Surgeons warn against butt lift

plastic surgeons, too.”

The new guidelines are specific, he said, adding that knowledge of anatomy and equipment are key to safe procedures. “Certainly we’re continuing to look at improvements of techniques.”

Studies on the procedure will continue to help resolve the issues, Dr. Rubin said, but in the meantime, the safety guidelines will be explained to doctors.

“Fat grafting in the buttocks has been going on for decades,” Dr. Rubin said. “In the last five years, we’ve seen an incredible growth in demand. Since 2014, the number of cases has doubled. Even though this procedure has been done safely for a long time, now it’s being done by many surgeons. A lot don’t have the same experience.”

He said patients should know that some doctors operate in facilities that are not accredited or licensed for the procedure.

Rap superstar Cardi B shared her black-market butt lift experience for a story in GQ in April. It was done in a basement in Queens when she was 21 and working as a stripper. The risky procedure used filler, not her own fat tissue, and she recalled no anesthesia and said she had complications afterward.

“You’re always going to be safest in the hands of a board-certified plastic surgeon,” Dr. Rubin said, recommending that people considering surgery should go online to see if their surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

“This is an operation that carries risk. Patients should know that,” Dr. Rubin said.

“We have strategies to reduce that risk,” he said. “One of the strategies is keep that fat out of the danger zone.” Otherwise, he said, there can be “catastrophic outcomes.”