Edinburgh residents have been handed an urgent warning from Edinburgh City Council over Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) surgery that is due to be carried out in the capital this weekend (April 26-28).
The local authority's environmental health team say they have been made aware that BBL operations could be taking place across the weekend and have urged anyone who has booked an appointment during this period to contact them.
They point to people responding to social media posts online and add that other local authorities across the UK have received complaints after similar procedures were carried out in their areas that led to people requiring medical attention.
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Cllr Neil Ross, Convener of the Regulatory Committee at the City of Edinburgh Council, 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 as a matter of urgency.”
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The Scottish Sun previously reported how a 49-year-old was left in serious pain when liquid 'fillers' were injected into her butt at a Holiday Inn located in the centre of Glasgow.
They added that the individual had to be rushed to Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride where scans revealed she had a serious infection.
Medics advised the patient, who had paid £2,000 for the BBL procedure, that they were lucky not to contract sepsis.
Save Face UK, a Government-approved register for medical aesthetic treatments, criticised the procedure and its set up, with their director, Ashton Collins, telling the Sun: “Hotel rooms and domestic settings are not safe environments for injectable procedures — it is not a sterile setting.
“It is a recipe for disaster."
The NHS give advice to those considering the treatment, they say that surgical fat transfer is a cosmetic surgery that moves fat from one part of the body to another - also known as a "fat graft" or "lipomodelling".
The aim is to remove unwanted fat from an area of the body, such as the tummy or thighs, and use it to smooth or increase the size of another area, such as the breasts or bottom. A surgical fat transfer involving the bottom is often known as a Brazilian butt lift (BBL).
On their website they said: "Having a surgical fat transfer is a big decision. It can be expensive, the results cannot be guaranteed, and there are risks."
They add: "There have been a number of deaths following complications of the BBL procedure.
"BBL surgery has the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures.
"The main concern is that the injected fat can cause a blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs (pulmonary embolism), which can be fatal."
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It is understood that BBL procedures within specialised clinics charge roughly £3,000 and £8,000 for the treatment.
Anyone who may have a BBL procedure booked from Friday 26 April to Sunday 28 April in Edinburgh should e-mail environmentalhealth@edinburgh.gov.uk or phone 0131 200 2000.
