Mother of 2 Dies After Brazilian Butt Lift: What Are the Risks?

Plastic surgery rates have soared over the past decade, and with these treatments happening so frequently, patients tend to feel more at ease than ever with their decision to go under the knife. Luckily, many people experience wonderful results; however, there is always the chance of a botched surgery or worse — fatality.

Sadly, for one West Virginia mother of two, her plastic surgery procedure took the latter route, devastating her family in the process.

Heather Meadows traveled to Florida for the increasingly popular “Brazilian butt lift” procedure at Encore Plastic Surgery, a medical center in northern Miami. The procedure appeared simple enough: Doctors perform liposuction on other parts of the body to pull the patient’s own fat and inject it into the buttocks area. But something went wrong during the surgery on 29-year-old Meadows, and she was consequently rushed to the emergency room, where she later died.

According to the medical examiner’s director of operations, Darren Caparara, Meadows experienced fat clots that caused her organs to fail. Caparara listed complications from the lipid transfer in which fat particles entered her bloodstream through a vein during the fat transfer process, the Associated Press reported.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only reported circumstance of a Brazilian butt lift gone tragically wrong. In 2014, a British woman contracted a flesh-eating bacteria from a botched Brazilian butt lift, while a mother of five also died due to a lung embolism during her procedure in 2013. These are absolutely terrifying instances, but this choice in surgery is typically a safe and popular option for people looking to give their behind a boost.

Because of the high success rate (or maybe the fact that celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, and Jennifer Lopez have made larger behinds popular), this has become an increasingly sought-after surgery. In only 2015, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons report accounts for a whopping 14,705 butt augmentations performed, giving it a 28 percent increase from 2014.

Again, Meadows’ experience is rare, but it’s certainly something to keep in mind before heading in for your own surgical appointment. According to Dr. Karen Soika, a Cosmetic Surgeon in Greenwich, Connecticut, there’s a risk with any surgery, but when it comes to butt augmentations, it’s a relatively safe option for healthy patients. “This is VERY rare,” she confirms, adding that surgeons should “always aspirate their syringe first before ever blindly injecting” to ensure that they aren’t inserting fat into a blood vessel.

Although, before undergoing any surgical procedure, it’s vital to do your homework. Consider the risks very carefully, and search for a trusted surgeon at a reputable facility. With the right research and extensive planning, patients should be able to trust that they’ll leave their doctor’s office with the results they desired.

Let’s keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.