How injecting silicone for beauty can kill

The price people are paying for beauty is getting higher.

Tough economic times are preventing people from obtaining plastic surgery, so they’re resorting to more illicit means. Shady practitioners are offering silicone injections, administered in motel rooms or in so-called “pumping parties.” Industrial grade silicone can be found in hardware stores, but sometimes, castor oil, mineral oil, petroleum jelly and even automobile transmission fluid are substituted.

The risks of injected silicone are real, and can include migration of the substance into the blood stream, and potentially causing fatal clots in the lungs.

The presentation of silicone poisoning can be similar to a traditional pulmonary embolus, including shortness of breath, a rapid heart rate, and chest pain on inspiration. The treatment is supportive, and although most patients recover, the mortality rate can exceed 5 percent, and persistant neurological deficit remains in one-third of patients.

So, please, don’t inject silicone into your butt.