A new documentary explores the high mortality rate in Miami’s Brazilian butt lift (BBL) tourist industry.
According to the Florida Department of Health, there have been 21 deaths from BBL surgeries in Florida since 2015. 92% of those deaths occurred on one street in Miami where several “high volume” BBL clinics are located.
Most of the deaths are caused by fat embolisms when fat is accidentally injected into muscle. The fat enters the bloodstream and travels to the lungs causing sudden death.
Plastic surgeons who refuse to perform BBL procedures blame lawmakers for the unregulated BBL industry in Miami.
A podiatrist (foot doctor) with no plastic surgery experience can open a BBL clinic in Miami and it’s perfectly legal.
BBL surgery has the highest mortality rate of any cosmetic surgery, according to a report in The NY Times.
Doctors say that even if the BBL industry was strictly regulated, women would still risk their lives to attain the “perfect” body like Kim Kardashian, Moriah Mills and Jessica Rabbit (pictured).
Instagram influencer Ms. Jacky Oh, 32, traveled to Miami in May for a “mommy makeover” after giving birth recently. She is pictured below with aspiring comedian DC Young Fly, the father of her children.
Jacky, real name Jacklyn Smith, died alone in a Miami hotel room on May 31 after reportedly undergoing liposuction and vaginal rejuvenation surgery by Dr. Zachary Okhah, a.k.a. “Dr. Zach.”
She was laid to rest in Atlanta on Saturday, June 10.
“I didn’t even know about the death rates,” 26-year-old podcaster Helly Larson told Vox.com. She survived a BBL procedure at a Miami clinic in 2019.
“Miami is the chop shop of plastic surgery,” Larson told Vox.com. She said clinic staff called and emailed her regularly prior to her surgery, but once it was over, “It’s crickets.”
Watch the documentary below.
