Black market butt injections... there's a phrase you probably never imagined yourself hearing.   Well, In the past few years the obsession over ripe rumps has skyrocketed. From teens, to older women, from aspiring actresses and models to people seeking to become "insta-famous", there seem to be women from all walks of life getting these body modifications.


One "side-effect" of this craze are the people who cannot afford these procedures and have to seek less than reputable alternatives.


USA Today spoke with some women who have been part of the "underworld of beauty enhancement" in the short video below:


The dangers of getting these types of implants and injections anywhere besides a licensed professional is very real.  From cheap and non-medical grade products, to infections and sickness, kidney failure, pulmonary embolisms and even death.


Foreign substances like silicone, paraffin, petroleum jelly, and other non-human substances which have been known to be used in black-market cosmetic procedures are not approved by the FDA for use in humans and therefore, are illegal.


When liquid silicone is injected freely into the body, it is much more dangerous than when a person gets implants where the silicone gel is confined within a shell. However, many women, and even men, are attracted to these so-called “black market” procedures because they happen to be much cheaper than implants.


A legal butt enhancement procedure may cost around $7,000, while unlicensed providers often charge thousands of dollars less, sometimes as little as a few hundred dollars per injection. But everything cheap isn’t always good. And what’s good isn’t always cheap. People who choose the cheaper route fail to take into account the significantly high risks associated with these types of illegal quick-fix procedures.



Vice spoke with a few beauty influencers and  instagram models who have all had one type of body enhancement or another in the video below: