British police have arrested two people on suspicion of manslaughter after the death of a woman who had undergone a non-surgical Brazilian butt lift (BBL).
The BBC reports that Alice Webb (33) died at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday after falling unwell.
Save Face, a national register of accredited practitioners who offer non-surgical cosmetic treatments, said this was the first case of a death caused by a non-surgical BBL in the UK.
The treatment sees fat or dermal filler injected into the buttocks to change size or shape, and while this is not illegal in Britain, last year Wolverhampton City Council barred a company from carrying out the procedure after identifying risks associated with their processes, including blood clots, sepsis, and the potential for the death of body tissues.
Five local authorities in Essex and Glasgow followed suit and have banned certain companies from carrying out liquid BBLs in their area.
‘Crisis waiting to happen’
Save Face’s director Ashton Collins said the organisation had supported 500 women who had suffered complications from the procedure.
“Liquid BBL procedures are a crisis waiting to happen. They are advertised on social media as ‘risk-free’, ‘cheaper’ alternatives to the surgical counterpart and that could not be further from the truth.”
Save Face has criticised non-healthcare injectors carrying out liquid BBLs, saying they were often unable to identify and manage the complications of their clients and often misdiagnosed abscesses, and tissue necrosis as bruising.
BBC article – Arrests after woman dies following 'BBL procedure' (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Miami surgeon faces Brazilian butt lift complaints
Botched botox and the UK’s legislative crackdown on ‘cosmetic cowboysʼ
The Bottom Line – the costs and risks of the butt-lift