According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Brazilian B*tt Lift, better known as a BBL, has become one of the defining cosmetic procedures of the last decade.
Its rise has been fueled by social media trends and the influence of celebrities like Cardi B, Kim Kardashian, and Nicki Minaj, turning the exaggerated hourglass silhouette into a global beauty standard.
The appeal is simple. Surgeons take fat from the abdomen, thighs, or hips, and inject it directly into the buttocks. For many women, it promises the body contours they have always wanted, achieved with their own fat instead of implants.
But behind the glamour lies a brutal reality. The BBL has the highest mortality rate of all cosmetic surgeries. The leading complication occurs when fat accidentally enters the bloodstream and travels to the heart or lungs, creating a blockage that can become fatal in minutes.
Add to this unlicensed practitioners, unsanitary conditions, dubious overseas clinics, and the use of dangerous fillers, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Here are some of the most tragic BBL-related cases in recent years.
Kayla Jade, an adult content creator with millions of followers, shared a disturbing account of her botched BBL in Turkey, adding another layer of danger to the already problematic procedure: suspiciously “cheap” overseas clinics.
She chose the establishment because of its glowing reviews, something she later called the first red flag. The moment she arrived, everything went from bad to worse.
First, doctors told her she didn’t have enough fat for the procedure and wouldn’t get the results she wanted. They went with the operation regardless, and then placed her on her back after surgery, a dangerous post-op position for a BBL.
What followed was even worse: Kayla says she was touched and kissed without consent by a male nurse while sedated, touched again in the elevator, left vomiting blood, drifting in and out of consciousness, and unable to process the trauma until months later.
She eventually underwent corrective surgery in Australia, saying she’s lucky to have survived what others haven’t.
Natasha Crown, a Serbian model, built a massive online following by pursuing what she calls “the world’s biggest behind,” spending more than £111,000 on cosmetic procedures, including five BBLs.
Natasha’s story became a cautionary tale.
More than her present body, it was her “before” photos that went viral, with thousands saying she looked far more beautiful before surgeries reshaped her face and body.
In an interview, Crown admitted her obsession started at 17 after seeing a woman with a large backside, and by 20, she was already undergoing procedures that would permanently alter her life.
Each BBL pushed her further into extreme proportions, packing on nearly 100 lbs. of surgical volume to her lower body alone.
The consequences have been severe.
Natasha says her size prevents her from sitting on planes without buying two seats and makes simple outings difficult because she constantly bumps into people. She also confessed that her appearance scares people.
The rapper has admitted on several occasions that she regrets the silicone injections she got in 2014 to enhance her buttocks.
According to her, she paid $800 for a dubious procedure in a Queens basement, and the material has remained in her body ever since. She said this ended up creating chronic health problems that she has been trying to fix for years.
Up until recently, Cardi B has undergone several surgeries to remove the silicone from her body, explaining to fans that it often takes multiple rounds before doctors can extract it safely.
Her confession conflicted with earlier claims from December 2022, when she told followers she had already removed most of the synthetic material.
Regardless of the exact amount that remains, she now warns younger women to avoid silicone at all costs, emphasizing that the compound can migrate and trigger permanent damage.
“Injectable silicone used for body contouring is not FDA-approved and can cause serious side effects that may be permanent or may even lead to de*th,” the US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement in 2017.
“The most painful operation I’ve had,” that’s how Katie Price, a 46-year-old English model, described her latest BBL after revealing its results in Ibiza.
As is the case with many of the women in this list, Price traveled to Turkey hoping for a cheaper alternative to local clinics. She then traveled to Spain and took various poolside photos flaunting her new body.
Fans were put off by the results, saying the procedure left her backside looking unnatural and misshapen.
The area where the transferred fat had been inserted was still healing, and a medical patch was visibly covering part of her buttocks. This led to a wave of comments asking whether the surgery site was “leaking.”
Price later admitted the fat transfer did not sit right on her body and left her in severe pain. Even so, she said she would continue seeking cosmetic procedures abroad, insisting on never undergoing surgery in England again.
The TV presenter became one of the most high-profile women to publicly reverse her BBL after years of procedures left her, in her words, depressed and unrecognizable to herself.
The Geordie Shore star admitted she had spent more than £50,000 trying to “fix” the damage caused by online trolling about her looks, only to spiral into deeper insecurity and regret.
When she finally had her BBL removed, Ferry said she felt like herself again, posting videos celebrating being able to try on jeans without the exaggerated proportions that had left her feeling like a botched experiment.
In her case, the consequences of her BBL were psychological more than physical. The procedure became a constant reminder of the pressures she faced while in the spotlight.
During a podcast interview, she confessed that the regret became so overwhelming that she questioned whether she wanted to stay alive.
María Peñaloza, a 31-year-old woman from Queens, lost her life after trusting a man on TikTok who pretended to be a licensed plastic surgeon.
Having regretted getting a BBL, she visited the alleged doctor’s New York home to have her implants removed, ignoring that such a delicate procedure should only be performed in a medical setting by trained professionals.
Instead, Felipe Hoyos-Foronda injected her with lidocaine inside his house, without credentials, equipment, or supervision. Minutes later, María went into cardiac arrest.
By the time hospital doctors checked on her, it was too late. Her brain activity had ceased, and her body had signs of lidocaine toxicity. There was nothing they could do to save her.
Hoyos-Foronda was arrested at the airport while trying to flee to Colombia and faced charges for practicing without a license.
In 2021, Erica Russell, a 33-year-old mother of five from Tennessee, traveled to Miami hoping a BBL would give her the body of her dreams. She chose Seduction Cosmetic Center, where an overworked surgeon ended up perforating her organs.
State records show Dr. John Sampson had already performed six operations that day before reaching Erica. By then, he had been inside the operating room for more than fourteen hours.
According to her autopsy, her internal organs were perforated during liposuction, and fat was injected too deeply into her buttocks.
The outcome was catastrophic.
Erica suffered massive internal bleeding and a fat embolism, conditions that left her no chance of survival.
In 2024, the family sued the clinic and the surgeon, arguing that no doctor should have been allowed to perform so many procedures in one day. Their only goal, they said, was to prevent another family from losing someone the way they lost Erica.
Miller was 28 when she lost her life after subjecting herself to the procedure. Both she and her sister, Kiera, traveled to Miami in March 2025 to undergo cosmetic surgeries.
Everything seemed to be in order for Ahmonique after her BBL, and she was discharged to an unlicensed recovery home to be monitored for complications.
The next day, however, Kiera woke up to find Ahmonique’s body cold. She had passed away while they were asleep.
Kiera later claimed that the recovery home had given her sister medication she had not been prescribed. The family believes the unapproved drug caused a reaction that led to her passing.
In June, authorities confirmed Kiera’s fears. They said that a combination of the painkiller Oxycodone and an unregulated substance, Bromazolam, was responsible for the fatal outcome.
Demi Agoglia, a 26-year-old mother, passed away after subjecting herself to a BBL in Istanbul, Turkey.
Agoglia traveled from Salford, UK, to the Middle Eastern country with her partner, Bradley Jones, on January 4, ignoring her mother’s pleas not to go.
The day following the surgery, Agoglia wrote to her mother stating that she finally had “the body she always wanted,” but the day after that, she received a second message, this time from Jones, which read: “She’s gone.”
A post-mortem determined that the passing was the result of a microscopic fat embolism, the exact complication that makes BBL so dangerous.
John Pollard, the coroner in charge of the case, labeled the procedure as a “barbaric medical practice,” made worse by severe failings in both pre- and post-operative care.
“I do feel something further needs to be done to stop this practice being conducted to such low standards that would certainly not be tolerated in the UK,” Pollard stated.
“The care in total fell well below the standard expected of this type of treatment, and the lack of care contributed significantly to Demi’s passing.”
In a case that shook Mexico to its core, 14-year-old Paloma Arellano lost her life after being “gifted” a set of cosmetic surgeries arranged by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, a plastic surgeon.
According to the investigation, the teen was put through breast implants, liposuction, and a BBL ahead of her quinceañera. Her father, Carlos Arellano, says he wasn’t told anything.
At the funeral, relatives noticed that Paloma’s body seemed weirdly “developed” overnight, and when he examined his daughter himself, he found scars and evidence of surgeries. He then confronted her mother, who said she had passed away from COVID complications instead.
Angry and desperate, Carlos demanded an autopsy and filed a complaint accusing multiple adults of hiding what had been done to his daughter.
The case was brought to the attention of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who publicly committed to reviewing the case.
On October 6, both the mother and the surgeon were charged. The doctor’s license was suspended.
Hayley Dowell, a 38-year-old mother from Hampshire, traveled to Istanbul hoping to come home with a flatter stomach and fuller hips. Instead, she never made it back.
Despite her husband’s objections, she booked an appointment at an establishment called BHT Clinic and underwent a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a BBL.
Hours after the surgeries began, Hayley suffered a fatal embolism and passed away that same night.
During the preliminary hearing, her husband testified that the clinic never properly explained the risks and that his wife believed she would undergo only two of the procedures, not all three at the same time.
In the aftermath, he learned she had paid more than £7,000 for the procedures.
What stunned Hayley’s family even more was the allegation that the surgeon walked out halfway through the procedure, leaving the anesthetist to continue alone. The operation, which should have lasted six hours, reportedly finished in less than two.
Marilha Menezes Antunes, a 28-year-old mother from Rio de Janeiro, lost her life after placing her trust in a surgeon with a long history of complaints and legal troubles.
Hoping to reshape her body with liposuction and a BBL, she entered a clinic that investigators later shut down for expired medication and inadequate equipment.
Moreover, the man operating on her had been previously convicted in another patient’s passing.
During the procedure, José Emílio de Brito reportedly perforated Marilha’s kidney, causing catastrophic internal bleeding. Rather than transferring her to a proper hospital, he attempted to revive her inside the rented clinic room, without the resources needed to save her.
By the time Emergency Medical Services arrived, Marilha had already succumbed to her injuries. Her family said she never stood a chance under those conditions.
The surgeon, who was facing numerous lawsuits and had been arrested before, was taken into custody once again.
Daidys Peña, a 50-year-old woman from Florida, had her life permanently altered after undergoing a BBL at A&E Med Spa.
Hoping the procedure would boost her confidence, she trusted the clinic and the doctor involved, unaware that he was not board-certified in plastic surgery despite being presented as one.
A month after the operation, Daidys suffered a massive pulmonary embolism that cut off blood flow to her lungs and heart. By the time doctors intervened, the damage was irreversible. She survived, but lost the ability to walk, talk, or eat on her own.
Her husband Jorge now cares for her around the clock. He says the woman he married never came back after the embolism.
He filed a lawsuit accusing the spa and Dr. Fermin Esteban Morales of misleading patients about his qualifications and performing a procedure that should never have been entrusted to him.
Santangelo, an actress known for her role in CSI: Miami, lost her life on March 24, 2025, after receiving silicone injections to enlarge her buttocks inside her own home.
The 58-year-old had sought the help of Libby Adame, a woman known in underground circles as someone who performed cosmetic procedures without medical training.
Adame botched the procedure, and one of the injections entered her bloodstream. As is usual with BBL fatalities, Santangelo suffered a fatal embolism.
Investigators later learned that Adame had already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the passing of another woman in 2019.
She had been warned in court the year before that repeating the procedure could lead to a m*rder charge.
The jury agreed. They ruled that Adame knew the dangers and continued anyway, and she was convicted of second degree m*rder and practicing medicine without certification.
Alice Webb, a 33-year-old mother of five from England, lost her life after undergoing a “non-surgical BBL” with a self-described beautician who advertised the procedure on social media.
Believing she was receiving a safer, less invasive version of the traditional BBL, she trusted practitioners who were not medically qualified to perform high-volume injections of hyaluronic acid.
Moreover, these types of procedures were already warned against by UK regulators for their risk of blood clots, sepsis, and tissue damage.
Shortly after the injections, Alice fell severely ill and was rushed to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, where her condition rapidly deteriorated.
Despite emergency intervention, she passed away in the early hours, becoming what authorities believe is the first person in the UK to lose their life from this specific type of BBL.
Police later arrested two people, including beautician Jordan “Lip King” Parke.
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