Council warning over Brazilian Butt Lift procedures

Procedures have been offered on social media

City of Edinburgh Council has warned those set to undergo a non-surgical Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) in the city this weekend to contact them due to concerns over the procedure.

The local authority said it had been told the cosmetic enhancement may be taking place at an unknown location between Friday 26 and Sunday 28 April through people responding to social media posts.

The procedure, which uses a hyaluronic acid filler, is not illegal, but can be fatal if not performed properly.

The council said other local authorities had also been contacted about the issue.

Companies have been seen by BBC Scotland News offering treatments at private locations, which are not disclosed until a later date.

The council's regulatory committee convener, Councillor Neil Ross, said those booked in for the procedure should contact the council as a “matter of urgency”.

He said: “We have been made aware that there may be procedures known as Brazilian Butt Lifts being performed in Edinburgh this weekend and we have concerns about the safety of such procedures.

“We are concerned about the potential risk to public health and would urge anyone who may have booked such a procedure this weekend to contact us.”

What is a Brazilian Butt Lift?

Brazilian Butt Lifts or BBLs are used to make buttocks bigger, more rounded or lifted.

Those carrying out the procedure insert silicone-filled implants and/or inject fat transferred from other parts of the body.

The surgery, as with many cosmetic procedures, can be expensive, but liquid or non-surgical BBLs are a cheaper option.

In that version, hyaluronic acid, which is used in dermal fillers, is injected to manipulate the size and/or shape of the area.

But if not performed in a proper way, it can lead to serious health complications.

Why is it dangerous?

The NHS says BBLs have the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures.

Experts warn that injected fat transferred in the procedure can cause a blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs known as a pulmonary embolism.

In 2019, a woman from Norfolk died at a private hospital in Istanbul while undergoing the procedure.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) issued new guidelines to members in 2022 following a four-year moratorium on BBLs due to the high death rate.

It now recommends surgeons only carry out a procedure called superficial gluteal lipofilling (SGL). While it uses fat collected from the body, this is only injected below the skin, whereas BBLs insert fat deep into the muscles.

It also recommends that surgeons should only carry out SGLs while simultaneously using ultrasound scans so they can see where the cannulas are going.