BRAZILIAN Butt Lift (BBL) surgeries have long been touted as the riskiest cosmetic procedure you can get.
But for one woman whose body rejected the fat transfer seven weeks after her operation, the horrors stretched far beyond asymmetrical cheeks and lumpy thighs.
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Kay Montana, 39, was left smelling of “rotten flesh” – and it was so pungent that it seeped through her clothes and lingered everywhere that she sat down.
Her stench got so bad that it even endured on her clothes AFTER hot laundry cycles, escalating to the point that her boyfriend dumped her.
A BBL is a cosmetic surgery that involves liposuction to remove fat from areas like the stomach or thighs, which is then injected into the bum cheeks to make them bigger.
Mum-of-three Kay went under the knife at the same time as her sister a few years ago.
read more on plastic surgery
But while her sister’s began to properly heal after seven weeks, Kay’s wounds kept reopening and weeping.
She was using gauzes and bandages to control the leakage, and things got so bad that she was still wearing jeans at the height of summer in Pennsylvania, US.
If there is an infection at the surgical site of a BBL procedure, from either the liposuction or fat injection, it can produce a foul smell due to the bacteria.
This is the stench that cost Kay’s relationship.
She has bravely shared her story on TikTok as a warning to other women considering BBLs.
Kay described her “sit down air” as “stinking real bad” in one video which has totted up five million views.
“It got to the point where I had to carry around a bottle of air freshener or a bottle of perfume because when I would use public restrooms, it would stink so bad,” she explained.
“The smell would linger.
“It got to a point where I would even be washing my laundry weekly, like I’d been doing before I got the BBL, but when I would get my laundry out of the dryer, it would still smell like rotten flesh.”
Kay’s relationship broke down when her long-term partner revealed that he could ‘no longer stomach’ the stench coming from her body.
What are Brazilian Butt Lifts and why are they so popular?
Buttock enlargement surgery – known as a Brazilian butt-lift (BBL) – is used to make the bum look bigger, rounded and lifted.
Surgeons transfer fat, inject filler or insert silicone-filled implants.
It is the fastest growing cosmetic procedure but also one of the most dangerous, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).
Many patients are travelling to the likes of Turkey or seeking out unregistered surgeons in the UK and are not given full information on the risks.
BBLs carry the highest risk of all cosmetic surgeries – with more than one death occurring per 4,000 procedures.
Due to celebrities undergoing such ops, many women are hoping to emulate their looks.
Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Anu Sayal-Bennett, a chartered member of the British Psychological Society, told the BBC: “Despite there being so much about body positivity, there are pressures for women – and men too – to look a certain way.”
Many people travel abroad for the procedure because it is cheaper and advertising is “terribly seductive”, combined with the idea of a beach holiday, added Dr Sayal-Bennett.
“When I say that my BBL ruined my life, I even lost my boyfriend over it,” she said.
“At first, I’m in denial like, ‘nah, you’re hating’… But it was the truth.”
She went to see a doctor multiple times after her operation, but was only given antibiotics to control any potential infection the first few times.
After the tablets failed to heal her wounds, the doctors concluded that her body was rejecting the fat transfer.
When a body rejects a BBL, it generally means that the fat that has been injected into the bum is failing to reintegrate.
When I would get my laundry out of the dryer, it would still smell like rotten flesh
Kay Montana
Some of the injected fat may die (known as fat necrosis) and the body may react negatively to the foreign fat cells, leading to infections or excessive inflammation.
In some cases, the body may think the reinjected fat is a foreign substance.
Kay’s honesty about her BBL horror has struck a chord with millions of social media users, many of whom have reached out to commend her for sharing her experience.
One penned on TikTok: “I admire how candid you are about this.
“I’ve never heard this from anybody but I imagine you’re not the only one with this problem, just the only one that’s being honest.”
Another echoed: “You are so bold, brave and beautiful!
“You are helping so many women with your vulnerability.”
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