Brazilian Butt Lifts are no longer banned in Britain:

British surgeons are now encouraged to carry out a ‘lite’ version of the dangerous Brazilian Butt Lift, health chiefs announced today. 

The risky procedure, made famous by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Cardi B, was shunned by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons in 2018 after of a spate of deaths.

This included 29-year-old British mother-of-three, Leah Cambridge, who suffered three heart attacks after undergoing the procedure in Turkey.

Despite the British moratorium, hundreds of women still went abroad to get BBLs at a cheaper price, despite it being even riskier. 

Now BAAPs, which creates guidelines for British plastic surgeons, has partly reversed its decision.

Surgeons in the UK are now instead encouraged to do superficial gluteal lipofilling (SGL).

This is, effectively, a lighter version of BBL but differs in that the fat is only injected below the skin.

For comparison, a BBL can see fat injected directly into the muscles of the buttocks themselves, giving them a larger, curvier form.

But while doing so, surgeons can accidentally inject the fat into the bloodstream —which can cause potentially deadly blockages. 

The dangers of BBLs were thrust into the spotlight after the death of Leah Cambridge, 29, who died from a fat clot caused by the surgery in Turkey

It is unclear how much the procedure will cost, but a BBL can be upwards of £7,000 in the UK.  

BAAPS said its advice had changed because all reports of death from BBLs have been in procedures where fat was injected into the muscle layer, and therefore closer to blood vessels. 

The new toned-down BBL approved by BAAPS aims to cut down on the risks and was based on four years of research. 

While the procedure will still give people a curvier figure, it will not provide the same results as a BBL due to the fat not being injected as deeply.

BAAPS issued a moratorium urging its members not to carry out BBLs in the wake of Ms Cambridge’s death. 

But experts said the decision risked driving Britons overseas, where the surgery comes with less medical oversight.  

BAAPS president Marc Pacifico said the new guidelines, circulated to the the body’s 350-plus membership, will result in safer outcomes for patients. 

‘The deaths recorded with BBL have all had breeches of the fascia (a thin casing of connective tissue between the skin and muscles) with fat injected into the muscle,’ he said. 

‘So, it’s no to BBL but yes to Superficial Gluteal Lipofilling (SGL) where the fascia is not compromised.’

However, he added that the BAAPS was still concerned about the number of Britons risking their lives flying out to get BBLs overseas. 

While there is no confirmed number of Britons going abroad for BBLs, thousands of people fly-out each year as part of medical tourism. 

At least 20 Britons have died after going under the knife in Turkey alone since the start of 2019. 

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons have now recommended a ‘lite’ version of a Brazilian Butt Lift that restricts the fat injection to just below the skin avoiding the muscle (stock image)

‘An increasing number of UK based patients are continuing to seek this procedure by surgeons not on the GMC Specialist Register or by venturing abroad,’ Dr Pacifico said.

‘There is a concern regarding higher risk of exposure to risks and complications, like sepsis, poor techniques, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism.’

Dr Pacifico said he hoped the new guidelines would encourage Britons to undergo the procedures in the UK where surgery was safer. 

Concerns about BBLs peaked in the UK following the death of Ms Cambridge, a mother-of-three, in August 2018. 

The 29-year-old died from a a blood clot after paying £6,500 in cash to get a BBL at Elite Aftercare in Izmir, Turkey. 

Her father, Craig Cambridge, 51, killed himself in April 2021, with an inquest earlier this year attributing his suicide, in part, to his daughter’s death.

While research at the time of Ms Cambridge’s death put the death risk of a BBL at one in 2,500 operations, this has since been revised downwards to one in 15,000.

Dozens of stories of Britons dying or suffering from infections and other surgical complications following their operation have arisen in the past few years. 

But BAAPS said all deaths from BBLs have been recorded in cases where fat was injected into the muscles. 

BBLs are one of the fastest growing forms of cosmetic surgery, with the number of procedures estimated to be growing 20 per cent year-on-year.  

As part of its new guidelines, BAAPS emphasised surgeons should ensure a patient seeking that perfect ‘hourglass figure’ is presented with ‘realistic expectations’.  

‘This is particularly important given the current widespread availability of material online, via social media and images on mainstream media that might exaggerate realistic outcomes,’ it stated.