Why are cheap black-market buttock injections so dangerous?
Black-market buttock injections are dangerous because untrained people in non-medical settings inject substances like industrial silicone, concrete, and mineral oil with no clean technique. Dr. Anita Patel of Beverly Hills warns the consequences include deformity, staph infections, skin necrosis, respiratory failure, limb amputation, and even death.
Can buttock augmentation be done safely?
Yes, buttock augmentation can be performed safely by a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Anita Patel of Beverly Hills, using proven techniques inside an accredited medical facility. The two main safe options are fat transfer, known as the Brazilian Buttock Lift, or silicone buttock implants placed surgically under anesthesia.
What is the difference between buttock implants and injected liquid silicone?
Buttock implants are solid silicone devices surgically placed in an operating room, which is very different from injecting free liquid silicone. Dr. Anita Patel of Beverly Hills explains that injected free liquid silicone is unsafe, can travel away from the injection site, and may cause serious problems elsewhere in the body.
Why are illegally injected substances so hard to fix?
Illegally injected substances are difficult to remove and may require multiple surgeries with limited success. Dr. Anita Patel of Beverly Hills notes that results are often undesirable, producing lumps, asymmetry, permanent skin discoloration, scarring, and necrosis, so safe surgical technique in an accredited facility is essential from the start.
The trends of beauty have clearly shifted toward a fuller rounder buttock, and with that comes a rise in black market beauty treatments that offer fuller buttocks at a fraction of the cost if done by a plastic surgeon.
There are now countless stories all over the United States of people who were offered buttock injections for a cheap price, in non-medical settings, by people with no medical background or concept of clean technique, using substances such as industrial silicone, concrete, mineral oil, and other unknown substances.
The consequences of these treatments is alarming, and include not just deformity or disfigurement, but also respiratory failure, amputation of limbs, and even death. This has become a real public safety issue, enough so that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons cites this as a critical safety issue in the US, as described by the recent Wall Street Journal article “Illegal Buttock-Enhancement Procedures Cause Concern After Woman’s Death”.
Sadly a quick google search reveals this is a widespread problem, and deaths have been documented in at least 7 states in the US as of last year. Deaths have been reported elsewhere too, such as over 17 deaths in Venezuela in 2013.
If death isn’t enough of a deterrent, the cosmetic results are often not what was desired, and unfortunately the substances injected are not easily removed, and can require multiple surgeries with limited success. Certain substances such as free liquid silicone can also travel away from where it was injected, causing problems elsewhere.
The undesired effects can be varied, and include things like lumps, asymmetry, staph infections, permanent skin discoloration, scarring, and skin necrosis (death of overlying skin), etc.
So can you have buttock augmentation safely? Yes, by a board certified plastic surgeon who uses safe techniques, in an accredited medical facility. The two main techniques for buttock augmentation are fat transfer or silicone buttock implants.
Fat transfer to the buttocks is otherwise known as the Brazilian Buttock lift, and involves taking fat from somewhere else on the body like abdomen or love handles, and injecting it into the buttocks. The buttock implants are made of silicone, but are very different from injecting free liquid silicone, which is not safe.
Both types of procedures are done in an operating room, typically under general anesthesia. Quality results require quality techniques and the associated costs, but please remember this is your life and health at stake, not just a beauty treatment.
Please call to schedule a consultation to see if you are a good candidate, or simply to get more information on how to best achieve your beauty goals.