A mum has issued a warning about the Brazilian 'butt lift' (BBL) procure after doctors told her daughter, 28, she had just minutes to live after undergoing one.
Janet Taylor, from Bradshaw, Greater Manchester, claims her daughter, Louise Moller, was only '10 minutes from death' after undergoing a BBL in October 2023.
A BBL is a surgical procedure where fat is taken from one part of the body and transferred to the buttocks area via an injection. Often fat is taken from either the stomach or thigh area.
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This procedure is particularly dangerous when performed by non-professionals who might inject into or near a blood vessel, causing tissue death.
Janet says her 28-year-old daughter, who has undergone cosmetic procedures in the past, booked herself in with a non-medic via WhatsApp, handing over a £435 deposit to a 'beauty consultant' in Essex.
Janet told The Bolton News: "It felt like they’d sold her the dream. She said she felt the procedure had been rushed. She was told just to keep taking antibiotics.
"Knowing what we know now, if she had not gone to the hospital when she did, Louise wouldn’t be here."
Janet went on: "I remember getting a call from the hospital, they said they needed to operate on Louise, or she was going to die, there was no doubt about it.
"They were preparing Louise for surgery, she was refusing because the surgeon couldn't tell her what he was going to cut off, she was so frightened and rang me for advice and to say goodbye."
Janet has urged for changes to be made, saying: "I do feel something further needs to be done to stop this frankly barbaric medical practice being conducted to such low standards that would certainly not be tolerated in the UK."
Louise also spoke to ITV News, who have been investigating the dangers of treatments like BBLs as a part of their documentary Britain's Backstreet Surgery Scandal.
She said of her experience: "I got told this procedure was not painful, it's definitely painful. It felt like a stabbing pain, and then I got a shooting pain.
"I screamed and said that really hurt, and then when I left the pain wasn't going away. They'd blocked the blood supply to my bum so obviously my skin tissue started to die.
"He said I had got sepsis and he needed to operate in 20 minutes, otherwise I wasn't going to be here any more."
Though she managed to survive the ordeal, Louise was left with an open wound that needed dressing twice a week. She is now taking legal action against the Essex clinic.
A spokesperson from Greater Manchester Police said: “When we were made aware of this incident, we took a statement from the victim and passed this evidence onto our colleagues in Essex.
“They have primacy in this investigation due to the reported offence location and will lead on enquiries in terms of any further action. We will continue to support their investigation as required.
“As with any investigation, if new information comes to light officers will conduct further enquiries and provide assistance where possible.”
Anish Vij