Models Direct were horrified by a report in the Daily Mail last week highlighting the growing popularity of potentially fatal buttock injections. The injections have become increasingly common since pop stars like Nicki Minaj have promoted the ‘bigger bottomed look’.

Black market injections are extraordinarily dangerous but many young women are risking them in order to achieve a larger bottom – with terrifying results. Often they involve the use of home DIY materials being administered by people with absolutely no medical training.

Unsurprisingly this has led to tragedies for women who have taken a chance on the procedure. Deaths have now been reported in seven American states and there is no way to tell how many disfigurements have been caused as a result of this practice.

Michelle Brown gave in to the injections after years of teasing about her ‘pancake butt’: “It was just something I felt inside of me, that I felt would make me better. I just didn’t want the pancake booty anymore.”

She had a series of injections at a woman’s house and they later turned out to be industrial silicone – the kind you might buy in B&Q. The injected areas solidified and she had to have both hands and feet amputated after a bacterial infection took hold.

Brown now has a website where she talks about her experience to try to save others from the same fate. “I would never want anybody else to go through this, not even lose one finger, much less all their limbs,” she said.

Plastic surgeon Dr John Martin explains that when this type of silicone is injected into the buttocks it is practically impossible to remove: “When you put in a large amount of silicone, it can drift… It can run down your leg and you have to get your leg amputated.”

Another danger is that it will cause blood clots after getting into the blood stream, as happened to Karima Garner. She died just days after she was injected by an interior decorator.

If you are considering a cosmetic procedure, make sure that you are fully aware of the risks involved and always ensure that you’re talking to a qualified professional.

For advice visit the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons website