Fat grafting to the buttock, particularly the large fat grafting BBL, can be dangerous. Please see all my prior blogs on the subject HERE.
As a surgeon on the other side of the country, I see a lot of legislation come out of Florida to make surgery safer. I’m not sure what exactly goes on over there, but this law was “prompted by a rash of patient deaths attributable to gluteal fat grafts particularly in the Miami area.” Florida Legislature passed HB 1471.
What does it say?
- Mandatory use of ultrasound
- The surgeon must see the patients at least 24 hours before the procedure. (no same day in and have surgery, as some clinics met the patient and operated on them on the same day)
- The SURGEON (and yes, this was capitalized in the article I read) must do the fat extraction (liposuction) and injection. (I guess many places were having non surgeons do the liposuction.)
- There must be a 1:1 surgeon/patient ratio. (Some physicians were doing simultaneous BBLs, with no nonsurgeons doing the fat extraction)
- Ban on intra or submuscular injections.
- All office surgery units must be accredited by AAAASF.
My thoughts?
Gluteal fat grafting is risky if you do large amounts. A small amount to fix a dimple or give a little shape is okay if you stay superficial. To do any large amount which people do when they want to get a lot of volume, you run out of room to graft superficially, which is why the law specifically states no “intra or submuscular injections.”
The fact nonsurgeons are doing the liposuction to me is crazy- liposuction is a surgery. The tumescent and harvest can have big complications if not done correctly.
Fat emboli cannot be reversed. Again read my prior blogs. When you go deeper in the muscle area, there are all sorts of venous lakes and connections, so the fat can get in your bloodstream.
And the meet the patient/same day surgery is also crazy. I think it takes time to understand the procedure, meet your doctor, see if you are a good fit, have time to ruminate and ask questions, have time to understand if this is the right procedure for you, understand the risks, recovery, and likely result. Surgery is a big decision, and you need to make sure you feel comfortable with your doctor.
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