Irish influencer who documented risky butt lift surgery online insists dangers were worth it

Caitlin Waldron (23) underwent the €4,400 surgery, known as a BBL, which is a surgical procedure in which fat is removed from various parts of the body and then injected back into the buttocks

Caitlin said it was worth the risk to get her dream body.

A woman who underwent a risky Brazilian butt surgery has documented her journey online — revealing how she still can’t sit down after going under the knife five weeks ago.

Caitlin Waldron (23) underwent the €4,400 surgery, known as a BBL, which is a surgical procedure in which fat is removed from various parts of the body and then injected back into the buttocks.

Deemed the most dangerous cosmetic surgery in the world — and suspected of causing death in one in 3,000 cases — the number of people getting the procedure has more than doubled in the last five years.

For the Kildare woman, it was worth the risk to achieve her dream body.

Caitlin Jessica has shared her surgery and the aftermath of the operation on her social media

“The surgery itself is actually really, really dangerous and I knew that before going,” says Caitlin.

“People say it’s as risky as open-heart surgery. The reason it’s so dangerous though is because it’s a combination surgery.

“You have liposuction, so they take your fat out, and then they inject the fat back into your bum and your hips.

“People can die when it is injected back into your body. If they hit a blood vessel it can be fatal. The fat will go straight to your heart and you can have a heart attack and stroke. There’s a lot of surgeons in America who have said that they stopped doing the surgery because it’s just so dangerous.”

But the rewards outweighed the risk for the social media personality, who for as long as she can remember felt uncomfortable in her own body.

Caitlin’s ‘after’ photos of her bum nine days post-op.

“I feel like I always wasn’t happy with my body. I didn’t even know BBL existed. But then it became so trendy and everybody was talking about it.

“I thought maybe that’s something that I could do to make myself feel more confident or more feminine.

“Because I’m so tall, I’m 5’9, I was just very straight. I didn’t have hips or curves.”

After spending countless hours researching the procedure and the possible risks, Caitlin finally settled on a clinic in Turkey.

“I initially said I’m not going to Turkey because I heard such horror stories. But then when I researched different surgeons, the only two places that I found good reviews from was Turkey.”

Documenting the surgery on her Instagram page @caitlinjessicax, Caitlin had fat harvested from under her arms and her stomach.

Caitlin’s ‘after’ photos of her bum nine days post-op.

“I was on the operating table for five hours. On day one and day two, you’re kind of still numb and then day three and four I was literally crying with the pain. On day nine, that’s the day that I was like, ‘I feel back to normal’.

“The hardest part was feeling so helpless. After I was discharged I stayed on for an extra four days because I knew I wouldn’t be up to travel. I hired a nurse to help me after I was released from hospital. When she left, I was crying myself to sleep because I could only lie on my stomach but I couldn’t reach the covers to pull the covers over me. I couldn’t even reach for a glass of water.”

Almost six week post-op and Caitlin is still feeling the effects of the life-altering surgery.

“I had to stand for the majority of the flight on the way home. I have to lie on my stomach to sleep which I’ve kind of gotten used to now. I stand when I am eating my dinner and kneel down when I’m watching TV because I can’t sit down. When I have to sit down, say if I’m in an Uber for example, I have a BBL pillow which is like this rock-hard cushion. You sit on your thighs on the pillow, and then your bum sits off the back. For me it was worth any pain for the confidence I have now.”

Describing her dream body, Caitlin said she wanted a more feminine silhouette.

“I just said ‘put as much as you can into my hips first and then whatever is left put into my bum’, because I want it to look nice from the front.

“I was a 10 to 12, right now I range anywhere from a six on my waist to 14 on my bum.”

Caitlin is thrilled with the results

Discouraging other women from jumping on the trend, Caitlin said: “It’s trendy right now and I feel like social media plays a big role and I feel like people are pressured to kind of keep up. Don’t get BBL or any surgery just because you’re seeing girls on social media get it.

“It’s not always going to be a trend, in five years’ time it could be something else.”

Despite her warning, Caitlin who has recently relocated to London said: “I got a lot more negativity and hate on my social media about my lips with people saying, ‘you have so much filler and you look stupid’.”

Cosmetic surgeries came under fire this week after an Irish doctor warned women looking to enlarge their buttocks with injectables to choose a reputable cosmetic surgeon after a 29-year-old woman was hospitalised for sepsis in Dublin.

Complications following the use of injected dermal fillers are rare, occurring in between 1 in every 20,000 and 1 in every 100 patients who have procedures, depending on the type of filler material used.

Dr Siobhan Quirke from Dublin’s St James’s Hospital said: “This case serves as a reminder that it’s important to choose a reputable cosmetic surgeon.”