I have consolidated resources and answers to frequently asked questions I have received on Explanting and Breast Implant Illness (BII)
#1 - you are not alone
Join over 160,000 women around the world, many of who have explanted and are sharing their stories to help other women like you and me.
Join the Explant Facebook group Healing Breast Implant Illness.
#2 - choosing your surgeon
Your Surgeon Matters! Watch my video here or read the blog post I made just for this
EXPLANT SURGEON'S LIST. This explant surgeon's list was created by over 160,000 facebook group members from Healing Breast Implant Illness "recommending their surgeons to be added to this list after experiencing proper explant which means an En Bloc Capsulectomy or Total Capsulectomy explant.
No surgeon pays to get on this list or stay on this list and if you are concerned about that please contact the surgeon(s) directly to verify that fact. These surgeons have explanted many members of this group and you can look up member's posts about these surgeons by using the group's search feature and searching under the surgeon's name.
Healing Breast Implant Illness created this list in early 2013 because finding a good surgeon to explant you when you have breast implant illness should not be a difficult or impossible task."
"The most important thing is finding a surgeon who is going to perform En Bloc and Total Capsulectomy.”
#3 - what is bii
Breast Implant Illness Click Here
Healing Breast Implant Illness Click Here
List of Chemicals in Breast Implants - The Harmful Substances Click Here
#4 - What kind of implants did I have?
The first time I put in my implants was in 2011 in March. And then I had surgery again in 2015 and put in a new set. Overall I've had implants for 11 years.
I had Smooth Round Moderate Plus Silicone Implants 450 CC Filled with Cohesive Gel
My plastic surgeon that put in my implants is in Toronto, Canada.
#5 - who was my explant surgeon?
My Explant surgeon was Dr. Victor Urzola in San Jose, Costa Rica. Learn more: ExplantCostaRica.com Follow my surgeon on IG to learn what is coming out of the capsules and implants of thousands of women @DrUrzolaExplantInfo
#6 What is En Bloc?
En Bloc means the implant and the tissue that is around the implant are removed together as a single unit. When your implants are placed, your body goes into protection mode and forms a capsule around the implant. It’s important to remove the implant and capsule as one intact unit to avoid further contamination.
In the event that an En Bloc resection cannot be accomplished, a Total Capsulectomy will be performed. Your capsule may contain bacteria or silicone pieces that should not be left in your body.
#7 What is u-flap?
+ WHY CAN’T A FAT TRANSFER BE DONE AT THE TIME OF SURGERY?
Why can't a fat transfer be done at the time of your surgery? AND What's the difference between a fat transfer and U-Flap (which is what I had)?
The way that I've understood what surgeons have said to me is that because you are manipulating the tissue at the time of surgery, to do a fat transfer at the same time could cause infection and because the fat is being exposed to oxygen (because you're taking the fat from somewhere else) some fat cells will die and therefore will not hold as well in the manipulated tissue. At the time of surgery, the injected fat tends to not hold very well. So you run the risk of possibly creating an infection and the fat doesn’t hold as good as it would six months later once you're healed from surgery.
U-Flap is a completely different procedure. This is another reason why I chose my surgeon, because it allowed me to come out of surgery with a little bit of volume and not needing to wait the six months. This procedure was invented by my surgeon, Dr. Urzola. Basically when the incision is made underneath the breast, he pulls out that part of your skin and basically takes my fat from around my ribs and flips it up into the breast pocket to create volume. You can watch a digitally U-Flap procedure performed here.
During the U-Flap procedure the fat is never leaving the body or being detached from the body, but rather it is being pushed up into the breast pocket.
That's the biggest difference.
With the U-Flap procedure this meant my recovery was going to be a little more intense and that recovery time was going to be longer as well. My recovery time is a solid one month of not being able to do pretty much anything. No walking, to lifting of anything, no raising my arms, not sleeping on my side, no yoga or working out, no pushing or pulling things, literally nothing.
#8 - getting ready for surgery
I received many questions about getting ready for surgery, and what to prepare for. I created an e-book just for YOU that goes through all of this. Filled with 4 different checklists, things to plan for from 1 month out right up to the night before, things to pack, post surgery remedies, reflection ideas, calming tools, affirmations to hold you, post-surgery kit, and my heavy metal detox juice recipe.
Click Here
#9 - I don’t have the money to explant but I want to
Contact your insurance company.
Especially if your implants have been recalled, I know in many cases that recalled implants are covered by OHIP or Provincial Health Insurance and in the USA there are many insurance companies that will also cover the procedure as well.
Alternatively maybe you can qualify for a loan and do a payment plan.
I have also seen women start Go Fund Me pages, sharing their story / health issues and asking for community support.
#10 - Will my body heal if I remove my implants?
I can not speak to that one way or the other. BUT I can say this: anytime you are eliminating the toxic load in your body, you are giving your body the space and ability to heal providing a stronger probability try to repair.
Removing your implants will help to lift part of the toxic load in your body which will give your body the opportunity to try to heal and restore. You can’t heal or correct something if you are still causing the issue.
AND it will require a lot of healthy work. But I believe our body is a radical healing machine that is capable far beyond what we give it credit for.
If you haven't read You Are The Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza, I HIGHLY recommend that you do asap.
Our body is a radical healing machine that is capable far beyond what we give it credit for.
have more questions?
As always, if you have questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or send me a DM.
I love hearing from you. I will keep answering questions as they comes in.
I really believe that this is a topic that is intentionally not spoken about, and I really believe that we need to be sharing these truths. It has the ability to change a lot of women's lives!
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Consider supporting Healing Breast Implant Illness Society of North America They are an official, incorporated, not-for-profit society with a dedicated board and constitution mandating the education of women globally about the ill health effects of saline and silicone breast implants. Its mandate also includes emotionally supporting women through breast implant illness, explant of implants, detoxification and most importantly to help women overcome society’s false concepts of beauty, trivialization and over sexualization of women.