If you have breast implants or are considering getting them, you may have heard or read alarming stories of women with implants experiencing mysterious symptoms like fatigue, rashes, hair loss and even mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
Are these symptoms directly related to breast implants, and if so, why? Keep reading for expert information on breast implant illness and how to manage it from our world-class plastic surgeon, Omar Beidas, MD, FACS.
What is breast implant illness?
Dr. Beidas: Breast implant illness is a constellation of symptoms with no known diagnostic test, believed to be caused by breast implants.
How does breast implant illness develop?
Dr. Beidas: This is still unknown, but it’s associated with breast implants and usually resolves with their removal. It is believed to be mediated through an autoimmune process or inflammatory response to a foreign object in the body; however, it’s still being studied.
What are the signs and symptoms of breast implant illness?
Dr. Beidas: Symptoms are not specific and vary from person to person. They can include but are not limited to fatigue, memory loss or brain fog, joint pain, fatigue, rashes or even hair loss. Some patients experience mental health symptoms as well, such as increased anxiety.
Who might get breast implant illness?
Dr. Beidas: Patients with breast implants are those at risk of developing breast implant illness.
How common is breast implant illness?
Dr. Beidas: It’s currently unknown how common this condition is.
How is breast implant illness diagnosed and treated?
Dr. Beidas: It’s a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that all other possibilities must be excluded through testing before confirming a patient has breast implant illness. As for breast implant illness itself, there is no specific test to confirm its presence. Treatment is removing the implants. If the diagnosis is incorrect, which may be possible, symptoms are unlikely to improve after implant removal, and another cause must be investigated.
What is the prognosis like?
Dr. Beidas: If the patient indeed has breast implant illness, the prognosis is usually good once the implants are removed; most patients see a drastic improvement in their symptoms. Improvement often occurs, however not all patients experience full resolution.
How can patients reduce their risk of breast implant illness?
Dr. Beidas: The only risk factor for the development of breast implant illness is the placement of implants (silicone or saline), so the only way to reduce or eliminate the risk is not to get implants.
When should someone see their doctor?
Dr. Beidas: If symptoms correlate with breast implant illness, patients should start with their primary care provider and perhaps a rheumatologist to get tested for all other conditions. Once all other major autoimmune conditions have been ruled out, a patient can be referred to a plastic surgeon for the removal of their implants.
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About Dr. Beidas
Omar E. Beidas, MD, FACS, is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery. His specialties include body contouring after weight loss, aesthetics and surgical lipedema treatment.
After completing his residency at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Dr. Beidas completed his fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, a world-renowned plastic and reconstructive surgery center. He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, where he serves as Vice Chair of the Practice Management Subcommittee (part of the Annual Meeting Council), a member of the Clinical Guideline Workgroup for Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy, and previously served on the Young Plastic Surgeons Steering Committee.
Dr. Beidas is also a member of The Aesthetic Society and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, two prestigious organizations that only aesthetic board-certified plastic surgeons can join, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He serves on the editorial board of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal, the premier journal for the field. He has authored several textbook chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles and is invited to lecture and teach nationwide.
