What is a ‘liquid BBL’ and why is the procedure dangerous?
The Department of Health and Social Care is "urgently looking at options for tougher regulation" on surgeons offering potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures such as Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) surgery, after a BBC investigation discovered a celebrity "beauty consultant" is handing out medications illegally.
Ricky Sawyer, whose clients include Katie Price, was found to be offering antibiotics to patients without a valid prescription, which is a criminal offence. He has been banned from practicing in a number of local authorities, the BBC reported.
Sawyer's specialty is in BBLs, but the BBC spoke to five of his former clients who required emergency hospital treatment following their procedures. The broadcaster also saw testimonies of more than 30 women who were left with serious complications like sepsis and necrosis after going under the knife with Sawyer.
It comes after Save Face, a national register of accredited non-surgical cosmetic practitioners, called on the government to urgently ban "dangerous" BBLs and breast augmentation procedures.
Save Face issued the statement after Alice Webb, 33, died following complications from the procedure and said this was the "first case of a death caused by BBL in the UK". She died on Tuesday 24 September 2024 at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital after becoming unwell. It is believed that she underwent a non-surgical BBL.
Save Face said it has supported 500 women who have suffered complications from the procedure, with director Ashton Collins telling the BBC that liquid BBLs are "a crisis waiting to happen".
But what is a liquid BBL, and why is it so dangerous?
What is a liquid BBL?
A liquid BBL is a non-surgical procedure that enhances the volume and shape of the buttock by injecting a cosmetic dermal filler called Sculptra or Lanluma (Poly-L-lactic acid).
According to the London Medical and Aesthetic Clinic, the procedure aims to "give a natural lift and leaves no scarring".
The filler used in liquid BBLs works by increasing the volume of depressed areas of skin. It is also used to reduce signs of cellulite and wrinkles.
What are risks of liquid BBLs?
Clinics that offer liquid BBL procedures claim that the benefits range from patients getting a fuller, shapelier buttock without the need for surgery or hospitalisation, to virtually no recovery time.
It is also claimed that patients can achieve up to 60% size and definition increase in their buttocks, and that results can be seen immediately.
These claims make the non-surgical procedure highly popular among people seeking to enhance their buttocks without having to undergo surgery.
However, Save Face pointed to a study that revealed 99% of medical professionals do not perform non-surgical BBLs as they are deemed to be too dangerous. The organisation says laypeople, hairdressers and beauticians with no healthcare experience are offering the treatment, despite not being able to manage potential complications.
The organisation says that the treatments are being advertised on social media as "risk-free, cheaper alternatives to their surgical counterparts", but warned this "could not be further from the truth".
Last year, a company was banned from carrying out the procedure by Wolverhampton City Council after it found risks associated with the treatment, including blood clots and sepsis.
According to Save Face, 153 patient-reported complaints were submitted between December 2023 to March 2024. The complication with the highest number of reports was infection (68%), followed by sepsis (53%), filler migration (39%), and the development of abscesses (32%).
Other complications that were reported include necrosis (the death of body tissue, reported by 1% of patients), cellulitis (4%), and nodules (11%). Save Face added that it has received complaints from patients suffering from life-threatening complications that have left them "permanently disfigured and in excruciating pain".
Collins said in a statement: "We need an urgent ban on these treatments to prevent people from being able to inflict the types of life-threatening complications that these treatments can cause.
"Without it, these practitioners will continue to take risks with people’s lives. No practitioner should be offering a treatment that they have to rely on the NHS to manage potential complications."
Watch: Women speak out about adverse reactions to liquid BBLs
Read more about cosmetic procedures:
How cosmetic surgery can affect your mental health, as Katie Price issues warning (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Warning over banned 'Brazilian Butt Lift' procedures in Essex (Evening Standard, 2-min read)
Behind the rise of ‘preventative Botox’ and how it’s changing young women (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)
