Eye color change surgery the most dangerous cosmetic surgery: study

Well, this is not exciting news.

Americans can’t get enough of cosmetic procedures, which grew 5% in 2023 compared to a year earlier, according to a report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

All procedures carry risk, but one in particular comes with a staggering 92% chance of complications, a new study finds.

Eye color change surgery, which includes aesthetic 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, researchers from online eyeglass retailer Overnight Glasses say patients are rolling the dice with their vision.

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 deposit the color pigment.

A French company that trains ophthalmologists to perform keratopigmentation shared footage of a woman who changed her brown eyes to a bright, glowing blue in a clip that has racked up nearly 30 million views on TikTok.

But experts have long warned of the complications of this procedurewhich include vision loss, blindness, glaucoma and uveitis, or inflammation of the eye.

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” because of the risk of complications.

Other potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures?

Thigh lifts took second place on the list of overnight spectacles, with a 78% risk of complications such as blood clots, infection and altered skin sensation.

The crowd-pleasing Brazilian butt lift came in third 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 scarring.

Last year, a woman on TikTok claimed she was “traumatized” by her BBL, likening the feeling to being beaten by 20 gorillas.

Overnight Glasses’ list of the 10 most dangerous cosmetic surgeries

• Eye color change surgery (cosmetic iris implants, laser depigmentation, keratopigmentation): 92.3% complication rate
• Thigh lift: 78% complication rate
• Brazilian butt lift: 38% complication rate
• Body lift: 42% complication rate
• Injectable fillers: 65% complication rate
• Breast reduction: 38% complication rate
• Buttock implants: 22% complication rate
• Breast augmentation: 14% complication rate
• Arm lift (brachioplasty): 21% complication rate
• Breast lift (mastopexy): 10% complication rate