Safe BBL Surgery 2022
You can reduce your risk by visiting a board-certified plastic surgeon who has performed the procedure before.
Other risks of BBL include blood clots and infection, which are common with many other surgeries, according to Mendieta.
How Risky is a BBL Surgery?
According to recent reports, the Brazilian Butt Lift surgery, which has been known to be the most dangerous of all cosmetic surgery procedures, is not slowing down.
According to experts who spoke to NBC 6 in Miami last month, BBL deaths increased in 2021 after lockdowns the previous year forced elective surgeries to be postponed, resulting in an increase in overbooking procedures the following year.
Some surgeons believe that the increase in south Florida fatalities indicates the need to limit the number of procedures a plastic surgeon can perform on the same day.
We contacted a number of plastic surgeons who were familiar with BBL cases and its history as a contentious procedure.
Along with the formation of multi-societal task forces to assess the risks of BBL surgery, plastic surgery society members have received guidance and recommendations to improve patient safety.
“The procedure has become safer after the global survey, which stimulated anatomical research,” says La Jolla, CA plastic surgeon Robert Singer, MD.
“However, even if someone knows they shouldn’t reinject the fat into the gluteal muscle, the end of the cannula doesn’t have eyes on it, so there is still room for errors to occur even with the best surgeons.”
Dr. Daniel Del Vecchio proposed limiting doctors to three surgeries per day at a cosmetic surgery symposium in February, but others argue that proper training is the best solution.
“This should not be an issue if the surgeon is trained in Brazilian Butt Lift surgery and competent in terms of where the fat is placed, above the muscle fascia,” says Eugene, OR plastic surgeon Mark Jewell, MD. “I don’t think anyone would want to do more than three cases a day in any case.”
Houston, TX plastic surgeon Courtney El-Zokm, MD says we must be cautious with “high volume” surgery.
What is high volume for one person may not be for another. “The definition of high volume must be defined based on the surgeon’s practice,” he says. “For example, performing multiple blepharoplasties in a day is not the same as performing multiple Mommy Makeovers, which are more labor intensive.”
Raman Mahabir, MD, a Tucson, AZ plastic surgeon, says he does not perform BBLs because he does not want to take the risks associated with the procedure.
He also does not believe that determining the number of surgeries that a doctor should perform is the solution.
“Everyone is trying to find a way to pass the buck and say it’s still safe and you should do it, but the data isn’t there to see.” So many people, including myself, have simply stated that I do not need to undergo that procedure. There are numerous reasons, but it’s not worth the risk for a passing fashion trend. It’s also not a surgery that can be fixed. As a result, this conversation serves as a diversion from the underlying truths.”
According to Dr. Jewell, ultrasound technology is one practice that can assist doctors in navigating the risks. “Ultrasound holds a lot of promise for avoiding fat injections into the muscle, where fat emboli can form,” he says.
Dr. Courtney agrees and adds that the future is full of opportunities for risk mitigation, but it will take time for everyone to get on board.
“The reality of using ultrasound for fat grafting is that it will require training, physicians to adopt it, and then some way of demonstrating that the number needed to treat actually has a positive effect on outcomes,” he says. ”
Using large cannulas in the subcutaneous tissues with good techniques will keep you out of trouble most of the time, but having the best technical skills and following best practices does not always keep surgeons from having a poor outcome.”
The risks of a BBL – Brazilian butt lift death rate 2022
Every surgery has risks, but BBL is particularly contentious due to reports of deaths associated with the procedure.
A 2022 report surveyed 692 surgeons from around the world and discovered that 3% (about 21) of them had a patient die as a result of a BBL.
The researchers of this study concluded that BBL-like surgeries appear to be associated with “significantly higher mortality rates” than any other cosmetic surgery.
The average mortality rate for outpatient cosmetic surgeries is 0.25–0.50 per 100,000 procedures, according to a 2022 report.
According to Macias, one of the major risks of BBLs is fat embolism. This is when fat enters the bloodstream, travels through the blood vessels, and eventually causes a pulmonary blockage, which can be fatal.
Fat embolism occurred when fat was injected into or under the patient’s muscle, according to the autopsies of BBL patients, according to Macias.
As a result, it’s critical that patients are aware of this risk and choose a surgeon who only injects fat into the subcutaneous layer of the buttocks, above the muscle.
