Miami's BBL prevalence lifts Southeast as butt-boosting hub
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The popularity of Brazilian Butt Lift surgeries in Miami has cemented the Southeast as the glute-boosting capital of the U.S.
Why it matters: The BBL, which involves injecting fat into the buttocks to create an hourglass figure, is so prevalent and accessible in South Florida that patients fly in from out of state just to get it done.
By the numbers: Data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons shows that 50% of all butt augmentation procedures performed by ASPS surgeons in 2024 were done in the Southeast region.
Yes, but: South Florida also had the highest BBL mortality in the U.S as of 2023, according to a study in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
By the numbers: There were 25 BBL-related fat embolism deaths in South Florida between 2010 and 2022, per the study.
- About 92% of the procedures were performed at high-volume, budget clinics that are often seen in local strip malls.
- The Florida Board of Medicine issued an emergency order in 2019 requiring surgeons to only inject fat grafts under the skin instead of in the muscle.
The intrigue: The BBL is "not just accepted but admired" in Miami, Dr. Bart Kachniarz, of Dr. K Miami Plastic Surgery, writes on his website.
- "Miami's diverse, cosmopolitan atmosphere creates a uniquely judgment-free environment for those pursuing cosmetic enhancements.
In some parts of the U.S., plastic surgery patients strive for subtlety, the Wall Street Journal reported.
- Not in Florida, according to plastic surgeon Dr. Norman Rowe, who operates clinics in Palm Beach, New York and New Jersey.
- "In Florida they want high-end results, and they don't care if someone goes, 'Oh, my God, you got a face-lift!'" Rowe told the Journal.
- "If that ever happened in New York, if one of my patients' friends said that to him, I'd be out of business."
Most patients in Florida favor surgery over minimally invasive procedures like Botox, he told the Journal.
- After President Trump won the 2024 election, Rowe says, requests for surgeries at his Palm Beach clinic skyrocketed.
- The majority of his requests were face-lifts, breast augmentations and an eyelid surgery called a blepharoplasty.
- "As soon as he won in November, there were people coming in wanting procedures done," Rowe said. "And they want more of an aggressive [lift]. They're more into looking chiseled, they want their jawline super defined."