A Kent mother says she “thought she was going to die” after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) and implants in Spain, an operation she paid £6,000 for in pursuit of a curvier figure.
Josephina Finch, 38, a make-up artist and mother of three, underwent the procedure to enhance her shape, despite having no medical issues with her body. She now regrets the decision, attributing her “rounder bum” to personal training rather than surgery.
“I didn’t really have anything wrong with my bum,” Finch said. “I just wanted something different, a curvier look.”
However, complications arose almost immediately. Finch described waking up in the operating theatre screaming and feeling unwell as her recovery quickly deteriorated.
“After seven days, they took my drains out, and it went downhill,” she said. “I started feeling really unwell, with extreme pain throughout my body. My bum itself was very painful.”
The situation worsened when a nurse discovered that fluid was gushing from the incision where her implants were inserted. Finch was told her implants were infected and would need to be removed—but had to wait eight days for the surgeon to return from holiday.
“It was a nightmare, actual hell,” she recalled. “There was a huge hole at the top of my bum where the incision hadn’t closed. I couldn’t stand up; I had to lay down constantly.”
Finch later developed a blood clot in her leg, and doctors prescribed blood thinners. After experiencing sharp chest pains, she sought urgent medical attention and was warned the clot could have reached her lungs, putting her life at risk.
The ordeal left Finch with lasting health anxiety and guilt over taking unnecessary risks. “It’s given me bad anxiety, worrying that something else is going to go wrong. It’s not worth it, all just to have a slightly bigger bum,” she said.
Six months later, Finch turned to personal training and says she has achieved her desired shape safely. “I should have just gone to the gym in the first place,” she said. “I tried to take the easy way out and instantly look perfect but actually risked everything.”
For now, Finch is blood-clot free, though doctors warn she may need lifelong blood thinners if another clot occurs.
