Look Who it Was Random video

Breast Implant Removal for Mystery Ailments

217 views · Published 11 January 2018 · 1:14 · Indexed 29 September 2026

Channel: The Plastic Surgery Channel · 2018 · Howto & Style

Watch on YouTube

Dr. Robert Whitfield discusses breast implant removal when it comes to relieving or preventing rare ailments after breast augmentation.

It’s been said no medical device has been studied more for safety more than the breast implant. The scientific conclusions remain consistent that implants, saline and silicone, do not cause bodily harm. That said, what if there are problems that accompany implant surgery? One board certified plastic surgeon says if and when there are associated problems with implants, it’s most likely due to possible surgical complications, not the implants, that may be the source of a woman’s complaints.

The last thing women who opt to get breast implants ever consider is ever having them removed. As many as 40,000 women do undergo breast implant removal surgery every year. The reasons vary:

Dissatisfaction with implants
Complications, such as capsular contracture
Fears about breast implant-related anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)
Some women may react adversely to implants and may develop an infection or bleed as a result. And, certainly, a diagnosis of breast cancer may also require breast implants to be removed.

A SURGEON’S FIRST STEP: LISTEN
Dr. Robert Whitfield is a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in Austin. He routinely performs breast surgery procedures in his practice, from pure augmentation to revision and, notably, breast reconstruction following mastectomy. During the past few years he has also become a resource for women seeking to have their implants removed.

The debate is contentious – whether implants cause illness or not. The implants themselves almost certainly do not, but their existence in the body, coupled with the complexity of human physiology and biochemistry, may have unseen side effects. It takes patience and empathy to sit down and listen to breast augmentation patients who can’t exactly pinpoint what’s the matter, but know that something is amiss.

“I just try to listen and figure out what is going on,” Dr. Whitfield explains. “What are their symptoms and what can I offer them? And to that end, I’ve had a lot of success treating these patients. These are patients with really high satisfaction rates after surgery.”



IF A PROBLEM IS DISCOVERED, IT’S RELATED TO INFECTIONS
Dr. Whitfield believes in the safety of breast implants. When he agrees to investigate why a woman’s implants are causing her problems big enough to want them surgically removed, it’s usually after other physicians have also tried to pinpoint the issue. “I’m usually not the first person who has tried to figure out what the problems are,” he shares.

“When they have exhausted all the medical options, they kind of look at the implant as a foreign body and try to have it removed,” Dr. Whitfield says. “I found these to have, upon close examination, cultures of bacteria, so they really did have an infection.”

More from this channel