Are My Breast Implants Causing My Health Problems?
You deserve good evidence-based care like every patient with every other type of medical problem.
Are My Implants Causing My Health Problems?
This is a hard one. You've had implants for a long time, your health has changed, and you want to know if your implants are responsible. Here's how to approach it.
Breast Implant Illness Is a Diagnosis of Exclusion
Systemic symptoms from breast implants (sometimes called breast implant illness, or BII) is a diagnosis of exclusion. That means there's no test that can confirm it. Instead, we have to rule out other conditions that can be tested for before we consider the implants as the cause.
Start With Your Primary Care Doctor
Your first stop should always be your primary care doctor. Make sure you've had all age-appropriate:
- Physical exams
- Lab tests
- Cancer screenings
This is the most important step if you're not feeling well. Dr. Killeen has seen many women come in for implant removal who never saw their primary doctor first. When sent back for a proper workup, serious but easily manageable health problems were found. They felt much better, and it was never the implants.
When Implant Removal Makes Sense
If your primary care doctor has done a thorough workup and everything comes back normal with no explanation for your symptoms, it's reasonable to consider removing your breast implants.
Multiple published studies across multiple countries have now shown that implant removal alone improves symptoms in about two-thirds of women who believe their implants are causing their health issues. So explant surgery is a completely reasonable option when serious medical problems have been ruled out.
What We Hope for in the Future
Ideally, researchers will figure out exactly what's happening in patients who develop symptoms from their implants. The ultimate goal would be to identify at-risk patients before they get implants so they never have to experience these problems. We're just not there yet.
Be Wary of Unverified Tests and Detoxes
Be very cautious of anyone who claims they can:
- Test for breast implant illness with special tests that only they offer, are not verified, and aren't covered by insurance
- Treat breast implant illness after removal with detox protocols that are not studied or verified
You deserve good, evidence-based care, just like every patient with every other medical condition.
Your Journey to Renewed Confidence
Transform Your Life
Every person deserves to feel comfortable and confident in their own body. Our procedures aren't just about physical change. They're about reclaiming your life, your comfort, and your self-assurance.
Dr. Killeen and her team support you every step of the way, from your first consultation through recovery.
Take the first step toward the life you deserve.
Schedule Your ConsultationTransform Your Life
Every person deserves to feel comfortable and confident in their own body. Our procedures aren't just about physical change. They're about reclaiming your life, your comfort, and your self-assurance.
Dr. Killeen and her team support you every step of the way, from your first consultation through recovery.
Take the first step toward the life you deserve.
Schedule Your ConsultationRelated Articles
To BII Survivors Defending Aggressive Explant Surgery: An Open Letter
August 15, 2025
Dr. Killeen writes directly to the BII community of women who had aggressive explant surgery and improved — asking them to reconsider defending that approach for future patients. With the research showing simpler explant achieves equivalent symptom relief without the higher costs, complications, or cosmetic deformity.
Do "Heavy Metals in Breast Implant Capsules" Cause BII? What the Research Actually Shows
August 20, 2025
Dr. Killeen responds to the common claim that heavy metals build up in breast implant capsules and require complete capsule removal — by walking through the published study showing heavy metal levels are identical in capsules of symptomatic patients, asymptomatic patients, and women who never had implants.
What Are the True Rates of Breast Implant Illness?
August 10, 2026
Dr. Killeen gives an honest answer to a common question: we do not know the true rate of breast implant illness, and anyone quoting a confident number is going beyond the evidence. She explains why — over 150 symptoms have been attributed to it, so it is not a definable diagnosis you can calculate a rate for — and what would actually be needed: a prospective study, defined diagnostic criteria, and a comparison group of women without implants. She also notes that retrospective comparisons have not shown a difference in the most common attributed symptoms.