I’m a big fan of believing women when they feel sick and I’m not seeing this information about breast implants getting shared enough.
But first a little history. Breast implants started off as experimental devices in the 1960’s. The FDA did not regulate medical devices until 1976, so breast implants were considered ‘grandfathered devices.’ Essentially this means safety reviews and clinical trials were never initially required.
Today, breast implants are one of the top cosmetic surgeries around the world, but they carry some dirty little secrets that you may not be aware of.
1. SILICONE MIGRATES FROM THE IMPLANT SHELL TO THE REST OF THE BODY
Silicone typically makes up the exterior shell of breast implants and sometimes inside as well (they are typically filled with silicone or saline). The silicone migrates from the exterior shell of the implant to the rest of the body and can cause something called Breast Implant Illness (BII), commonly characterized as an autoimmune reaction leading to symptoms such as fatigue, skin rashes, hair loss, weakness, and neurological problems, among others.
This is due to silicone’s ability to migrate from the implant to the rest of the body as confirmed by biochemist Nic Cohn and Dr. Bernard Patten.
According to the research conducted by biochemist Nic Cohn who was hired to do experiments on breast implants by the manufacturer, over the course of 6-8 months silicone was excreted from the silicone shell of the implant. When Cohn shared this information with the manufacturer, nothing was changed or fixed. The information was suppressed and controlled by the breast implant industry.
Dr. Bernard Patten also confirm this with toxicology reports of hair, skin, nails and blood. Silicone leaks from the implant and is mobilized, moving all over the body.
This migration of the silicone may be the basis for BII, a condition NOT recognized by Western medicine, yet there are over 100,000 women in groups across the world claiming their implants are making them sick.
Some doctors recognize this and specialize in removal of not only the implant but the capsule as well. The capsule is fibrous scar tissue that the body creates about the implant, which for some people, if not removed along with the implant, prolongs symptoms of BII.
According to Dr. Patten, patients with BII tend to recovery over the course of two years after the implants are removed as the body secretes the silicone in urine, stool, and bile over time.
While BII is definitely not the case for everyone who gets implants, I think it’s important to represent the risks.
2. IMPLANTS = A LIFETIME OF SURGERY
When you agree to breast augmentation you’re agreeing to a lifetime of surgery. Most silicone implants are FDA approved for 10-20 years. The longer you keep them in, the higher the risk of rupture over time.
Studies show breast implants carry a 7-10% chance of rupture at 10 years. [2]
That means that if you get implants in your 20’s, you’d likely have to have at least 3-4 replacement surgeries at a minimum over your lifetime. Additionally, if you ever want to get them removed completely and not replaced, you’d likely want to have reconstruction to eliminate the skin stretching that the implant caused over the years.
3. BREAST IMPLANTS HAVE A BLACK BOX WARNING
Did you know breast implants carry a black box warning? This is the FDA’s most stringent warning for medical devices and drugs that are brought to the market as a warning for consumers that the product can produce serious side effects and injury, including possible death.
Here’s an example of the black box warning found on breast implants via the FDA: [4]
Regardless of if you choose breast implants for yourself or not, it’s important to be an informed consumer and know enough about the risks that you can include them in your decision making process.