Well, this is not uplifting news.
Americans can’t get enough of cosmetic procedures, which increased 5% in 2023 over the previous year, according to a report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
All procedures carry risk, but one in particular comes with a staggering 92% likelihood of complications, new research finds.
Eye color change surgery, which includes cosmetic iris implants, laser pigment removal and keratopigmentation, tops the list of the 10 most dangerous cosmetic surgeries.
With recovery times ranging from one to eight weeks and an average cost of $12,000, the researchers from the online eyewear retailer Overnight Glasses say patients are rolling the dice with their eyesight.
In keratopigmentation, which is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, a laser is used to create a tunnel in the cornea to place the color pigment.
A French company that trains ophthalmologists to perform keratopigmentation shared footage last year of a woman who changed her brown eyes to a stark, vibrant blue in a clip scoring nearly 30 million views on TikTok.
But experts have long warned of the complications of this procedure, which include vision loss, blindness, glaucoma and uveitis, or eye inflammation.
Dr. Colin McCannel, a professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Healthline that it’s a “bad idea” to pursue “any unnecessary eye surgery” due to the risk of complications.
Other potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures?
Thigh lifts took the No. 2 slot on the Overnight Glasses list, with a 78% risk of complications such as blood clots, infection and altered skin sensation.
The celeb-beloved Brazilian butt lift came in at No. 3 with a 38% risk. Problems that can arise include fat cells entering the bloodstream and traveling to the lungs or brain, infection, nerve damage, swelling and scars.
Last year, a woman on TikTok claimed that she was “traumatized” by her BBL, comparing the feeling to getting beat up by 20 gorillas.
Overnight Glasses’ list of the 10 most dangerous cosmetic surgeries
- Eye color change surgery (cosmetic iris implants, laser pigment removal, keratopigmentation): 92.3% complication rate
- Thigh lift: 78% complication rate
- Brazilian butt lift: 37.94% complication rate
- Body lift: 42% complication rate
- Injectable fillers: 64.61% complication rate
- Breast reduction: 38% complication rate
- Butt implants: 21.6% complication rate
- Breast augmentation: 14.4% complication rate
- Arm lift (brachioplasty): 21% complication rate
- Breast lift (mastopexy): 10.4% complication rate
