ITV News’ Cree-Summer Haughton went undercover to expose unregulated Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) practices and discovered an alarming rise in the dangerous cosmetic surgery happening in the UK
All it took was one phone call and suddenly, I found myself being called to a house to inject a syringe full of liquid filler into someone’s bum.
Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBL) have been described as the the most dangerous cosmetic surgery in the worldhowever the non-surgical alternative, which involves injecting cosmetic filler instead of fat transfer, is becoming increasingly popular and is often touted as a safer, pain-free alternative.
I’ve been researching the issue for months, looking at training standards, increasing the number of procedures going wrong and the campaigners trying to ban it.
Those looking for hourglass figures inspired by the likes of Kim Kardashian may have been put off by recent headlines about BBL procedures having the highest mortality rate of any plastic surgery.
It is understood that potential patients have turned their attention to alternative means of achieving their goal, and the one-day, less invasive procedure has grown in popularity with discount offers regularly promoted on social media.
Promotion from domestic celebrity endorsements may be another factor contributing to rapid acceptance. Katie Price recently did the procedure on TikTok live, with other influencers such as Mariam Musa also documenting their experiences.
It is currently fully legal for non-medical professionals to inject fillers in the UK and for this procedure, a one-day training course appears to be the industry standard.
As many doctors offering aesthetic treatments do not offer BBL fluids due to the risks involved, I wanted to know: should the procedure be marketed at all?
If you have experienced complications following a cosmetic surgery procedure, please contact Investigations@itv.com
It doesn’t take long to find many places on the Internet that will give you a quick lesson in liquid fillers.
However, as someone with no experience using syringes, I wasn’t sure I would find someone who would easily invite me.
I soon realized that with a credit card anything was possible.
Under a fake name and pretending to be someone who once had some lip fillers done a few years ago (which I hadn’t) I found myself on my way to the VVV Beauty Clinic in London, to be trained on a one-day course.
These courses are obviously not free. I had to hand over £700, and that was pretty cheap compared to others.
Upon arrival I was welcomed into a home, not a clinic, given PPE and asked no further questions. The only form I filled out was my consent to be filmed for their social media channels.
I waited with two other trainees for an hour before the instructor, who calls herself an online doctor, arrived. One of my other fellow trainees remarked on how secretive it all seemed during the wait.
When we started, briefing previously consisted of a short multiple-choice Q&A session with no written literature to refer to at the time or afterwards.
The instructor then proceeded to tell us how to get the relevant medication necessary for the procedure, including numbing agents and levels.
And after just half an hour of theory, a live model arrived for us to inject. It became apparent that this model was participating to receive the treatment at a reduced price. There was a short demonstration of where to inject and then we were given the green light to begin the procedure.At this point, I was wondering if the model knew what she was signing up for, as it was very clear, very soon, that she was in excruciating pain.
Within seconds, it was my turn and I made my excuses about why I didn’t feel ready to inject someone.However, they were happy to let me stay and continue filming. The model remained in pain, the filler itself looked lumpy and proceeded to spill out of the injection sites into her butt.
At the end of the procedure, the model questioned whether she was successful and complained about the lump – which she was told if she drank two liters of water a day for two weeks, it would go away. We have since been told that there is no medical basis for this advice.
I was shocked at what I saw, but unfortunately it became clear that this industry is full of bad experiences.Save Face is a government-approved registry for beauty professionals. They are campaigning to ban the procedure after receiving nearly 200 reports of liquid BBLS since last year.
Two-thirds of these cases reported infection, and in each complaint, the doctor has no health care qualifications.
This is exactly the number of people who reported to Save Face, the actual number of incorrect jobs is likely to be significantly higher.
There is currently no regulation that covers the entire beauty industry and there is nothing in the legislation that says everyone who performs these procedures must meet a certain level of training.
The government has proposed a plan to impose a legal requirement. The interns have a license, but admit it could be two years away.
I took my research findings to Ashton Collins, Director of Save Face, and Dr Paul Bagley who reacted to the footage from my training.
After getting over their visible shock, they pointed to misinformation, multiple risks of infection and genuine concern for the model’s health.
“I don’t know where to start,” said Dr. Bagley, a trained physician with 40 years of experience. “The environment is completely unacceptable for this process.”
“This is probably one of the most horrific videos I’ve seen, it’s just horrific.”
“It’s a list of risks, this course,” adds Ashton Collins. When asked how she feels about it, she replied “angry”.
“It makes me feel moved because this is happening all over the country every day, and more and more people are getting these treatments, the appetite for them is insatiable, and these so-called training academies are capitalizing on them.
“They are not safe and should be illegal. That’s why we want the ban.”Ashton usually campaigns for safer practices, but Save Face has taken the position of banning the procedure altogether.
ITV News is not aware of any complaints about the procedures carried out by the VVV Beauty Clinic.In response to our inquiry, VVV Beauty Clinic told us: “We adhere to and respect UK law and are monitored by medical and official authorities.”
Following the presentation of our evidence, Marc Pacifico, President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) said: “BAAPS has received worrying information which shows that people without medical qualifications are attending short, one-day ‘training’ sessions to learn how for the administration of filler injections in the buttocks.
“This practice is extremely dangerous and has the potential for numerous complications, including bleeding, infection, allergic reactions, and even death if the filler is accidentally injected into a deep vein.“The involvement of both the instructors conducting these courses and the participants highlights a significant lapse in judgment and awareness that poses a significant risk to public safety. Urgent action must be taken to stop this practice.”
Want a quick and special update on the biggest news? Listen to the latest episode of What You Need to Know to Learn…
