DANSVILLE, Mich. In 2022, breast augmentation was the second most popular plastic surgery procedure in America, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Now, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Michigan says the harmful side effects caused by implants are largely underreported.
He hopes more women will come forward, so the FDA bans the devices outright.
NewsChannel 3 anchor Jessica Harthorn reconnects with a Michigan woman she interviewed 11 years ago about why she chose to get breast implants at 18.
In recent years, she said it had been a nightmare trying to discover the root cause of her ill health and showed Jessica what happened to her body within hours of having her breast implants removed.
“For me, I had a lot of self-esteem issues in high school, and so when I turned 18, I already knew, I told my parents, I’m doing this,” Dansville resident Beth Wheeler said.
It was a decision that changed Beth’s life. In 2003, she paid for saline breast implants after graduating high school, but that all changed after she replaced them with silicone in 2015.
“And then all the health issues started,” Beth said.
Beth said she immediately noticed weight gain and daily migraines or headaches. She developed skin rashes, high blood pressure, blurred vision and numbness in her legs and arms.
“They would curl up like this, and I’d have to open my fingers. I didn’t think I’d make it to 40, that’s how horrible it felt,” Beth said.
Doctors tested her for several autoimmune diseases, but surprisingly, she said her blood came back to normal.
“I couldn’t understand it and the doctors couldn’t understand it,” Beth said.
She didn’t give up, seeking out specialists and visiting her primary care every week for years.
“It wasn’t just a physical burden, it was also a financial one.” Jessica said to Beth.
“Yeah, and I was tired all the time, I had to sleep all the time, every time my kids wanted to do something I couldn’t because I was sick,” Beth said.
It wasn’t until 2022 that Beth had a breakthrough.
Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick publicly announced that she was having her breast implants removed after being diagnosed with breast implant disease.
“It’s a 50/50 shot. You get it off and you feel better or you don’t, and it sucks because you’re paying all that money on the chance,” Beth said.
Beth did her research and found Dr. Shaher Khana board-certified plastic surgeon in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan who specializes in implant surgery.
On his Facebook page, women from all over the world, from Iran to Italy, shared testimonials about the implant procedure.
So he created a consultation.
“He showed me the journal with the FDA data and the warnings, and the things they’re putting out now, and I think that was the defining moment in our consultation, he was showing me the evidence that these were not safe for you,” Beth said.
So we traveled to Executive Plastic Surgery to learn more about breast implant disease from Dr. Khan.
“Silicon washes out of an intact saline implant, or a silicone implant, and certainly an implant rupture, and it basically starts to be processed by the body’s immune system. The body sees it as foreign and the immune system starts to break down,” he said. Dr. Khan.
Dr. Han created one Breast implant disease checklist for his patients with 55 symptoms.
“Maybe in three years, hopefully soon, they will put a ban on it, and this time permanently, not only on silicone implants, but also on saline implants,” said Dr.
In 1992, silicone implants were banned and then brought back on the market in 2007.
“We’re reliving the same nightmare we did in 1992 that led to the ban, and it’s essentially the same problem, just many decades later,” said Dr.
“So should doctors do more to tell their patients about the risk?” Jessica asked.
“That’s right,” said Dr.
Now Beth is connecting with other women on social media, discovering that the so-called rare side effects of implants may not be so rare after all.
“We know that the FDA has made a decision, they’ve allowed these implants back on the market so they can be studied more and better preliminarily under experimental conditions, and no one has really followed through. Look at all the ladies in pain!” said Dr. Han.
On January 11, 2023, Beth finally underwent implant surgery. The procedure lasted over six hours, with Dr. Khan to remove the capsules and any silicone residue from her body. Document the result on video to see.
“An hour or two after the operation, I had the clearest skin I think I’ve ever had, everything was gone instantly and my eyes were the brightest white I’ve ever been,” Beth said.
Dr. Khan gives his patients their implants. Beth says she keeps them as a reminder of how far she’s come.
“Feel how heavy these are, and these are on your chest every day,” Beth laughed. “It’s unbelievable to think about. No wonder I couldn’t breathe.”
Beth says her implants have never broken, but she shows us what it’s called “gel bleeding.”
“As you can see it sticks to the bag. Over time it just leaks,” Beth said.
Dr. Hahn also tests his patients’ implants for breast cancer, bacteria and lymphoma.
“Only for 1,200 patients on Earth they’ve had this lymphoma, but it’s underreported because nobody’s testing them,” said Dr.
Dr. Khan said that breast implant disease does not cause autoimmune disorders, but the symptoms mimic them.
Beth showed me her remarkable before and after photos.
“Is that with your skin, when you talk about the red spots?” Jessica asked Beth.
“He was in therapy mode,” Beth said.
Beth keeps years of medical records in a box, hoping to prove to Medicaid that her implant surgery was medically justified and should be reimbursed.
“That’s a big part of your life that feels horrible. If you’re just looking at pieces of paper and they’re full to the brim,” Beth said.
It took a year for Beth to fully heal from her implant surgery, but now she feels better than ever.
“Knowing what you know now, after everything you’ve been through, what would you tell your 18-year-old self?” Jessica asked.
“Don’t. Don’t. It’s not worth it,” Beth said.
Dr Khan said all implants are not lifetime devices and can break at any time.
He also said that every woman with breast implants is at risk for breast implant disease at any time.
The FDA warns that breast implants may be linked to cancers and breast implant disease, but as Dr. Khan said, he wants them banned all together.
He even contacted the FDA and invited the doctors who oversee the safety of the implants to spend a day with him and hear his patient’s life-changing stories after the implant surgery.
