Brazilian butt lifts, better known as BBLs, are on the rise.
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the numbers of BBLs performed globally has increased by 77.6% since 2015. Insider previously reported plastic surgeons say they're seeing record numbers of patients requesting BBLs.
While the "BBL effect" is in full swing, plastic surgeons caution patients to properly vet their doctors before the invasive surgery, as BBLs have the highest mortality rate of any cosmetic procedure.
Dr. Norman Rowe, an American Board of Plastic Surgery certified plastic surgeon, told Insider many of these botched procedures are the result of unqualified surgeons performing BBLs and making mistakes.
"Don't skimp when it comes to your health," Rowe said. "You skimp on your vacation, you skimp on your car, don't skimp on your health."
Here are three questions Rowe says you should ask your doctor before surgery to avoid getting botched.
Is your doctor a board-certified plastic surgeon?
Finding a surgeon who is adequately qualified to perform your BBL is the most important step in the process.
According to Rowe, you should make sure your surgeon is board-certified in plastic surgery, meaning they have their certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
There are board-certified doctors in other specialties like urology or family medicine who can take courses in cosmetic surgeries and provide cosmetic procedures to patients. Rowe said you should steer clear of them, as your surgeon should have their primary training in plastic surgery.
"There's a lot of plastic surgeons, but there's less trained in plastic surgery," Rowe said.
How many BBLs have they performed?
The next question you should ask your surgeon after researching their qualifications is how many BBLs they've performed.
Rowe told Insider if a surgeon has only performed a handful of BBLs as opposed to tens or hundreds, it could indicate this isn't their area of expertise.
"You don't want someone to dabbling in this procedure," Rowe said.
Where will your doctor inject the fat during your BBL?
The best practice guidelines for how to properly and safely perform a BBL have shifted over the years, as they have for many procedures.
Rowe says the best way to tell whether or not your surgeon is up to date on these new rules is asking where they will inject the fat into your buttocks.
BBLs take fat from one area of the body like the stomach or arms and inject it into a patient's bottom to make it bigger.
According to Rowe, 15 years ago it was considered safest to inject the fat into the muscle or under the muscle during a BBL. However, those guidelines have changed as doctors found injecting into the muscle or under increases the chance of creating a fat embolism, which can kill patients.
Now, surgeons are advised to inject the fat under the skin but on top of the muscle, though some stick to the old technique of injecting under the muscle.
"Some people still do it because they think they get better results, but it's a roll of the dice and I just don't roll the dice. I'm not a gambler," Rowe said.
