Factors Associated with the Use of Industrial Liquid Silicone among Travesti and Transgender Women in Salvador, Northeast Brazil

Background: The illicit use of industrial liquid silicone (ILS) is a common practice among travesti and transgender Women (TrTW) in the process of bodily change. The “pumped ladies” apply the ILS without any preparation regarding biosafety, and this practice poses serious risks to the health of TrTW, including death. This study aims to describe the prevalence of ILS use and estimate the associated factors among TrTW in a Brazilian city. Methods: This behavioral and serological survey employed the Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) recruitment technique. Participants who declared themselves to be travesti or transgender women over 15 years were considered eligible. The sample consisted of 127 TrTW. The bivariate analysis estimated the prevalence of ILS use by sociodemographic, cultural, and behavioral variables. Multivariate analysis used Poisson regression for adjusted estimates with respective 95% confidence intervals. Results: Approximately 31.6% of the TrTW (n = 44) used ILS and 57.2% (n = 67) were under 25 years old. Most (73.2%, n = 79) had access to more than eight years of schooling. Nine percent (n = 15) tested positive for HIV, and 31.6% (n = 48) tested positive for syphilis. The TrTW who felt more comfortable with their body image had a threefold higher prevalence of ILS use and those who performed an HIV test before the study had a 4.5 times higher prevalence of ILS. Conclusion: ILS is widely used by TrTW in Brazil. Although public policies for the transgenderizing process exist, this process still occurs illicitly.