Top surgeon reveals why the Brazilian Butt Lift is one of the most dangerous procedures ever… and how to avoid the hidden risks
Mr. Mo Akhavani, Consultant Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon at The Plastic Surgery Group, explained to us how the procedure can be seriously risky – and that people need to choose their surgeon wisely
A TOP surgeon has revealed the hidden dangers of the Brazilian Butt Lift – and how to avoid the risks.
These days, big bums and “belfies” are huge business, and celebs with extra-large derrieres are driving the trend forward.
With stars such as Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian showing off their sizeable bottoms, surgeons have been inundated with enquiries about Brazilian Butt Lift procedures in recent months.
in London reports that, during the second half of 2016, they saw a staggering 500 PER CENT increase in consultations for the op.
Mr. Mo Akhavani, Consultant Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon at The Plastic Surgery Group, explained the procedure can be seriously risky – and why people need to choose their surgeon wisely.
Mo told The Sun Online: “I’ve been to Canada, the States and Brazil and met with the guys who pioneered the procedure – and I’ve learnt all the pitfalls and the things that shouldn’t be done.
“When you compare it [BBL] to other standard procedures it does have a fairly high complication rate – serious complications, even death.
“That’s mainly because of people who don’t understand what they’re doing with the fat.
“You have to be careful with where you inject it and how you inject it.”
With many searching for procedures to give them a bigger behind, Mo says that it’s important to avoid fillers – and that your own fat is the way to go.
He added: “Fat is the safest thing to do – it’s yours, it’s not foreign material, it’s not likely to be rejected.
“Permanent fillers, like silicone, are a definite ‘no no’ – there are too many complications such as infection, horrible cysts and unsightly scarring.”
Meanwhile, the jury is still out on fillers such as hyaluronic acid (used in lip fillers) – as they are not yet FDA approved.
Mo added that finding a surgeon skilled in liposuction and body contouring was also crucial for a good result.
He added: “If you don’t have enough fat to harvest then there’s no point really having the procedure.
“The second part is injecting the fat back in.
“You have to respect the anatomy of the buttock and how deep you go – if you end up injecting the fat into the muscle, because of its high blood supply, you can end up with serious problems and even cardiac arrest.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
“This is avoidable if you [the surgeon] follow the safety procedures.
“If somebody injects fat into the wrong place and goes deep into the muscle, then the chances of the patient getting muscle necrosis – muscle death – and fat going into the vascular system (which you can die from) are increased.
“The advice now is stay superficial – stay above the muscle.”
And, when it comes to “building” the perfect bum, Mo says: “You have to think of it as trying to build a sandcastle.
“You have to mark the part that will become the most prominent area of the buttock and think, ‘Well, OK, if that’s the tip of the sandcastle’ and then work everything around it.
You have to think of it as trying to build a sandcastle.
Mo Akhavani
“You build up the fat around it to get the right projection - if you think about building a sandcastle you can’t go wrong.”
Mo added that patients may end up with all sorts of unsightly lumps and bumps if they are not careful with their choice of surgeon.
He said: “If somebody’s not careful, they could do the liposuction badly and you can get contour deformities and bumps everywhere.
“Your body can end up looking much worse than it was before – because you’ll have chunks missing.”
Something else that patients might not realise is that their bums will be 50 to 60 per cent smaller six months after their operation.
Mo said: “We know that in the first three to six months, about 50 per cent of the volume injected is lost – just because of the way it is.
“It’s a graft, our bodies can’t cope with everything at the same time, but what’s left after about six to nine months is left long-term.
“What I’ve been told by the experts who pioneered the procedure is that once you’ve got that year, year and a half, the volume after that seems to stay stable.
Recovery also takes patience and can be extremely painful for the first week – and not following aftercare advice can lead to results healing badly.
“The first two weeks you can’t lie on your back, you have to lie on your front.
“The first week is tough, the liposuction hurts, the second week is a little bit less painful but it can get boring because you have to walk around and stand up a lot of the time or lie down on your front – and that can become quite tedious.
If the liposuction is done badly, your body can end up looking much worse than it was before – because you’ll have chunks missing.
Mo Akhavani
“Afterwards, weeks three and four, slowly and surely you feel better and should be OK by six weeks.
“Most people can go back to work after two weeks.
“And patients who’ve had liposuction from their love handles and back for the BBL will need to wear a garment that comes right up to underneath the breasts and goes all the way down to their knees.
“The area around the bum has a net so that it’s not compressing there.
“If people don’t follow the aftercare or wear their garment, they will likely get lots of fluid build-up and uneven contours.
Mo's top tips when looking for a BBL surgeon
Mo say the key to finding a surgeon is to seek a surgical team that is:
- Up to date with the latest knowledge including risks and benefits
- Use the latest technology
- Honest and will reject patients
- Have excellent post op care follow up
“When it comes to the bum, the fat graft is delicate; it needs all the help it can get - if they sit on it they can reduce the amount of fat that survives.
“If the fat dies, you get loss of volume or bits can clump together and form these hard lumps – which can be unsightly and painful and sometimes need cutting or sucking out.
Mo adds that when choosing how much fat to re-inject into the patient, it is important to use an amount suitable for their size.
He added: “Some girls are tiny and there’s not much room for expansion, you can see as you inject the fat the skin getting tighter and tighter - and the fat can start squeezing out like toothpaste.
“You have too judge it – someone bigger they can take a bit more.”
Safety wise, Mo says that his team at The Plastic Surgery Group are the only UK surgeons to currently use a “fast closed system injection” – which helps prevent complications, such as infection and also enhances results.
He added: “We have taken upon ourselves to make sure we visit world experts and bring the technology back with us.
“The trouble with surgery abroad is there is no easy access to follow up - and patients are left to fend for themselves often with poor results and life threatening complications.”
For more information on Mo and his team, visit .