MICHIGAN — While the popularity of breast augmentation remains high, a Michigan doctor is warning of new data released by the FDA linking the procedure to a number of medical issues.
According to American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation continues to be one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures in the country. Dr. Shaher Khan is a board certified plastic surgeon who completed a breast augmentation to get his certification and now does implants exclusively – removing implants.
“You hear a lot of ladies in the masses on social media, not only in the United States, but in the rest of the world, who are literally in pain and in misery as a direct result of implants,” said Dr.
He says some go into the process without understanding the full risks.
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in 2021, approximately 381,000 liposuctions were performed in the US, and it was the most common surgery that year. Just behind liposuction was breast augmentation with 378,000 procedures.
The reasons why you want to get the job done remain distant. Some do it for health reasons, others for aesthetic reasons. Jaquelin Caminita of Macomb County wanted breast augmentation after being bullied for years about her appearance.
Jacqueline Caminita
“They would make fun of me … people would say like little comments and you try to brush them off,” Caminita said. “But after you hear them over and over for a while, it gets to you and you feel like there’s something wrong with you.”
In 2016 she saved her money and decided to go ahead with a breast augmentation. But her excitement quickly turned to panic as she immediately began experiencing strange symptoms.
“I had low libido, night sweats, brain fog, joint problems, weight gain,” Caminita said. “It got to the point where I couldn’t swallow my food because my lymph nodes were swollen.”
Jacqueline Caminita
After doing some research online, she realized she had breast implant disease. She had two corrective surgeries, and in 2022 she went ahead with a fourth procedure – the complete removal of her implants. With the four procedures in total, he was out about $30,000 dollars.
“If you talk to the ladies, they will tell you that they are definitely not aware of the many, many risks associated with breast implants,” said Dr.
Dr Khan now dedicates his life to warning people about the dangers associated with breast implants, including breast implant disease (BII).
“Five years ago, many people had not heard of breast implant disease. Today, everyone is talking about it,” said Dr.
Dr. Khan
The FDA defines BII as “a term coined by clinicians and patients to describe symptoms reported by women after breast reconstruction or augmentation.” They’ve collected data on the most common symptoms of BII, and they include things like “fatigue, brain fog, joint and muscle pain,” and more.
It is a broad description of symptoms after breast augmentation, however it is not yet recognized as an official medical diagnosis by the FDA.
71,000 people had their implants removed in 2021 in the US, however, it has not been identified how many of these removals were linked to BII. Dr. Khan speculates that most of the removals had something to do with the plethora of negative symptoms.
The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
“There is a direct link, as emphasized by the FDA as well as the manufacturers, that breast implant disease does exist,” said Dr.
On March 8, the FDA linked the procedure to squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
This is an update of FDA findings released last September, warning about breast implants and connection to other various lymphomas.
“It’s a direct result of the implant,” said Dr. “These ladies would not have had lymphoma or squamous cell cancer, and that has not been reported.”
After Caminita had her implants removed, she says all her symptoms disappeared and she feels well enough to do her regular activities like exercise. Now she only wishes she had done more research or never had the implants in the first place.
Jacqueline Caminita
“With social media and young girls, you can look at everything at all hours of the day and compare yourself to someone else,” she said. “But what is it worth?
