Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

A few nights ago I was watching a show regarding “Pumping Parties.” I was really quite blown out of the water when hearing about these parties and how they continue to increase in popularity despite the inherent risks. A pumping party is when you are invited to a host’s home and everyone is injected with silicone in the parts of the body they want to see rapid results. They pay hundreds of dollars to the injectee, who has no medical training, versus the sometimes costly price of plastic surgery and Botox. Many see this as an easier and less costly way to obtain pseudo plastic surgery results.

Pumping parties have been around for a while (and are illegal), but as the demand for physical perfection continues to daunt us, the popularity of these parties increases. What many people attending these parties don’t understand is that silicone injected that is not medical grade or done by a board certified plastic surgeon, is just plain deadly. Silicone that is injected improperly travels through the bloodstream and causes blood to coagulate in the lungs, creating circulatory obstructions that can be immediately life-threatening if not identified and treated quickly according to the Radiological Society of North America. The imaging findings of pulmonary silicone embolism include dark, hazy patches in the lung tissue on x-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans.

If you are invited to a pumping party, please know the risks involved. While your results may be immediate and the price tag associated with it may be attractive, any cosmetic procedures should be done soley by a plastic surgeon. While you may be saving yourself some money in the short-term, isn’t your long term overall health priceless?