The Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), that gained meteoric popularity for sculpting the coveted hourglass figure, is facing a grim backlash as people are struck with a side effect so foul that it’s turning heads for all the wrong reasons.

Widely popularized by influencers and celebrities like Kim Kardashian or Cardi B, buttock augmentation procedures have surged over the past decade, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

BBLs involve fat transfer from one part of the body to the buttocks to enhance size and shape, and with its growing hype, medical professionals are stressing the importance of comprehensive post-op planning, including hygiene assistance and wound care education.

But the realities of surgery are often glossed over by several people who are more interested in going viral.

BBL smell

Scroll through social media and you’ll find thousands of BBL transformation videos, most of them glamorous, upbeat, and filtered. But what they don’t show are the realities of recovery: sponge baths, wound cleaning, limited mobility, and odor-related embarrassment.

“Many patients are caught off guard by an unexpected side effect an unfamiliar, often musty smell,” GetSnatched, a cosmetic surgery clinic in Miami, writes of the shocking side effect. “While this is a common and usually harmless part of the healing process, it can cause stress or confusion during recovery.”

The clinic’s website explains that after a BBL, patients are often unable to sit, shower properly, or access their rear ends due to swelling, pain, or sheer logistics. Combine that with compression garments, bandages, and sweat – and you’ve got a recipe for olfactory disaster.

‘Smell is real’

Chicago-based plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Eric Anderson confirmed to the Daily Mail that “the BBL smell is real,” attributing it to serious post-op complications such as tissue death and poor hygiene.