Breast Implants, Explant Surgery, and Breast Implant Illness with Robert Whitfield MD - Episodes Tagged with “Breast Reconstruction”

Episode 108: Hidden Dangers of Breast Implants and How to Address Complications with Dr. Randall Feingold

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 03:30:00 -0400

Today, Dr. Rob Whitfield and Dr. Randall Feingold dive into the topic of breast implant illness and explant surgery. Dr. Whitfield, who's a board-certified plastic surgeon, talks about how crucial it is to recognize and treat breast implant illness. He shares details about the symptoms, treatment options, and even some personal stories from women who have been affected. Dr. Feingold, who specializes in breast reconstruction, discusses using natural tissue solutions instead of implants. He also stresses how important it is to perform a total capsulectomy for patients dealing with complications. This episode offers so many key takeaways, so tune in!

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Key Takeaways

Challenges with Low BMI Patients (00:05:22)
Discussion on the complexities of treating low BMI patients in breast surgery
Fat Transfer Techniques (00:06:10)
Advantages of fat transfer techniques over implants, especially in cosmetic cases
Safety of Fat Grafting (00:14:21)
Reassurance regarding the safety of fat grafting and its application in breast cancer patients
FDA Acknowledgment (00:18:25)
FDA's recognition of systemic symptoms related to breast implants and patient information
Visualizing Complications with Implants (00:21:20)
Challenges of removing older silicone implants and the risks associated with leakage
Safety in Total Capsulectomy (00:28:28)
Safety of total capsulectomy and the importance of skill in performing the procedure
Pathologic Analysis of Capsules (00:35:38)
Sending removed capsules for analysis to identify potential malignancies or infections
Bacterial Colonization in Capsules (00:36:54)
Prevalence of bacteria found in capsules and its potential impact on patient symptoms
Capsule Removal Benefits (00:43:26)
Advantages of removing capsules during explant surgery, including improved breathing and reduced anxiety

Bio Dr. Feingold

Randall S. Feingold, M.D. is a founding partner of NYBRA Plastic Surgery. He has been practicing on Long Island, New York since 1994. Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, he specializes in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body as well as state-of-the-art post-mastectomy breast reconstruction.

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Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/breast-implant-illness/id1678143554
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Read this article - https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction/types/implant-reconstruction/illness/breast-implant-illness
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Episode 96: A Holistic Approach to Healing from Breast Implant Illness with Dr. Lu-Jean Feng

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Breast Implant Illness (BII) affects many women, yet it's not widely discussed within the medical community. In our latest episode, Dr. Rob Whitfield and Dr. Lu-Jean Feng dive deep into the symptoms and recovery process of BII. From local symptoms like pain to systemic issues such as fatigue and brain fog, understanding these symptoms is crucial for those considering explant surgery. By examining the role of genetics and detoxification pathways, we emphasize a personalized treatment approach for better health outcomes. Tune in to hear more!

Show Highlights:

Historical Context of Silicone Problems (00:04:35)
Discussion on early reports of systemic problems related to silicone implants dating back to the 60s.
Epigenetics and Health (00:14:37)
Discussion on how epigenetic factors, including diet and environmental exposure, influence overall health
Gut Health Challenges (00:18:23)
Complexities of gut health issues faced by patients post-explant surgery
Functional Approaches to Gut Recovery (00:20:24)
Integrating functional medicine practitioners to address gut health and recovery
Importance of Sleep for Recovery (00:22:04)
The significance of sleep for surgical recovery and brain health, especially in women
Exercise and Sleep Quality (00:26:14)
How intense cardio workouts improve sleep quality and overall health
Weight Training for Women (00:28:01)
Importance of weight training to prevent osteoporosis in women
Understanding Surgical Limitations (00:40:21)
Clarification on the variability of surgical outcomes based on muscle quality and previous surgeries
Philosophical Differences in Surgery Techniques (00:44:35)
Exploration of different surgical philosophies regarding drains and lymphatic drainage
Lymphatic Massage and Recovery (00:54:54)
The role of lymphatic massage in enhancing recovery post-surgery

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Episode 54: ENCORE: How Do You Know If You Have Breast Implant Illness?

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Breast implants have been used for a relatively long time now. However, there is not enough research studies or discussions based on its effects which is why Breast Implant Illness (BII) is quite a new topic especially in the medical community and is not yet widely recognized.

Because of the lack of information and awareness with regard to the long-term effects of breast implants, many women suffer from breast implant illness. In today’s episode, we’ll be talking about the different aspects of breast implant illness.

When you have multiple things contributing to inflammation, it’s even more complicated.

Breast implant illness is already challenging to treat on its own. And so, it’s already a given fact that when a person has multiple factors contributing to the inflammation, it makes everything more complicated including the diagnosis and treatment.
Since experiences with breast implants vary, the symptoms also vary widely. Some people may experience only mild symptoms, while others may experience more severe symptoms that badly affect their way of living.
Personally, I’ve done more than a thousand consultations regarding breast implants and they have helped me understand breast implant illness more comprehensively. There are those who suffer from memory problems, brain fog or mental health problems whereas some experience symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitations.

Other symptoms of Breast Implant Illness

There is also a tendency that you’re going to experience problems in your gastrointestinal (GI) system. The common symptoms are acid reflux, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, overall swelling, and other digestive problems. And for some, they get aggressive skin symptoms like body acne and full body rashes.

Usually, people have already gone to several healthcare providers or other specialists before they have found me. Their concerns generally boil down to the fact that no one knows what’s wrong since their blood tests, medical tests, and everything else look normal.

At present, there is limited awareness of both allopathic and functional medicine practitioners but the good thing is that there is more work being done both at a basic science level and at clinical research levels to help expand our knowledge and understanding.
The immune system plays a role in breast implant illness which is why we conduct some provocative tests to help the patients have a better understanding of their own immune system and how it relates to their illness.

There’s a glutathione challenge with liposomal glutathione and more often than not, it's really enlightening to folks that something as simple as that can help them understand how they don't really detoxify well. Everything plays a role in breast implant illness – where we live, where we work, what we eat, what we drink, and the air we breathe.

People are all at risk to have leaky gut, which further exacerbates this problem.

There are many people at risk of having a leaky gut, which further exacerbates the problem. That’s why it is important to identify what stimulates your gastrointestinal tract. If you successfully accomplish that, you’ll be able to know your food sensitivities and everything else in relation to your digestive process.

I’m sure we are all aware of the different kinds of diet from plant-based diets, keto, and others. However, these dietary lifestyles don’t work for others. Maybe that's just not what they're supposed to do because they don't have the correct enzymatic makeup genetically to handle those types of diets.
My whole testing program involves functional genetics, total toxicity, inflammatory markers, and complete blood work including hormones. Once you add everything up, you'll be able to see the pattern of symptoms. And so what we want to do is to first identify the symptoms and correlate these to breast implant illness in order for us to provide the appropriate plans and treatment to get the patient back on the right track.

The importance of genetics in the treatment of breast implant illness.

Overall, genetics along with the standard tests conducted are vital in the treatment of breast implant illness. As time goes on, we'll focus on that even more as a specialty of medicine and a personalized approach in using someone's genetics to identify and explore toxicity and to optimize patients so they can live their best life.

In conclusion, the implant is a big generator of the problem in most cases and the good news is that we have a program for those patients faced with such problems. Many of our clients under our Holistic Accelerated Recovery Program (HARP™) are doing extremely well in terms of recovery. All thanks to the whole team who has been working hard and really devoting their hard work to help patients live their best life.

Links and Resources

Dr. Robert Whitfield’s Website

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For more information on Virtual and In Person Consultations, we always answer our messenger personally:
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Let’s Connect...
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/breast-implant-illness/id1678143554
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SPDripbluZKYsC0rwrBdb?si=23ea2cd9f6734667
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drrobertwhitfield?_t=8oQyjO25X5i&_r=1
IG: https://www.instagram.com/breastimplantillnessexpert/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/DrRobertWhitfield
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-robert-whitfield-md-50775b10/
X: https://x.com/rob_whitfieldmd
Read this article - https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction/types/implant-reconstruction/illness/breast-implant-illness
Shop: https://drrobssolutions.com
SHARP: https://www.harp.health
NVISN Labs - https://nvisnlabs.com/

Get access to Dr. Rob's Favorite Products below:
Danger Coffee - Use our link for mold free coffee - https://dangercoffee.com/pages/mold-free-coffee?ref=ztvhyjg
JASPR Air Purifier - Use code DRROB for the Jaspr Air Purifier - https://jaspr.co/
Echo Water - Get high quality water with our code DRROB10 - https://echowater.com/
BallancerPro - Use code DRROBVIP for the world's leader in lymphatic drainage technology - https://ballancerpro.com
Ultrahuman - Use code WHITFIELD10 for the most accurate wearable - https://www.ultrahuman.com/ring/buy/us/?affiliateCode=drwhitfield

Episode 52: ENCORE: Recovery Following Breast Explant Surgery (Breast Implant Removal ) [Part 2]

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0500

In the second half of our two-part series on recovery following breast implant removal surgery, you’ll hear more about how we help patients recover faster from breast implant removal surgery.

Because lymph nodes are the body’s primary system for fighting infection, we prioritize lymphatic massage as an important step for speeding the healing process along. For this therapy, patients are cared for by our expert lymphatic massage therapist and treated with the Ballancer Pro to flush out toxins, boost the immune system, and shorten recovery time by releasing fluids.

When a fat transfer is included in the surgery to restore volume back into your breasts, the fat is placed between the skin of the breast and above the breast tissue.

Dr. Whitfield’s experience caring for thousands of patients over the years ensures that everything he does including fat transfers are safe and do not create issues with future mammograms.

Links and Resources

Dr. Robert Whitfield’s Website

Follow Dr. Rob on Instagram
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For more information on Virtual and In Person Consultations, we always answer our messenger personally:
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Episode 50: ENCORE: Recovery Following Breast Explant Surgery (Breast Implant Removal) [Part 1]

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0500

It’s normal to worry about how you’ll feel waking up after surgery, and if you’re suffering from breast implant illness (BII), you may be even more worried about recovering from those symptoms. Dr. Whitfield goes above and beyond to make the post-op experience as comfortable and painless as possible. He seeks the answers to the difficult questions about what’s causing each individual’s symptoms of BII and continues to care for and follow up with his patients for a full year after explant surgery.

Dr. Whitfield’s post-op protocol begins on the night before surgery with anti-nausea medicine, Celebrex to decrease inflammation, and a neuromodulator for anxiety. During surgery, a long-lasting block called Exparel prevents pain and keeps nerves calm for several days. This also minimizes the need for narcotic pain medication, which can make you groggy and cause constipation. If you’ve had an epidural or had this experience from another surgery, you already know why constipation should be avoided!

To minimize the risk of infection, Dr. Whitfield does not use drains. Contrary to popular belief, the research shows that drains cause more infections because incisions are exposed to the outside environment and irritated by the drain itself.

Lymph nodes are the body’s system for fighting infection, and lymphatic massage is an important step for speeding the healing process along. For this therapy, patients are treated with the Ballancer Pro to flush out toxins, boost the immune system, and shorten recovery time by releasing fluids.

Finally, and most importantly, you’ll receive the pathology and PCR test results, which looks at 150 different types of bacteria, fungus, and mold.

This episode is part 1 of 2 about the recovery process following breast implant removal surgery.

Links and Resources

Dr. Robert Whitfield’s Website

Follow Dr. Rob on Instagram
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For more information on Virtual and In Person Consultations, we always answer our messenger personally:
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Episode 49: ENCORE: Using Fat to Create Beautiful Breasts After Breast Implant Removal (Breast Explant Surgery)

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Whether you’re having your breast implants removed or never had them at all, the volume lost can be replaced with your own fat and beautiful, long-lasting results can be achieved.

During a fat transfer, fat is taken out of areas it is unwanted and transferred to different areas where fat is desired. Fat is the perfect filler because it is versatile and able to maintain itself over time.

Fat can be used to restore volume, reduce skin laxity, and improve shape, which is one reason why procedures such as the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) have become so popular in recent years.

In this episode, Dr. Rob explains the process of fat grafting, including how the procedure is done, the precautions which must be taken to preserve and protect the fat at every point in the process, and how much fat you can expect to retain.

Links and Resources

Dr. Robert Whitfield’s Website

Follow Dr. Rob on Instagram
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For more information on Virtual and In Person Consultations, we always answer our messenger personally:
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Episode 39: Are Certain Types of Implants More Likely to Cause Breast Implant Illness?

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0500

One of the frequent significant concerns that I get concerning Breast Implant Illness (BII) is its potential association with the type of breast implants used. This is in line with health issues regarding some implants like textured implants, which have garnered more attention due to their close connection to conditions like anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

As we aim to uncover more about the complexities surrounding breast implant illness, this is another episode that will surely provide insights into the potential influence of various implant characteristics on the development of breast implant illness.

Breast implant illness and its association with different types of implants

I often get asked about how breast implant illness develops and whether certain types of breast implants are more likely to cause it. To address this comprehensively, it's crucial to understand everything at play, especially concerning breast augmentation and reconstruction. I consider breast implant illness to be a form of chronic inflammation that can affect various systems in the body. When considering its development, it's essential to take into account various factors, ranging from implant materials and textures to individual patient factors.

While extreme symptoms can occur with textured implants, it's not a guarantee in every case. Textured implants have garnered attention due to their close association with anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and had a worldwide recall. Specifically, the texture and surface of Allergan implants were quite aggressive and were initially designed to prevent implant rotation, especially in cancer reconstruction patients.

Textured surfaces were crucial in both stabilizing the implants and sculpting a comprehensive breast shape or form for patients. Nevertheless, their effectiveness in implant retention could also lead to the stimulation of nearby tissues, which might be a contributing factor to the emergence of symptoms linked to breast implant illness.

Taking a comprehensive approach to evaluate symptoms and identify root causes

In the context of oncology-related breast reconstruction, when natural breast borders have been weakened or removed, reconstructive surgeons have employed various techniques to keep implants in place. One of the techniques that has been historically employed to address this issue is the use of textured tissue expanders. These expanders were introduced as a means to create a stable pocket for implants, preventing their rotation and facilitating the sculpting of a comprehensive breast form, especially in cancer reconstruction cases. The textured surface was instrumental in achieving these objectives by enhancing the adherence of the expander to the surrounding tissues, thereby reducing the risk of breast implant migration.

However, while these expanders undeniably serve as valuable tools in breast reconstruction, the rough surfaces of these expanders can stimulate tissues and potentially lead to more symptoms. It's important to note that severe symptoms can be associated with any type of tissue expander.

At my clinic, we take a comprehensive approach to evaluate symptoms and identify root causes. We use functional genomics, toxicity testing, food sensitivity testing, gut microbiome evaluation, and hormone assessment to determine any potential reasons behind a patient's health issues. I believe in examining all aspects of a patient's health because the implant itself is just one factor in this complex situation, based on my experience.

Links and Resources

Dr. Robert Whitfield’s Website

Follow Dr. Rob on Instagram
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For more information on Virtual and In Person Consultations, we always answer our messenger personally:
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Episode 12: How You Can Prevent Breast Implant Illness

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

With a number of cases of women being affected by breast implant illness, there’s a need for us to ensure that everyone is fully informed about the risks, benefits and preventions for such illness as it remains to be unrecognized by many.

And that’s why we’re here today! We’ll be talking about how to prevent breast implant illness and the importance of having a reputable and qualified surgeon for your implants.

How can you prevent breast implant illness?

We’ve already defined what breast implant illness is in the previous podcast episode. It’s a broad term but to put it simply, it is a component of the overall inflammation in your system.

There’s also a need to look at the other components that contribute to your overall inflammation in order to prevent breast implant illness or at least prevent it from worsening. That’s why we have to identify food sensitivities as well. We have to look at how your body absorbs the food you consume.

An analysis of your stool sample’s DNA may be conducted to identify what stimulates you to become inflamed from your diet. However, it remains to be a tough challenge understanding and diagnosing how much inflammation someone has.

Consequently, it’s difficult to understand and diagnose breast implant illness because of that. With my experience of doing thousands of explants, I already know my way through this.

One of the potential ways to reduce your risk of developing inflammation that contributes to breast implant illness is identifying your surgeon for the best possible operative procedure whether it’s for reconstructive or cosmetic surgery. It greatly helps to have a great and trusted surgeon to discuss your condition with.

Choosing the right implant for your patient.

It’s important to carefully choose the right implant for your patient. The size of the implant must fit the frame of the patient while still giving an aesthetic outcome.

Make sure to monitor the status of your patient and her implant throughout the patient’s healing journey not just during the first year but also for the subsequent years to ensure that there are no issues. In my clinic, we have been using a high definition ultrasound for monitoring.

If there’s a change in implants, check with your provider to see if there is a change.

For those who noticed any changes in your implants, make sure to check with your provider to confirm if there’s any noticeable change or trauma. After that consultation, make sure to follow up just to make sure.

There are alternative therapies for those who are not comfortable with the risks associated with breast implants. We perform fat transfer for patients seeking natural breast augmentation. It accentuates the natural breasts’ form and unlike in an implant, it’s between the skin and fatty layer and above the breast tissue.

It’s difficult to change more than a cup size with a fat transfer so if you’re the patient, clearly set out your expectations with regard to what you’re seeking to change visually.

It’s important to make sure that the patients understand all the risks and benefits of the procedures. For fat transfer, factors such as the skin stretch, overall breast size, pregnancies and other history of the patient who wants to get a cup size change are taken into consideration.

As for breast implants, the patients are informed about the risks of breast implant associated cancers and other risks associated with the development of breast implants. That’s why having a qualified professional surgeon who is knowledgeable about these things is important.

If they don’t really understand things like how a patient’s genetic predisposition or overall toxicity affects the implants, it’s going to be tough for them to understand your condition and keep track of the status of your implants.

Links and Resources:

Episode 11: How Do You Know If You Have Breast Implant Illness

Robert Whitfield MD — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

When you have multiple things contributing to inflammation, it’s even more complicated.

Other symptoms of Breast Implant Illness

People are all at risk to have leaky gut, which further exacerbates this problem.

My whole testing program involves functional genetics, total toxicity, inflammatory markers, and complete blood work including hormones. Once you add everything up, you'll be able to see the pattern of symptoms. And so what we want to do is to first identify the symptoms and correlate these to breast implant illness in order for us to provide the appropriate plans and treatment to get the patient back on the right track.

The importance of genetics in the treatment of breast implant illness.

Links and Resources:

To learn more about the Holistic Accelerated Recovery Program (HARP™), you can save your seat through this link: https://www.harp.health/

You can visit our online store if you’re looking for a wide range of highest grade supplements and medical grade skin care to aid you in your recovery: https://drrobssolutions.myshopify.com/.