ABC7’s The More in the Morning team spoke with Dr. Michael K. Kim, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, to discuss how the state of Florida is trying to decrease the number of deaths associated with the Brazilian butt lift. Because of the complications that result from the surgery, the state’s board has issued an emergency order to cut down on the number of Brazilian butt lift procedures. Southwest Florida has become a mecca for Brazilian butt lift (BBL) surgery as women fly in from across the country to undergo the popular procedure. But recently, at least 19 women have lost their lives in our area following the cosmetic surgery in the last five years.
In response to alarming death rates following Brazilian butt lift (‘BBL’) procedures, Florida’s Board of Medicine has put new emergency regulations in place. Plastic surgeons will now be limited to performing a maximum of three BBL surgeries per day to avoid fatigue. The emergency order also recommends that doctors use ultrasound technology during the procedure to minimize the risk of arterial puncture while reinjecting the fat taken from the patient’s body. Many local Florida doctors have praised the ruling with some saying they think the new laws should be applied nationally across the United States.
In the emergency order approved Friday June 24, 2022, which expires in 90 days, the board also mandated surgeons use ultrasound technology when performing BBLs to avoid injecting fat into the muscle, which can cause a pulmonary embolism - the main cause of death in patients who have died following the procedure.
It should be stated that Dr. Michael K. Kim does NOT perform this procedure.