Rising Popularity of BBLs in Florida: Examining Safety Trends

People in South Florida are dying from Brazilian Butt Lifts, yet their popularity is rising.

A new Florida law aims to make the procedure safer, but some experts think it needs to go further to curb the risk from this surgery.

A Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) involves a surgeon boosting the size and shape of the buttocks by injecting fat removed from somewhere else on the body via liposuction. The procedure combines liposuction and fat transfer to the buttocks, making surgical technique and patient safety important considerations during the procedure.

What Is a Brazilian Butt Lift?

A Brazilian Butt Lift is a cosmetic surgery that uses liposuction to remove fat from donor areas of the body and transfers that fat to the buttocks to enhance their size and shape.

Although BBL surgery has become increasingly popular, it is also associated with serious surgical risks. The article reports that the death rate from BBLs has been higher than that of other plastic surgery procedures, with concerns centered on fat entering blood vessels.

Understanding Fat Embolism Risk During BBL Surgery

Some doctors have inadvertently injected fat grafts into vessels in the gluteal muscle. That can cause a fat embolism, which is when particles of fat enter the bloodstream, travel to the heart or lungs, block circulation, and can cause fatal results.

Because of this risk, proper surgical technique and appropriate patient safety measures are important considerations when undergoing Brazilian Butt Lift surgery.

BBL Surgery Trends in South Florida

South Florida is the capital of high-volume, low-cost, strip-mall clinics that do BBLs. It also is the area of the state where most of the deaths from the surgery occurs.

Twenty-five women in South Florida have died from BBL complications and two nearly died between 2010 and 2022. All but one of the surgeries were done at high-volume, low-budget clinics, according to a study published in February in The Aesthetic Surgery Journal.

The study found 2021 was the deadliest year for BBLs in South Florida.

Rising Demand for Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery

Yet even reports of deaths haven’t cooled demand.

Brazilian Butt Lift is the most Googled cosmetic surgery in Florida, with more than 20,000 searches a month. In 2021, there was a 37% yearly increase in BBLs performed in the U.S. or a total of 61,387 surgeries, according to The Aesthetic Plastic Surgery National Databank.

These figures highlight the continued demand for BBL surgery despite increased attention surrounding its safety and potential complications.

Florida BBL Safety Law

Florida lawmakers want to make BBLs safer.

A law effective July 1, 2023, requires Florida physicians to follow two new rules.

In-Person Examination Before BBL Surgery

First, they must conduct an in-person examination of the patient the day before the procedure.

Ultrasound Guidance During Fat Transfer

Second, they must use ultrasound guidance to clearly see that fat is injected only in the upper layers under the skin and never into the muscle.

Ultrasound guidance is intended to help physicians visualize the tissue layers during fat injection and support safer fat-transfer techniques.

Experts Debate BBL Safety Requirements

Some plastic surgeons believe simply requiring professionals to use ultrasound guidance doesn’t go far enough.

“I don’t think an ultrasound done by a physician who does not specialize in it is enough to improve the safety factor significantly,” said Boca Raton plastic surgeon Gregory Albert of the Optimization Centre.

“I also think the fat doesn’t need to be directly injected into the muscle for complications to happen. It could be the pressure of the fat injected near the vessel that creates the risk.”

Albert wants even stricter laws to improve the safety of the procedure.

Concerns About High-Volume BBL Surgery

“What is going on is too many cases done in too short a time by too many unqualified operators,” he said.

“Florida needs to limit the number of BBLs by the same surgeon in one day. To do those procedures quickly you need multiple assistants, and multiple assistants leads to multiple problems.”

These comments reflect concerns raised by the surgeon about surgical volume, operating conditions, staffing, and the qualifications of practitioners performing BBL procedures.

Liposuction and Fat Donor Areas

Patients arrive at Albert’s Boca Raton office with misshapen arms or other body parts as a result of the liposuction some surgeons do to relocate fat to the buttocks.

“Sometimes they take it from areas of the body the patient didn’t consent to take it from,” Albert said.

Liposuction is an integral part of a BBL because fat must first be harvested from donor areas before it can be transferred to the buttocks. Appropriate patient consultation and informed consent are therefore important parts of the surgical process.

BBL Recovery and Post-Operative Support

BBL safety does not end when the surgery is complete. Recovery and post-operative care are also important parts of the overall BBL journey.

Patients may need to modify how they sit, sleep, travel, and perform everyday activities during recovery. A purpose-designed BBL recovery pillow can provide additional cushioning and support when sitting is permitted by the patient's surgical team.

For patients preparing their recovery supplies, our BBL recovery pillow collection provides different pillow options designed around post-operative sitting support.

BBL Recovery Essentials

A recovery pillow is only one potential component of a post-operative setup. Depending on the procedure and the surgeon's recommendations, patients may also need other recovery supplies.

Explore BBL recovery essentials kits for additional products that can be included in a BBL recovery setup.

The Importance of BBL Patient Safety

While the new Florida law is a start, he said, further research needs to be done on how the state can reduce the number of deaths and complications from this cosmetic procedure.

For patients considering a Brazilian Butt Lift, understanding the procedure, potential complications, surgical technique, and qualifications of the provider can be an important part of making an informed decision.

Patients should discuss the procedure, risks, recovery requirements, and appropriate safety measures directly with a qualified plastic surgeon before undergoing BBL surgery.