Butt injections, despite their risks, remain popular. More and more people are becoming comfortable with the idea of getting an extra shot of silicone shot up their derriere in the hopes of elevating their butts closer to Kim Kardashian levels.

And silicone butt injections are the most well known kind, since they’ve been around the longest. Let’s delve deeper into the reality of silicone “booty shots,” shall we?

What are Silicone Butt Injections?

Silicone is a favorite of plastic surgeons since it easily mimics the properties of real fat so that the implants look very natural. In fact, solid silicone is considered legal in the USA for cosmetics reasons, and is used widely for surgical implants.

However – silicone that comes in liquid form is still illegal. The reasoning behind this, is that it has the tendency to be displaced and move to different parts of the body through the blood stream. Excess silicone in the body is downright dangerous and can cause inflamed tissue, and in very rare cases, poisoning that can lead to death.

Aside from the material being used, silicone injections are also notorious for being administered by non-professionals, also known as shot girls. There are horror stories of silicone shots being done in seedy motel rooms where so-called “technicians” just rub anesthesia on the derriere and inject shot after shot of silicone, without prior consultations or knowledge about a person’s pain tolerance.

Those who’ve gone through these illegal procedures describe it like having bubbles injected onto your body, and the pain being very severe and the results being horrific. Take, for example, this woman who lost her limbs from these “booty shots”…

So what has gotten all these people hooked? The effects are instantaneous. Right after the injections you can see the plumpness, and that instant gratification can be addicting. The actual effect only lasts for a year or two before it starts sagging, and then you’ll have to go for a “retouch”.

At less than $300 a session, most women go for annual silicone shots because the price is still much cheaper than having a surgical implant that costs upwards of 8,000 dollars.

But the risks of having these silicone shots administered are huge, even more so since there is no regulatory board or accredited institution that does this in the USA. There are cases when the patient’s rear swells up so much and they get high fevers due to the infection. Even years after you have it done, the effects can still come back to haunt you.

Women who have done these silicone injections in their youth now regret it. One recounts how the silicone injected to her butt has now migrated to her hips while her actual derriere is now hard, lumpy and sensitive. Aside from the physical effects, too much silicone in the body also leads to compromising your immune system.

What are My Other Options?

Back in the day, women who wanted a bit more booty before only had two choices: butt implant surgery or dangerous, black market injections with risky materials like silicone or hydrogel.

But developments in cosmetic surgery now offer a much safer middle ground. Enter the Brazilian Butt Lift. This “butt lift” actually does more than lift your bum – it enhances it.

It’s done by first extracting fat from selected parts of your body (like the belly), purifying that fat, and then re-injecting it through micro injections into your booty.

This is a much safer process then silicone butt injections since the fat comes from your body, so your immune system will not treat it as a foreign object and it is currently the gold standard of butt augmentation procedures. Read more about the Brazilian Butt Lift!