BBL Surgery Safety: How The Popular Procedure Has Evolved 

The Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is no longer a secret. If you've been in tune with cosmetic procedures, the BBL is one of the most popular processes out there. It's designed to remove excess fat via liposuction and inject it into the butt and hips to give women a more voluminous backside.

Despite its dangerous reputation, the BBL is the fastest-growing procedure on the market. The demand for the enhancement jumped 61% between 2014 and 2018.

The January 2020 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery addresses a specific problem with the BBL. It turns out the procedure isn't even from Brazil at all, plus there's no skin removal or lifting as the name entails.

Additionally, the procedure doesn't solely deal with the buttocks, instead of reshaping various parts such as the lower back, hips, posterior thighs, and glutes.

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Daniel Del Vecchio proposes renaming it to the Safe Subcutaneous Buttock Augmentation. Adding the word 'Safe' refers to the fact that the mortality rate of BBLs is practically nonexistent.

As various cities emerging from a lockdown are lifting their restrictions on elective surgery, you should know what problems surround the BBL.

BBL Surgery Safety

A 2015 study based in Mexico captures the attention of many due to its report of BBLs performed by legitimate surgeons in Mexico and Colombia for 10 and 15 years, respectively, causing a series of deaths.

The patients analyzed within this report died due to a pulmonary fat embolism, where fat that isn't correctly injected makes its way to the lungs.

Two things must occur for a pulmonary fat embolism to happen: a vein in the glutes has to be injured; with fat entering the vein, it travels throughout the body, making its way to the lungs. Consequences are death from respiratory and heart failure. 

BBL Death Rate

In 2016, the Gluteal Fat Grafting Task Force was assembled to offer safer strategies for the BBL.

The key takeaway from the task force is that fat should only be placed above the subcutaneous space above the gluteal muscles, and injection into the glute muscles garners a 400% increase in risks.

Other safety measures include using specific cannulas, slower injections with the cannula in motion, and awareness of where the cannula's tip is throughout the surgery.

A Safer BBL That We Can All Trust

Elite Body Sculpture's Power Brazilian Butt Lift™ is a comfortable and accurate process designed to transfer fat effectively.

The minimally invasive, precision-engineered process doesn't use a scalpel, needle, stitches, or general anesthesia, allowing for a shorter recovery and no noticeable scarring. 

Elite Body Sculpture also uses the patented AirSculpt® cannula, which plucks fat from the body with mechanical precision, akin to a gentle plucking motion like grapes off a vine. That's because the cannula uses an automatic movement that protects the surrounding tissue from being damaged while also simultaneously helping tighten the skin. Any contact with layers beneath the subcutaneous layer garners an immediate shutdown response from the cannula.

Get what's best for you; come to our Chicago office to complete your first consultation.