Nationally, more than 60,000 people a year in the United States will undergo a cosmetic surgery procedure called the Brazillian Butt Lift, which is popularized by celebrities and social media influencers.
BBLs, as they are called, can be dangerous.
The mortality rate is the highest of any plastic surgery.
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A Tampa cosmetic surgeon was disciplined this month by the Florida Board of Medicine after his patient died after a butt lift procedure in Brazil.
The ABC Action News I-Team investigates what experts say can cause deaths and talks to a cosmetic surgeon about what can be done to reduce the risk.
In early June, Dr. Joseph Castellano walked out of a Florida Medical Board meeting following a disciplinary hearing regarding the death of a patient under his care.
He settled his case, agreeing to never have another Brazilian Butt Lift procedure.
Castellano Cosmetic Surgery FB page
Death after surgery results in $250,000 malpractice settlement, board discipline
Audrey Torres, 35, a single mother who lived with her 23-month-old son in Wimauma, died after going to Castellano Plastic Surgery Center on February 20, 2020, to have a Brazilian Butt Lift.
Neither her family nor their lawyers can discuss the case because her estate sued Dr. Castellano and agreed to a confidentiality agreement.
Torres family
State records show they reached a $250,000 malpractice settlement in the case.
This money will go to support Torres’ young son.
You may recognize Castellano from his billboards that have dotted high-traffic streets in Tampa Bay for years, touting his results as “simply beautiful.”
Dr. Castellano has been promoting Brazilian Butt lifts on his website and social media.
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“It’s a great option for someone who has a little extra fat and wants to transfer it to their butt,” Dr. Castellano said in a demonstration video posted in 2016 on his clinic’s Facebook page.
“This patient here, we’re liposuctioning her tummy, her arms, her back, her inner/outer thighs…. then we transfer it all to her butt,” he said.
Torres’ BBL surgery took place nearly four years later at the Castellano Clinic on MacDill Avenue.
According to a Florida Department of Health complaint, complications developed during Torres’ surgery.
He was taken to the hospital, where he died.
An autopsy revealed that she died of “fat embolism,”… which is when fat particles enter the bloodstream and block circulation.
As part of his settlement with the Florida Board of Medicine, Dr. Castellano will receive a letter of concern, pay a $10,000 fine and investigative costs, complete five hours of continuing education and be permanently restricted from performing Brazilian Butt Lifts.
Castellano declined an on-camera interview, but said in an email, “I cannot comment on the extenuating circumstances of the patient, but I disclaim any responsibility in this case.”
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The numbers of BBL procedures and deaths are increasing in Florida
“With BBL, the main risk that has caused death has been pulmonary fat embolism,” said Dr. Thomas Su.
Dr. Su is a cosmetic surgeon who owns the Artistic Lipo Cosmetic Surgery Center in Tampa, where he specializes in liposuction.
He is not involved in Dr. Castellano’s case, but is closely following reports of an increase in BBL deaths in Florida, which he believes are preventable.
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“If you inject fat into the gluteal muscle, the gluteal muscle, there are big veins there, that if the fat got into that, it goes straight to the heart and the lungs and it can kill you very quickly,” Dr. Sue said.
That’s what the state believes happened to Torres, citing evidence that Castellano injected fat into her muscles in violation of a health department rule passed a year earlier.
This rule came after multiple surgical associations issued a warning in 2018 that BBLs had a mortality rate of 1 in 3,000 — higher than any other cosmetic procedure.
But a recent study showed that after the Florida Department of Health’s rule went into effect, neither procedures nor deaths decreased.
Low-cost, high-volume clinics account for most BBL deaths
The National Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Data Bank shows that the number of BBL procedures increased from 3,762 in 2011 to 61,387 in 2021.
“Certainly, the number of BBLs per year is increasing very rapidly,” said Dr. Su.
He said more BBL surgeries are done in South Florida than anywhere in America.
In Miami-Dade County, you can find dozens of mall-based Brazilian butt lift clinics that offer plastic surgery procedures at discounted prices.
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Report from Aesthetic Surgery Journal published this year reported that 25 women have died from BBL-related complications in South Florida since 2010.
Of these deaths, 92% occurred in low-budget, high-volume clinics.
“These big clinics, which have a lot of volume, often require their doctors, their surgeons, to do 10 to 12 BBLs a day,” Dr. Su said.
Many patients come from out of town, lured by online marketing and low prices.
We found BBLs advertised online for less than $3,000, a fraction of the cost of the same procedure at a traditional cosmetic or plastic surgery center.
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“Don’t buy a budget for your surgery. You get what you pay for, and it just carries a lot of risk if you do that,” Dr. Su said.
A proposed Florida Department of Health rule limits doctors to three BBLs per day and requires the use of ultrasound during the procedure.
This would help doctors prevent injecting fat directly into muscle.
Dr Sue believes the new rules will save lives.
If you have a story you’d like the I-Team to investigate, email us at adam@abcactionnews.com.
