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If online commentary by prominent influencers is anything to go by, the infamous Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is well on the rise in South Africa.
The BBL is a surgical procedure that is also known as a gluteal augmentation.
Usually, a BBL consists of fat grafting, also known as liposuction, where a surgeon resizes and reshapes the buttocks, hip area and stomach area to give the patient more of an hourglass figure.
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Many often mistake a BBL for butt implants, however, the two differ in that butt implants use artificial liquids such as silicone to make the body curvier and fuller, while the BBL uses fat stored in other parts of the patient’s own body to achieve a similiar look.
While the idea of going in for surgery to achieve the perfect hourglass shape may seem enticing, BBL surgeries definitely burn a hole in the pocket, with the surgery costing between R75 000 and R100 000 in South Africa, and between R49 000 and R70 000 in Turkey, which has become a popular destination for South Africans looking to get a BBL at a more affordable premium.
But BBLs are considered one of the world’s most dangerous cosmetic surgeries, with the highest mortality rate of all cosmetic surgeries.
This is because there is a high risk of the fat that was moved from one part of the body to another being released into important veins, wherein they they travel to other organs such as lungs and harm those organs.
The adage that “beauty is pain” seems to galvanise those going under the knife though, as local celebrities are leading the BBL pack and talking openly about their surgeries.
Here are some celebrities who’ve come out of theatre with the best BBLs:
XOLI GCABASHE
According to the content creator, getting a BBL is the nature of a “high-value woman”, which is something the popular YouTuber has gone into great detail about on her channel.
She got her BBL in 2021 and detailed her recovery on her YouTube channel and on talk shows such as Relebogile Mabotja’s Unpacked, saying it was “absolute hell and excruciatingly painful”.
SITHELO SHOZI
Crowned South Africa’s face of the BBL, Shozi is definitely BBL royalty. She flew to Turkey for her procedure last year.
After fans of the Metro FM host initially assumed that she had got herself some butt implants for the attention of men, Shozi set the record straight on Tbo Touch’s afternoon drive show, The Touchdown.
She said:
She also playfully opened up about her recovery journey in a tweet that read:
the waist training that comes with lipo?! ???? cha bandla cela ningibuyisele umkhaba wami
— Sithelo Shozi (@sithelo_shozi) November 26, 2022
EVA MODIKA
Her journey has been a little bit quieter than the rest. While not much is known on the details of her surgery, last year she teased fans with an Instagram post which showed a more chiseled and sculpted body that looked like it had gone under the knife, with a caption that read: “Ain’t no miles here, new body.
LERATO NXUMALO
The YouTuber and actress from the hit show Durban Gen is the latest celebrity to hop on the BBL bandwagon.
At the end of 2022, she went to Clini Wise in Turkey and documented her journey for her fans.
She was even featured on the Clini Wise YouTube channel, which detailed her experience with the doctors and nurses at the famous cosmetic surgery centre.
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INNO MOROLONG
Morolong’s claim to fame was on the Showmax reality TV show Diamond & Dolls, about the rise of influencers in South Africa.
The social media personality and socialite got her BBL in 2022 as well. In an interview with TshisaLive, she detailed her surgery saying: “I paid for a tummy tuck, liposuction and BBL. In all the seasons, I used to be chubby, but now I’m just a doll ... and I can wear whatever.”
She said that the surgery had made her more comfortable and confident in her own skin.
