months and requires the woman to avoid sitting and sleeping on her side.
Many people opt for silicone butt implants, which give the same hourglass shape but could carry even more danger.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that these injectable silicone procedures can lead to serious complications or death.
Taryn Quinterri, from Arizona, told ABC that she is one of the women who chose these synthetic implants for her BBL.
After six months, she developed a rash on her buttocks. Once the first symptoms emerged, she said her fears of long-term complications began to grow.
Dr. Mir cautioned that these problems develop as an autoimmune response, where the body detects silicone as a foreign substance and attacks it.
Other symptoms include fatigue, back pain, burning, itching, and numbness.
In Ms. Quinterri’s case, the symptoms appeared relatively quickly, as Dr. Mir cautions that they can sometimes appear decades after a person receives the injections.
Quinterri was terrified. She feared that the silicone would migrate to different parts of her body and kill her.
The woman even told her mother that she may not be around to care for her in old age because the procedure could kill her.
“One of the people who specializes in silicone injection removal told me that what it had done to my body was worse than cancer,” he said.
He traveled to Colombia so that Dr. Alexander Ramírez Folleco could remove part of the injected material.
Ms. Quinterri is now saving money in hopes of receiving a second BBL removal procedure in the United States.
Dr. Folleco said he sees about two to three Americans a week looking to undo their BBL, as more and more women hope to undo the effects the trend had on their bodies.
One such woman is Cardi B, who revealed on Instagram Live that she had almost all of her BBL implants removed.
‘In August I had surgery and they removed 95 percent of my biopolymers… if you don’t know what it is, it’s a ** shot. It was a really crazy process,” she said last week.
She then warned her followers not to follow the same path as her.
“All I’m going to say is if you’re young, if you’re 19, 20, 21, and sometimes you’re too skinny, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t have enough fat to put my a** on’ so you turn out in shots **, DON’T DO IT!” warned the pinup known for her curves,” she continued.
‘…when it comes to BBL, if you want my advice, before you get your BBL, make sure your blood levels are okay.
“If a doctor says your blood levels are too low or you have diabetes or whatever, don’t do it.”