Can I Inject Silicone Into My Butt?
Posted December 11, 2023 in Buttock Augmentation
Cosmetic injections continue to be a trendy aesthetic choice as more and more people continue to receive injectable treatments unapologetically. From wrinkle-relaxing BOTOX® Cosmetic to a wide selection of dermal fillers, nearly 5 million injectable procedures were performed in 2022. Fortunately, the FDA has deemed these injectables safe and effective to use.
However, several disturbing news reports in recent years detail how unlicensed providers are injecting trusting patients with life-threatening substances, including liquid silicone. While silicone injections are *technically* legal when performed by a licensed medical provider, liquid silicone is not FDA-approved for cosmetic use. In fact, in 2021, the FDA published a safety alert warning the public of the catastrophic risks involved with liquid silicone injections.
The History of Silicone for Cosmetic Purposes
Silicone comes in various forms, from liquid to hard plastic to the soft shell of a breast implant. However, silicone was initially designed primarily for industrial use. Yet that didn’t stop people from using it for off-label applications like breast augmentation.
As far back as World War II, Japanese prostitutes received injections of industrial silicone in their breasts to make them more appealing to American GIs. To keep the silicone from migrating to other parts of the body, doctors added cottonseed or olive oil to the injection. The oil caused immediate scarring, and the scar tissue would encapsulate the silicone, keeping it in the breasts.
However, as many women soon discovered, the side effects of these silicone injections were often horrid. Gangrene, infection, scarring, lung collapse, and even death affected the women injected with the dangerous industrial silicone.
Complications From Liquid Silicone Injections
In most cases, silicone injections are performed by people claiming to be aesthetic professionals and offering cheap facial fillers and butt augmentation. But the silicone they use is not medical grade—it’s industrial silicone used in items like hydraulic fluid, lubricants, and caulk. Some of the side effects from liquid silicone injections include:
Pain
Besides the pain of the injection, once the silicone is injected, it stretches the soft tissue around it, causing discomfort. Over time, the silicone may also pressure nerves around the injection site. When injected into the buttocks, this nerve pain can become chronic. Patients may end up with pain so severe that it hurts to sit down, and even touching the area can cause terrible pain.
Skin Necrosis
When silicone is injected into the body, your system sees it as an invader and activates its inflammatory response. To protect itself, the body creates a capsule of scar tissue around the silicone and then tries to push it out of the body through your skin. While your skin does its best to eject the offending substance, the pores in the area become clogged with silicone, and the skin begins to necrose, or die.
Migration
While you may intend for the liquid silicone to stay where it is injected, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the silicone migrates and causes deformities. Maybe some of the silicone from your silicone butt injection stayed in one of the buttocks where it was first injected, but the silicone on the other side moved downward into your thighs, so now you have an uneven butt and asymmetric legs. Even more serious problems occur when the silicone in your bloodstream migrates and blocks blood vessels in your heart, lungs, and brain. The result can be pneumonia, stroke, or even death.
Silicone injections can cause other complications like cysts, granulomas, and nerve damage. Unlike FDA-approved dermal fillers, silicone doesn’t dissolve over time. It’s permanent. Removing it becomes problematic because it requires surgery that may result in disfigurement, scarring, bleeding, issues with healing, and infections.
Why Do Some People Choose to Have Silicone Injections?
Most choose to undergo silicone injections out of ignorance. Others do it out of desperation. Some people don’t understand the danger of silicone injections and trust that the provider they’ve chosen has their best interests at heart. Instead, they focus on the fact that the process is simple, inexpensive, painless, has a quick recovery time, and is advertised to offer the results they desire.
What Are Safe Alternatives to Silicone Injections?
There are legal body and facial augmentation procedures that safely offer permanent results. These include:
Buttock Augmentation With Fat Transfer
A buttock augmentation using fat transfer, known to most as a “Brazilian Butt Lift,” involves extracting fat from other areas of your body and injecting it into your butt. Using liposuction, your surgeon harvests excess fat from your abdomen, waist, or flanks, purifies the fat, and injects it into your buttocks. This process offers a permanent and natural enhancement to the volume and shape of your backside.
Breast Augmentation
While silicone injections are dangerous, silicone implants are not. Silicone implants are FDA-approved as medical devices and are highly regulated in terms of safety and quality. With silicone breast augmentation, you can choose the shape and size of the implant that best fits your body and aligns with your desired results.
In some cases, fat transfer can also be used as an all-natural alternative to breast implants and facial fillers. If you want a more permanent solution to volume loss in your face, fat transfer may be the answer. For breast augmentation, fat transfer offers a slight boost to your bosom (increasing it to about one cup size higher). It is also used in breast reconstruction surgery after a lumpectomy or mastectomy.
Learn More About Injectable Treatments in Fresno
While it may be tempting to take advantage of inexpensive cosmetic procedures, the low cost is never worth the risk to your health. Always choose a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Mark Chin for your augmentation procedures, and never be afraid to ask questions about their experience and expertise. For more information on breast augmentation, buttock augmentation, or other injectable procedures, call Valley Institute of Plastic Surgery at (559) 435-9646 or fill out our online contact form.