Surgeries to shape the body, such as after massive weight loss, take a long time, and are often performed on people who, despite a huge weight loss, still suffer from obesity or other diseases. During many hours of surgery, the many excess skins are removed, the weight of which can reach many kilograms.
In surgeries like these there are quite a few risks – from infection, through the opening of the incisions to problematic scarring of the skin. The plastic surgeons in Israel who perform these surgeries are mostly very experienced in the field. They have undergone training in the field abroad and always warn the patients of the possible complications. Mortality in these operations is possible, but it is extremely rare.
But when it comes to the Brazilian surgery to increase the buttocks, here the risks increase sevenfold. This surgery actually combines two elements: a large liposuction from body areas rich in fat (such as the abdomen, thighs or waist) and its implantation in the buttocks area.
This injection is considered the most dangerous, because it is carried out in two anatomical planes and in the amount of hundreds of grams. The first plane is subcutaneous and the deep plane is subcutaneous.
Inserting the fat into these planes involves the danger of the tube penetrating into large arterial or venous blood vessels and creating life-threatening emboli or infections.
Even buttock lift surgeries by removing huge excess skin from the lower back and upper part of the buttock (circumferential surgery, or belt lift), can get complicated.
The cases where the complications of the peripheral surgery end in death are very rare, but complications including disturbance of sitting and movement, opening of scars or necrosis should be taken into account by the patients.
It is always important to remember that despite the described risks, when the procedure is performed by a doctor in his field of expertise, it will usually end safely and with minor side effects. For many people these are second life treatments, which contribute significantly to their quality of life.
The writer is an expert in plastic and aesthetic surgery, Winkler Clinic clinics Tel Aviv and Modi’in
