Is This What Beauty Has Come To? Hype or Health? You Decide

Photo by Evie S. on Unsplash

Can someone please tell me when having a Brazilian Butt Lift (also called BBL) became so popular in America? Why do so many women and men want to reshape and enlarge their backsides? Is it truly safe to have fat moved from one body part to another?

I came a across a news clip on YouTube that piqued my interest on the subject. Then I saw an episode of Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller that included scenes discussing BBLs.

As usual, I had to take a closer look at what the hype was all about.

Where I grew up, it was all about being thin. Therefore, slender models and celebrities were the people being idolized and emulated.

Little did I know that wide hips and large buttocks would eventually become popular and, apparently, affordable. Sometimes, however, popularity comes with a price.

⚞⚛ ⚛ ⚛ ⚛ ⚛

What’s up with BBL and Health?

There’s no evidence suggesting that BBL surgery is medically necessary. The BBL is an elective surgery that appears to be a cosmetic confidence booster.

Undeniably, every person has the right to make decisions about their own body. Why should anyone be upset because you choose to have a BBL? They’re not in your shoes and don’t know your physical or emotional needs.

It’s true, you or I may find ways to enhance our appearances by wearing makeup or flattering clothes, getting fancy hairdos, and going for various spa treatments. I suppose that’s not always enough, causing people to seek alternative beauty treatments like BBLs.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to want to enhance your appearance. However, having a BBL gives me pause because it seems like such a drastic measure to take to make yourself look good.

✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂

What are Specific Health Risks of BBL?

Since the surgery is performed on your backside, sitting down becomes an issue until you’ve healed. Obviously, one of the issues that comes with recovery is being unable to sit down for a while.

So, if you’ve traveled to another state for the procedure, you may not be able to wait very long to go home. In that case, you could be causing yourself more harm than good. And, unless you plan to make frequent trips to that location, you won’t receive follow-up care from the doctor who performed the surgery.

Also, having a job that requires you to sit down for most of your shift further complicates the matter. How are you supposed to work? Can you use a stand-up desk for eight hours? Do you even have access to a desk that stands?

What’s more alarming is so many individuals flocking to places like Miami and its neighboring cities for the procedure when research finds that South Florida has the highest BBL mortality rate in the country, and statistics show “25 BBL-related fat emboli deaths between 2010 and 2022.”

Hearing about one fatality is enough for me to take a closer look. Honestly, what greater health risk is there than imminent death?

Does a BBL Last Long?

When considering a BBL, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:

· Will the sudden burst of confidence or self-esteem have a lasting or temporary effect?

· Am I doing this to live up to society’s beauty standards?

· Am I willing to accept that my results may change as I age?

❓❓❓❓❓

Cleveland Clinic indicates the effects of BBL surgery are only semi-permanent. That means you’re spending thousands of dollars on a cosmetic procedure that may need to be done again in 10 years or less.

To avoid immediate physical changes, you’d probably need to closely watch your weight to ensure that you don’t go far from where you were at the time of the BBL surgery. That may be easy for someone who spends lots of time at the gym. But for the other folks, it could be more challenging.

What happens if you prefer to eat and not exercise? What if you’re a light eater and can’t stop losing weight? Maybe the BBL isn’t as promising as the hype makes it sound.

😔

Is It Just BBL Hype?

At first, I thought it was like the skinny fad of the past. However, it looks like the BBL trend is here to stay.

Again, having a BBL procedure may not be what you see on the big screen. We’ve all seen celebrities flaunting their enhanced bodies on various social media platforms. But we don’t know what they had to go through to get their new looks.

I personally know a couple of people who have had the procedure. It’s interesting to hear why someone wants to change the look of their body. The reasons I’ve heard stem from business ventures to sheer vanity.

Realistically, men and women have been getting face lifts, Botox, and other cosmetic treatments for years. But it seems like the BBL surgery is receiving a lot more attention. I’m sure social media plays a major role in this phenomenon.

Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash

So, What Am I Saying?

I can’t say that BBL surgery is bad, because it’s a personal preference. The reality is you can go to South Florida, New York, Mexico, Turkey, or to an underground pumper for the procedure.

You can enlarge and reshape your backside as much as you like. You can have the BBL procedure as many times as you want. You can emulate your favorite celebrity or become a newer version of yourself.

Nevertheless, the risks remain the same, which include extreme dissatisfaction or serious health hazards that could potentially lead to death.

I’m simply saying that my research and encounters have not convinced me that the hype of having the BBL procedure doesn’t outweigh the health risks.

What do you think?