SZA opens up about her experience with breast implants — and why she decided to have them removed.
The “Sleep” the singer said to SHE MD podcast that she faced some hurdles when she initially went for implants—and also didn’t consider her personal breast cancer risk. SZA pointed out that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and her aunt also had a mastectomy, giving her a 53% lifetime risk of developing the disease due to her family history.
But the 34-year-old said her implants “ended up hurting me”, which is why she eventually had them removed. Here’s what he shared.
SZA said doctors discovered fibrosis when she got the implants.
Because of her lifetime risk of breast cancer, SZA says she should have consulted her doctor before getting implants. Instead, he said he “punched up and took it anyway.”
She learned after her surgery that she had fibrosis, which is thickening and scarring of the breast tissue. “My doctor took out some of my fibrosis, but there was so much fibrosis, it was crazy,” she said. “And he took it out. And so when I came back, a lot of the worries disappeared.”
What is fibrosis?
Fibrosis is thick or scar tissue that can appear in many areas of your body (ie, not just your breasts). Areas of breasts with fibrosis may feel springy or firm to the touch, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
SZA also has an increased risk of breast cancer.
SZA reported her lifetime risk of breast cancer—53%—which was likely calculated by taking the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment, a tool that helps estimate the likelihood of breast cancer based on information such as personal and your family health history.
However, getting breast implants alone would not increase the risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer, according to ACS. It just meant that maybe it needed to be tracked a little differently, among other things with breast MRI.
He decided to have his breast implants removed after experiencing “painful” side effects.
SZA shared that her implants “ended up hurting me.” She continued, “I have too much scar tissue because my breasts are too dense and I shouldn’t have breast implants. And so, I ended up getting extra fibrosis like with the tissue, whatever, and it didn’t feel good and it was painful. So I took them out. Now, it’s just my boobs.”
Breast implants have been linked to some rare breast cancers.
Although getting breast implants won’t increase your chances of getting common types of breast cancer, it can increase your risk of rare cancers like a cancer of the immune system called anaplastic large cell lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma, according to the FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA).
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamor and more. He has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
