Alarming risks of liquid BBLs as 'beautiful' Brit mum-of-five dies after procedure

The first Brit to die from a liquid Brazilian Butt Lift is a stark reminder of just how dangerous the procedure can be.

Mum-of-five Alice Delsie Preete Webb, 33, died on Monday after undergoing the celebrity-style enhancement. Unlike the surgical operation, liquid BBLs involve injecting hyaluronic acid and dermal fillers into the backside.

Similar procedures are listed online for £2,500 a time and can be performed in as little as 60 minutes. The Mirror understands Alice's treatment was allegedly performed by an unqualified practitioner without medical training. Detectives from Gloucestershire Police are investigating her sudden death and have arrested two people.

The liquid BBL trend is growing, as from December 2023 to March 2024, more 150 people complained about their procedures to Save Face - a government-approved register for aesthetic practitioners. Before then, back in 2022, the register had just a handful of complaints.

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Some clinics warn there is a risk of adverse reactions associated with synthetic fillers used in butt injections, which can include allergic reactions. However the complications can be much more serious.

More than 60 per cent of Save Face complainants suffered from an infection, just over half experienced life-threatening sepsis, 32 per cent noted an abscess and almost 40 per cent experienced migration, according to their report, which states that patients reported multiple complications.

Director of Save Face, Ashton Collins, who has campaigned for the Government to take urgent action, argues the enhancement should be banned. She told The Guardian last June that due to the treatment being 'very high risk', no reputable healthcare professional would offer it.

"It's a new and incredibly dangerous... all the cases reported to us have been carried out by non-healthcare practitioners who have prioritised profits ahead of the safety and wellbeing of their clients," she said. "These treatments are incredibly risky, and we have helped people who have contracted sepsis and have had to undergo surgery to remove the filler."

Kate Ross, clinical director and lead aesthetic nurse of The Clinic by LA Ross, told the Mirror: "Non-surgical BBLs are endorsed as a safe and quick way to add curves to the hips and bum and endorsed by influencers all over social media. But this procedure which is termed as safe is far from it…with statistics suggesting more than 50 per cent of patients face serious risks and end up in hospital.

"Aside from risks such sepsis, nodule formation, migration of the filler from the area of injection, there have also been isolated cases of death associated with the use of dermal fillers for butt augmentation across the globe and this week the UK saw its first victim. The most common cause is an embolism, which happens when the filler is accidentally injected into the bloodstream, causing a blockage that impedes good blood circulation to major organs."

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