Top plastic surgeons announce formal review into Brazilian butt lifts
Britain’s leading plastic surgeons announce formal review into Brazilian butt lift operations following the death of a mother-of-three, 29, who had £3,000 procedure
- Leah Cambridge, 29, travelled to Turkey in August last year to have the surgery
- She is believed to have suffered three heart attacks due to a fat clot caused by it
- British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons is due to vote on banning it
Leah Cambridge, 29, travelled to Turkey in August last year to have the controversial operation but died from a fat clot that was caused by the surgery
Britain’s leading plastic surgeons have announced they will launch a formal review into the safety of Brazilian butt lifts.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) voted against banning its members from performing the scandal-hit procedure in a meeting this afternoon.
The operation, made popular by the appearance of Kim Kardashian’s larger behind, is believed to cause one death in every 3,000 surgeries.
British mother-of-three Leah Cambridge, 29, died from a fat clot caused by having the surgery, which she travelled to Turkey for last August. Mother-of-two Tryce Harry, from Birmingham, died in March last year after going to Hungary for a ‘freebie’ Brazilian butt lift, her inquest was told.
The group, made up of 350 surgeons – most of whom are NHS consultants, debated the procedure at its annual scientific meeting and then voted on whether its members should be banned from giving patients the operations.
The BAAPS is now warning members not to perform buttock fat grafting surgery until a formal review of new evidence on the safety and techniques of the procedure is completed.
It wrote on Twitter: ‘Following an international debate of world leading experts, The BAAPS has today announced its decision to launch a formal review of emerging new evidence into the safety and techniques used for fat-grafting buttock augmentation.’
Paul Harris, president of BAAPS, said: ‘As an organisation dedicated to advancing safety, innovation and excellence in aesthetic plastic surgery, we have a commitment to our patients to deliver the most up-to-date knowledge and research which safeguards our patient’s safety.
‘Anyone thinking of having a fat-graft buttock augmentation should await the emergence of further evidence and BAAPS will be working hard to provide the public with information to help them with informed consent about this procedure.
She is believed to have suffered three heart attacks after the operation which involved injecting fat into muscles in her bottom. The procedure, made popular by the appearance of Kim Kardashian’s larger behind, is believed to cause one death in every 3,000
Mother-of-two Tryce Harry (pictured with husband Kirk) died after suffering a ‘fat embolism’ despite CPR and advanced life support treatment at a clinic in Budapest on March 19
‘Around the world there are still patient deaths as a result of this procedure and patient safety should not be compromised.’
Last year BAAPS advised its members to stop performing ‘butt lift’ operations until more information about safety is available.
But its outgoing president Simon Withey also admitted last year a clampdown on performing Brazilian butt lifts in the UK could drive patients abroad.
As well as a risk of death from blood clots caused by fat injections into large veins, complications arising from the surgery can include severe bacterial infections, scarring, tissue dying, wound ruptures and abscesses.
Gerard Lambe, consultant plastic and cosmetic surgeon at the Reflect Clinic in Manchester, said: ‘Quite rightly members of BAAPS have agreed to formally review this procedure in the UK owing to its risks and taking into account all the latest international and UK data on it.
‘The key concern remains that too many women are opting to venture into the minefield of cosmetic tourism and go abroad to poorly-regulated clinics.
‘They are literally putting their lives at risk for cut-price surgery that has a host of dangers, including botched outcomes and even death.’
Ms Cambridge, from Leeds, is believed to have suffered three heart attacks after the operation which involved injecting fat into muscles in her bottom.
The BAAPS has yet to formally announce the results of its vote – but tweeted that it would launch a formal review. It wrote: ‘Following an international debate of world leading experts, The BAAPS has today announced its decision to launch a formal review of emerging new evidence into the safety and techniques used for fat-grafting buttock augmentation’
The procedure has been made popular by the appearance of celebrities like Kim Kardashian
HOW COMMON IS THE BRAZILIAN BUTT LIFT?
With a Brazilian butt lift, fat is taken from various parts of the body and put with the buttocks.
It has grown increasingly popular in the United States, becoming the fastest-growing type of plastic surgery, according to 2015 statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
The rate of buttock lift procedures rose 252 percent from 2000 to 2015. The total went from 1,356 to 4,767 procedures over the course of that time.
More than 24,000 buttock augmentation with fat grafting procedures were performed in 2018, an increase of 19 per cent over the previous year, according to ASPS.
Injecting fat into the butt can lead to problems if done improperly, including fat embolism – which is when fat enters the bloodstream and blocks a blood vessel.
During a pre-inquest review hearing, her partner, Scott Franks, 31, revealed how the beautician had been interested in having the procedure for some time.
She travelled to the Izmir Private Can Hospital for the £3,000 operation after she grew paranoid about her excess stomach weight from having children.
Ms Cambridge, followed the likes of reality TV stars Lauren Goodger and Amber Dowding in opting for the Turkish clinic.
Other reality stars to have had surgery at the clinic include The Only Way is Essex star Georgia Kousoulou, who had a nose job there.
Jemma Lucy, who has appeared on Ex on the Beach and Celebrity Big Brother, revealed she had a Brazilian butt-lift there last year.
Ms Harry died after suffering a ‘fat embolism’ despite CPR and advanced life support treatment at a clinic in Budapest on March 19.
Kirk Harry, the 49-year-old’s husband from Hockley, Birmingham, said she paid £4,700 for a tummy tuck and breast lift and was offered the bottom lift as a ‘freebie’.
The risk involved in the operation is that the fat which is injected into large veins can travel to the heart or brain, leading to severe illness or death.
However, BAAPS president Simon Withey fears that banning the procedure in the UK could lead to more patients going abroad for the risky surgery.
The surgery, which usually takes around two hours, can lead to bacterial infection, scarring, dead tissue and abscesses.
According to the Sunday Times, a briefing note about the poll said: ‘We have invited some of the world’s leading Brazilian butt lift experts… to take part in a series of lectures and debates on the topic.
‘We then plan to hold a round of indicative voting after the debates to understand the right direction for the BAAPS and its members to take.’
On Friday the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) will vote on whether or not its members, the majority of NHS-trained consultant plastic surgeons in private practice, should be banned from performing the procedure. However, BAAPS president Simon Withey fears that banning the procedure in the UK could lead to more patients going abroad for the risky surgery. Pictured are Leah Cambridge and her partner Scott
A Brazilian Butt Lift uses fat transferred from other areas of the body, such as the love handles, hips or stomach, to provide patients with a fuller derriere.
Clinics report the procedure, which costs between £6,500 and £10,000, has seen more than a 50 per cent increase compared to five years ago.
The procedure’s nickname was coined in 1996 after Dr Leonard Grossman was filmed performing fat transfer surgery on a patient from Brazil.
The surgery takes anywhere from one to two hours to perform. The amount of downtime ranges from one to three weeks, plastic surgeons claim.
Kim, married to Kanye West, has always denied having had a Brazilian Butt Lift or any form of bottom-boosting surgery.
She underwent an X-ray seven years ago during an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians to prove she has never had implants.
Rumours about her having them went viral again in 2016, when eagle-eyed fans spotted an indent on her backside.
Kim claimed it was a rare side effect of having psoriasis injections in her bottom – but some doctors believe the dents are a sign of implants.
WHAT IS A BRAZILIAN BUTT LIFT?
A Brazilian Butt Lift uses fat transferred from other areas of the body, such as the love handles, hips or stomach, to provide patients with a fuller derriere.
Clinics report the procedure, which costs up to £10,000, has seen more than a 50 per cent increase compared to five years ago.
The procedure’s nickname was coined in 1996 after Dr Leonard Grossman was filmed performing fat transfer surgery on a patient from Brazil.
The surgery takes anywhere from one to two hours to perform. The amount of downtime ranges from one to three weeks, plastic surgeons claim.
HOW IT WORKS:
1. Liposuction to remove fat from abdomen/hips/thighs
2. Fat is ‘processed’
3. Fat is injected into buttocks
BBL STYLES:
- Upside-down heart, or ‘A-shape’: Much smaller waist and larger buttocks towards the bottom
- Round: emphasis on increasing the size of the butt, not pulling in the waist or thighs
HOW TO PREPARE:
- Don’t smoke (increases infection risk and blood clot risk)
- Don’t gain weight (when you lose it again, your butt will change)
RISK OF DEATH:
Higher than most operations – 20 in 100,000 compared with 1 in 100,000.
There are two major risk factors that can make a BBL fatal:
- Blood clots travel to lungs
- Accidental injection of fat to blood vessel
RECOVERY:
1. Don’t work for 10 days
2. Don’t sit for 6 weeks
3. Sleep on stomach
4. Final shape will take months or a year to form
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