Mr Morritt frequently treats patients from all over the UK for breast implant illness (BII). He regularly undertakes breast implant removal (explant surgery) with full capsulectomy or total capsulectomy or en bloc capsulectomy.
What is breast implant illness?
Breast implant illness is a condition where patients with breast implants have a variety of symptoms such as generalised pain, fatigue, brain fog, migraines, anxiety, arthritis, vision changes, rashes, gastrointestinal issues and depression. It is thought that some patients with breast implants experience inflammation from their breast implants which ultimately makes them sick. Breast implant illness is not fully understood by the medical profession and many surgeons do not believe that it actually exists. Mr Morritt regularly treats patients with BII and has seen many patients who have experienced improvement in their symptoms when their breast implants have been removed although in some cases this may take a number of years.
Breast implant illness is not currently recognised as a disease by the World Health Organisation and has also not been scientifically proven to exist in several large studies of breast implants in Europe and the USA. Some of the patients who think they have breast implant illness may be experiencing similar symptoms due to being in the peri-menopause or having other conditions like fibromyalgia.
How do I know if I have breast implant illness?
It is not possible to know with 100% certainty if you are suffering from breast implant illness as the symptoms overlap with those seen in a number of other medical conditions such as fibromyalgia. There are no blood tests to check for breast implant illness. Mr Morritt feels that the only 100% proof that a patient is suffering from breast implant illness comes when the patients some or all of the patient’s symptoms improve when the breast implants are removed.
Will breast implant removal (explantation) cure me of breast implant illness?
It is not possible to guarantee that removal of a patient’s breast implants will cure them of their breast implant illness symptoms. This is because some of the breast implant illness symptoms can be caused by other conditions such as fibromyalgia or the peri-menopause. For this reason, Mr Morritt advises all patients who request removal of their breast implants that they may not experience any improvement in their symptoms after breast implant removal. Mr Morritt’s experience has been that most patients experience some improvement in their symptoms after explantation. The improvement in symptoms seen from breast implant explantation surgery ranges from the psychological relief of not having silicone implants in the body to complete resolution of all breast implant illness symptoms. Almost all patients who have their breast implants and/or capsule removed notice some degree of improvement in physical and mental health.
Why do patients get breast implant illness?
All breast implants have a silicone shell and most of the implants used in the UK are filled with silicone. Silicone is thought to be a biologically inert substance and is widely used in other areas such as cookware. For some reason in some patients it is thought that silicone in breast implants can trigger an autoimmune response where the body attacks itself and this in turn causes inflammation which ultimately causes the symptoms of breast implant illness. Some patients have a natural tendency to worrying and in these cases some of the symptoms of breast implant illness may occur for psychological reasons. In other patients it may be that mild breast implant infections are responsible for causing the symptoms of breast implant illness. Some patients with breast implant illness may also have other autoimmune diseases such as thyroid problems or vitiligo.
Could breast implant illness be linked to mental health?
There is almost certainly a link between mental health and breast implant illness. The relationship between mental health and the symptoms of breast implant illness is complex and not fully understood by health professionals. Some patients with mental illness such as anxiety and/or depression naturally have a tendency to worrying and this can translate to worries about their health or about their breast implants. Other patients struggle to accept the natural ageing process and its effects such as lower energy levels, fatigue, brain fog and thinning of the hair and seek to blame their breast implants. Some patients struggle with the weight of their breast implants and this causes physical discomfort in the shoulders/neck which in turn can cause migraines and headaches affecting concentration sleep and in turn affecting mental health. For other patients experiencing breast implant illness, it can be challenging experiencing symptoms for which no physical cause or explanation can be determined from blood tests and so forth which ultimately can impact on mental health.
What are the surgical treatments for breast implant illness?
Patients with breast implant illness require breast implant removal surgery (explantation). Removal of the breast implant capsule (total capsulectomy or full capsulectomy; en bloc capsulectomy) can help with improving the symptoms of breast implant illness and have high patient satisfaction rates.
Surgical treatment for breast implant illness – click to read more