Disgusting ‘BBL smell' side effect might make people reconsider getting popular surgery

New York Post

06-07-2025

Do you smell that?
The Brazilian butt lift (BBL) surgery is a procedure that enhances the size and shape of someone's rear end through a fat transfer.
It's often considered a dangerous procedure by experts since there's a possibility of death, infection and more.
Advertisement
BBL surgeries are popular but there is a gross side effect that many people don't realize patients can get.
xartproduction – stock.adobe.com
Not only is a BBL surgery risky — but there's one bizarre, rather gross, side effect that comes from it that might make potential patients reconsider getting it done.
'The BBL smell is real,' Dr. Eric Anderson from Chicago-based Impressions Face + Body told the Daily Mail.
Advertisement
This unexpected side effect is often described as a musty or sour smell, according to South Shore Plastic Surgery.
The team of experts there said a smell is often expected for BBL patients after sweating or sitting for long periods.
But there are a variety of other factors, like tissue death — which is a BBL complication — and unhygienic habits, that could cause someone with a BBL to have a smelly behind, according to Anderson.
A rancid smell can come from a BBL surgery for a few reasons.
deagreez – stock.adobe.com
Advertisement
If a patient was 'overfilled with fat during the procedure,' fat necrosis — which is when fatty tissue in the butt dies — can occur.
As a result, a rancid smell can develop.
'When there is more fat in an area than the blood supply allows, the fat will die through a smelly process called fat necrosis, which can lead to infections that need antibiotics, hospitalizations, and even sepsis,' he told the outlet.
Advertisement
Another more obvious cause is that BBL patients might struggle cleaning their derrières.
If patients leave any residual stool or urine on the skin — bacteria can grow, which will cause a stinky smell, according to South Shore Plastic Surgery.
Cevre Hospital recommends that people with a BBL use gentle, fragrance-free wet wipes or a bidet to properly clean themselves after using the bathroom.
While many potential risks come with getting a BBL, one woman revealed that she underwent two BBL surgeries because the first one 'died.'
'A lot of the fat that's re-injected into your buttocks actually dies — like 50% or sometimes more,' Scarlet Black said in a TikTok video. 'For [this BBL] we focused on lifting [my butt] up and putting volume in it.'
Black doesn't seem to mind having to go under the knife twice for the same procedure because she apparently has spent $36,000 on plastic surgeries to achieve her dream body.