Which plastic surgeries are the riskiest?

• 92 out of 100 patients who undergo eye colour surgery experience complications, including vision loss, glaucoma, and damaged corneas.
• Nearly 30K Americans had Brazilian butt lifts last year, even though 4 in 10 patients develop fat embolism and infections afterwards.
• Body lifts cost $20K on average but fail 42 per cent of the time, leaving people with infections and wounds that won't heal properly.

The US report tracked what percentage of people experience problems after each cosmetic procedure, such as infections, nerve damage, or worse outcomes. It also looked at recovery time, showing how long patients deal with these issues, and the average costs that people pay. For context, the research also counted how many of these surgeries are performed each year and how often people search for them online, revealing which risky procedures remain popular despite the dangers.

1. Eye Colour Change Surgery

• Complication rate: 92.3%
• Recovery time: 1-8 weeks
• Average price: $12,000
• Search volume: 509.7K

Eye colour change surgery is the riskiest cosmetic procedure. Nearly 93 out of 100 patients who have this operation experience serious complications afterwards. The procedure involves inserting coloured implants over the iris, which frequently leads to vision loss, glaucoma, and corneal damage. Patients pay around $12K for the surgery, then spend up to 2 months recovering while dealing with these problems. Despite the danger, over half a million people search for the procedure online each year, indicating there's still demand for it.

2. Thigh Lift
Thigh lifts come in second, with 74 per cent of patients developing complications after surgery. People who undergo this aesthetic procedure face blood clots, infections, and permanent changes in how their skin feels. The operation costs about $7,500 and requires 4 to 6 weeks of recovery time. Given these risks, only around 10K people in the US chose to get thigh lifts last year, making it one of the least popular cosmetic surgeries.

3. Body Lift
Body lifts rank third, causing problems for 4 out of every 10 patients who undergo the surgery. This procedure removes excess skin from multiple body areas at once, which raises the chances of infection, poor wound healing, and blood clots. At $20K, body lifts cost more than any other cosmetic surgery, while taking at least a month to recover. Like thigh lifts, body lifts are not that popular, with around 11K people booking each year.

4. Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL)
Brazilian butt lifts take fourth place with a 38 per cent complication rate. Patients having BBLs risk fat embolism, infection, and other serious issues that can be life-threatening. Despite these dangers, BBLs are still popular among Americans, with over 30 million people searching them online. Last year, there were up to 30K such surgeries performed as well, each costing about $9K.

5. Otoplasty (Ear Surgery)
Otoplasty rounds out the top five, with 20 per cent of patients experiencing complications. This beauty treatment “corrects” misshapen ears, and it takes 1-2 weeks to recover. But it also frequently results in infections, uneven outcomes, and sometimes overcorrection, too, making your ears look unnatural. About 5,000 people still have this surgery every year, paying around $4,500 for the procedure.

A cosmetic procedures specialist from Harley Street Hair Clinic commented on the study:
"People see before-and-after photos and assume those results are guaranteed. But photos only show successful cases. For every perfect outcome, there are patients who have to deal with infections, nerve damage, or results that look worse than before surgery. Modern cosmetic surgery is safer than it was 20 years ago, but some procedures are still riskier than others. So it’s important to choose the right clinic and consult with certified professionals about any dangers involved.”