EFOC: Heres The Tea On BBLs Vaginoplasty Veneers

By Dominique Fluker ·Updated July 2, 2023

NEW ORLEANS – On July 1, 2023, ESSENCE’s Content Director, Nandi Howard, hosted a riveting conversation about cosmetic surgery in our Black community with physician Dr. Uche Blackstock and Dr. Davis of “The Three Doctors’” for 2023 ESSENCE Festival of Culture “To Do Or Not To Do: BBLs, Vaginoplasty, Veneers” panel. With the rise of posterior cosmetic surgery, known as Brazilian butt lifts, commonly known as BBLs, it’s important to understand the procedure’s pros and cons and potential ramifications. Unfortunately, sometimes we’re not as upfront or open about seeking specific knowledge about cosmetic procedures. Although BBLs are increasingly popular in our culture today, ESSENCE also wanted to broaden the conversation to discuss other cosmetic procedures, like vaginoplasty and veneers, and reveal the facts that some may be curious to know and answer the tough questions.

Dr. Blackstock kicked off the panel by breaking down what’s involved when deciding to get a BBL. “This procedure is growing significantly in popularity. But I think people shouldn’t know that it’s a procedure that comes with risks, right? A BBL is essentially having liposuction, fat removal from certain body parts, abdomen, flanks, backs, and thighs, and that removed fat is transferred to your butt. However, if a surgeon injects the fat into one of those blood vessels accidentally, and that goes into there, you can get an embolism,” she stated on ESSENCE’s Main Stage. Blackstock continued, “So that’s why the surgery could be potentially very dangerous and why it’s important to identify a skilled surgeon. We saw that even in the last few years, about 20,000 BBL are being done yearly, which has increased significantly.”

While understanding the need to find the right surgeon is essential, it may not be an ask task for someone who is a novice to cosmetic surgery as many women and men don’t know the type of questions to ask when exploring having a BBL procedure done. Blackstock suggested researching if the surgeon is board-certified before delving into additional plans. “You want to make sure you know the doctor’s board certification you are working with. The other thing is people need to know that there is a difference between a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon,” she stated. Blackstock when on to explain the difference between a cosmetic and a plastic surgeon. “A plastic surgeon is someone who has completed a full residency, that’s usually five, six years in plastic surgery; a cosmetic surgeon can be any kind of doctor; it could be a general surgeon, it could be a pediatrician, it could be an OBGYN, that has become boarded in cosmetic surgery,” she shared.

Blackstock encouraged the audience to not only do their research on the professional that would be administering their surgery but vet them thoroughly and ask for consultations. “You want to go for a consultation to see their bedside manner and aesthetic. You should ask to see pictures of their previous work to see if that agrees with the aesthetic and result you want,” she said.

She also suggested asking potential doctors how they handle complications and where the surgery would be performed, including aftercare, as it’s an important part of the process. Keep in mind that all surgeries should take place at an accredited facility. She also stressed the importance of ensuring you have the proper lifestyle-saving equipment there if you experience complications with your surgery. “The last thing you want to make sure is that you have admitting privileges to a hospital, so if you end up needing to stay overnight, they have somewhere to admit you to,” said Blackstock.

In a similar vein of experiencing side effects of surgeries that may land you in the emergency room, Dr. Davis talked about the serious side effects of cosmetic procedures. “To Dr. Blackstone’s point, you have to make sure that you go to a physician that is board-certified and accredited because if you go overseas without doing the proper research first, you may experience serious complications,” he said.

Blackstock chimed in, echoing Davis’ point. “People need to know if you’re going to have surgery in another country, and you have complications, when you get back, there are very few doctors that are going to want to re-operate like that on you, and that’s usually because they don’t have proper documentation of what was done in that other country or things they had been done differently,” she stated.

However, both doctors empathize with people’s exposure to BBLs due to social media and understand why one may want to have the surgery. “We’re inundated with images of bodies, and BBLs have become the norm. While women should feel empowered to do what they think is right for them; you just want to ensure that people have the correct and accurate information to make informed decisions that are as safe as for themselves,” Blackstock shared.

Davis added, “We must remember that this is a lifestyle modification. Not one glove fits all, so exercise is also important. We’re saying here that it’s not up to us to judge what you want to have done cosmetically.”

Given that Blackstock is an advocate for the exposure of racism and bias in health care, she weighed in on how vital it is for the Black community to seek out medical professionals of color to be procedures like this. “It’s important that your health professional is qualified. I think that often having black physicians, black nurses, other health professionals is so important for having someone who understands where you’re coming from, we know the challenges, there are so very few of us,” she said.