We may not all have time on our hands to achieve a Tammy Hembrow bum. An Instagram health guru who has achieved her perky peach naturally by eating well and committing to regular squats- a exercise renowned as the booty builder.

Whether it be a love-hate relationship with the gym, a hectic life, or a soft spot for a Big Mac or ten after a night out, it’s no surprise that we are suckers for a quick fix. 

Booty building or Booty Botching?

The Brazilian butt lift, commonly referred to as BBL, is a surgical means to sculpt the body to achieve the perfect Kim K hourglass figure.

The surgery includes taking fat (fat transfer) from problem areas such as the lower stomach and waist using liposuction techniques and transferring it to the bottom tissue as small fat droplets. Roughly 70% of this fat transfer will retain itself in the bum area, giving the desired long-lasting body contour. 

In 2017, BBL was up 10% despite the associated risks according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. As well as risks associated with any general anaesthetic, procedural risks range from bruising and swelling at the site to potentially cardiac arrest and breathing diffuclties. Further risks include fat necrosis, which is the formation of a lump in the area, which if becomes infected can result in a weeping wound.  

The two-step nature of this procedure mans that the risks are doubled. Bowl perforation (formation of a hole in the bowl wall) can be a serious complication of liposuction. The deadliest risks are associated with the fat transfer into the bum muscle. From the muscle, the fat droplets can enter the blood circulatory passing to the lungs and hearts (fat embolism) , causing life threatening consequences.  

What can we do as a society?

With our perception of beauty morphed by society, there’s no shock that despite the deaths associated with such surgery, individuals will still risk their lives in a chase for perfection. From a scientific perspective if we can’t dampen the demand, then we should improve the safety of such procedures. 

Research into new techniques, to achieve the fuller bum, include the use of blunt cannulas, which slide through the tissue, rather than injecting the muscle which can damage blood vessels in the process. 

It seems the only cure for our beauty obsession is to change our beauty perception.