Breast Implant Illness
Boca Raton, FL San Diego, CA
Breast Implant Illness with Landon S. Pryor, MD, FACS
For many women, the decision to undergo breast augmentation is about confidence and self-expression. However, a growing number of patients have discovered that their journey took an unexpected turn, leading to a complex set of unexplained health challenges now known as Breast Implant Illness (BII).
At the practice of Landon S. Pryor, MD, FACS, we believe that breast implant illness deserves a clinical response rooted in the latest research, patient safety, and surgical excellence. We invite you to schedule a private consultation in Boca Raton, FL, or San Diego, CA, to discuss the treatment options for breast implant illness and what steps you can take in your restorative journey.
Core Issue
An inflammatory response or immune system reaction to breast implants.
Common Symptoms
Includes brain fog, joint pain, hair loss, and chronic fatigue, amongst many other symptoms
Primary Treatment
Surgical breast implant removal, always through en bloc capsulectomy
Recovery
Most patients notice a significant improvement in systemic symptoms shortly after surgery.
Aesthetic Options
Fat grafting can be used to restore breast tissue volume after implants are removed.
Breast implant illness (BII) has become a topic of increasing concern among women with breast implants, particularly those with silicone implants. Dr. Pryor believes these women and is here to help. As founder of the BII Centers for Excellence, Dr. Pryor has been at the forefront of BII research, conducting in-depth interviews with advocates and patients while developing unique treatment options to help alleviate symptoms and restore their health and wellbeing.
Breast Implant Illness is a term used to describe a wide range of systemic symptoms that some patients attribute to their breast implants. While BII is not yet a formal medical diagnosis, the medical community is increasingly acknowledging the lived experiences of thousands of women who suffer from chronic inflammation and immune system disturbances, thanks in part to surgeons like Dr. Pryor.
Symptoms can be diverse and often resemble those of other medical conditions, making the diagnostic journey frustrating and bewildering. Many women report:
More than 100 symptoms have been associated with breast implant illness, including fatigue, chest pain, and hair loss. Approximately 49% of patients with breast implants have reported symptoms associated with BII in some large-scale reviews. Anyone with breast implants can develop breast implant illness, regardless of the type of implant they have.
While research into the exact causes continues, Breast Implant Illness is generally understood as a systemic inflammatory response or an autoimmune/autoinflammatory syndrome.
The prevailing theories on why certain bodies react to breast implants include:
Foreign Body Response: The moment an implant is put into the body, the body recognizes it as a foreign object, building defense mechanisms against it. In some cases, those defenses continue to be triggered by the implant's presence, staying in a state of high alert and attacking what it feels like is an invading foreign object. The chronic activation of the immune system eventually leads to white blood cell exhaustion and systemic inflammation.
Silicone Bleed and Particle Migration: Even if a silicone implant hasn't ruptured, it is possible for microscopic silicone molecules to pass through the shell over time, triggering the body's immune response. These continual triggers will lead to a more widespread immune response as the microparticles travel to the liver, lungs, and lymph nodes.
Bioaccumulation: This theory holds that the gradual accumulation of microscopic toxins released by breast implants eventually overwhelms the body's ability to process them, leading to inflammation. This explains why some patients suddenly get symptoms months or even multiple years after receiving their implants.
Mental health is a critical component of the conversation around breast implant illness (BII). Women with BII often report significant mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, and isolation; such symptoms may be present before or after breast implantation and should be carefully considered when evaluating the mental health impacts of breast augmentation procedures.
These psychiatric symptoms often occur alongside physical symptoms like chronic fatigue and brain fog. Research suggests that the immune system’s response to implants, particularly silicone, may contribute to both physical and emotional health issues. The difficulty in obtaining a formal diagnosis for unexplained symptoms often leads to emotional distress and feelings of being dismissed by the medical community. While choosing implant removal (explantation) is a deeply personal choice, it frequently brings relief. Patients commonly report improvements in both systemic physical symptoms and mental clarity post-explantation. Procedures such as fat grafting can further enhance self-confidence after removal.
Addressing breast implant illness requires compassionate care that integrates mental health support alongside treatment options like implant removal and fat grafting to promote holistic healing. Dr. Pryor and his team are here to help you through each step of this journey. If you suspect your body may be reacting poorly to your breast implants, contacting Dr. Pryor is an excellent first step towards getting answers from a knowledgeable surgeon who will listen to you and take your concerns seriously.
En Bloc and Total Capsulectomy
Dr. Pryor specializes in advanced explant techniques that remove both the implant and the surrounding scar tissue, known as breast implant capsules, as a single unit. Removing the entire capsule is always important in cases of complications such as ALCL or capsule calcification, as it helps ensure patient safety and addresses specific medical conditions. This comprehensive approach prevents potential inflammatory substances or silicone debris from remaining in the body. Some patients express concerns about heavy metal toxicity, as studies are investigating the potential link between heavy metals found in breast implant capsules and symptoms of breast implant illness.
Holistic Recovery Protocols
Healing from BII often requires more than just surgery. Dr. Pryor integrates adjunctive therapies (such as IV detoxification therapy and TruDose regenerative therapy) to help reduce inflammation and support the body’s natural healing processes. Improvements in symptoms usually occur within the first three months after surgery for implant removal.
Aesthetic Restoration
For those concerned about their appearance after removal, Dr. Pryor and his team offer safe volume restoration options, such as fat transfer to the breasts.
At the heart of Dr. Pryor’s work is the belief that every woman deserves to be an authority on her own body. By focusing on understanding breast implant illness, he highlights the importance of ongoing research and awareness about the potential health impacts of BII. Breast implant illness has become more widely known in recent years, driven by social media and patient advocacy. By partnering with advocates and participating in ongoing research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Dr. Pryor is helping to shift the medical perspective on BII from skepticism to support.
If you are struggling with unexplained symptoms and believe your implants may be the cause, you do not have to navigate this journey alone. Dr. Pryor and his team in Boca Raton, FL, and San Diego, CA, are dedicated to providing the answers and the expert care you need to live your healthiest, most fulfilling life.
East Coast? West Coast? No matter where you are, getting high-end care from one of the nation’s leading plastic surgeons will be worth the trip. Dr. Landon Pryor is a triple board-certified, triple fellowship-trained plastic surgeon known for surgical excellence in both aesthetic plastic surgery and as a national leader in Breast Implant Illness (BII) care and explant surgery. His aesthetic highlights include a deep structural approach to procedures like facelift, rhinoplasty, and breast contouring, aiming for natural-looking, refined, and stable results. For BII patients, he is recognized as a "Surgeon Advocate" who utilizes innovative explant techniques, such as the En Bloc Capsulectomy, and integrates holistic recovery protocols.
Patients travel from across the country to see Dr. Pryor because he is a "National Destination for Explant Surgery & Aesthetic Excellence," offering a steady presence, an evidence-first approach, and compassionate care from a highly trained surgeon who validates their symptoms and provides a safe path to restoration.
You can schedule a consultation with Dr. Pryor at the following locations:
Breast Implant Illness (BII) is a term used to describe a broad collection of systemic health problems, such as joint pain and brain fog, that some women experience as an inflammatory response to their medical devices. Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), on the other hand, is a specific and rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma found in the breast implant capsules—the scar tissue capsule surrounding textured implants. In cases of BIA-ALCL or capsule calcification, it is important to remove the entire capsule during surgery to ensure patient safety and address these specific medical conditions. While both conditions involve the body’s reaction to an implant, BII is characterized by wide-ranging systemic symptoms rather than a localized malignancy.
Currently, there is no official diagnosis for breast implant illness (BII), as it is not recognized as a formal medical condition, and there is no single laboratory test that can definitively confirm its presence. Diagnosis is typically reached through a process of elimination, in which a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Pryor reviews the patient’s symptoms, such as chronic fatigue and skin problems, along with their surgical history. Dr. Pryor works closely with patients to validate their experiences and determine if their implants are the most likely source of their health concerns.
Many women who suffer from diagnosed autoimmune disorders or connective tissue diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, report a significant improvement in their quality of life after explant surgery. By removing the breast implants and the surrounding scar tissue, the source of chronic immune system stimulation is eliminated. BII may be associated with autoimmune or rheumatic disorders, with specific conditions reported, including Sjogren's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. While every patient’s healing journey is unique, reducing the body’s overall inflammatory response often leads to a noticeable decrease in joint pain and other systemic issues.
The timeline for recovery varies for every individual, but many patients report that "the fog lifts" almost immediately following their breast implant removal surgery. While some physical symptoms, such as joint pain or skin problems, may take several weeks or months to fully resolve as the body detoxifies, the initial relief from systemic inflammation is often quite rapid. Dr. Pryor provides long-term support and recovery protocols to ensure the body has the resources it needs to heal completely.
