For many, silicone brings to mind breast implants, but did you know that people are allowing the substance to be injected into their faces and other parts needing a boost? It’s a process called pumping, and it uses various grades of silicone to plump up areas like the lips, cheeks, buttocks and legs. But this silicone isn’t a good substitute for the conventional dermal fillers, like Juvederm and Restalyne, that plastic surgeons use. In fact, these products and others that plastic surgeons use are approved by the FDA. Liquid silicone injections are not FDA-approved at all; the only approved use silicone has is in breast implants. “Pumpers” may not even be doctors or nurses but still perform the injection process. Many times, pumpers will hold “pumping parties” in which he or she will bring lots of silicone to plump lots of parts on lots of people.

The parties may not even be held in a doctor’s office – common locations include personal homes and hotel rooms, which should be a major red flag. Because the silicone may not be medical grade or industrial grade – or may be cut with lard, Crisco or even baby oil – there are serious health hazards. Risks include lumps that can’t be corrected, infections, skin ulcerations and deadly blood clots. The procedure has been getting press lately due to some deaths attributed to it, but often, the ill effects of pumping aren’t seen until years later when the silicone starts migrating from the site of injection. It may save a few bucks, but pumping can be a lethal process to undergo. It’s best to find a board-certified plastic surgeon who can use FDA-approved injectables in a medical setting. It may cost more initially, but in the long run, it could save more than money.