Chapter 1
Breast implant illness (BII) refers to a collection of symptoms that develop after having surgery with breast implants. "In the medical community, BII is most often associated to be an autoimmune or inflammatory condition caused by adjuvants (ASIA). BII can occur with any type of breast implant, including silicone gel-filled, saline-filled, smooth surface, textured surface, round, or teardrop-shaped.”
What causes Breast Implant Illness?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Researchers don’t know the exact cause of breast implant illness. But some researchers suspect that BII may be caused by:
"Autoimmune or inflammatory reaction to parts of the breast implant, such as silicone."
"Bacteria may grow on an implant surface and cause infection (biofilm infection)."
"Reaction to the surgery used to insert breast implants."
Ref: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23366-breast-implant-illness
Can Breast Implant Illness Affect Me?
Breast Implant Illness (BII) can in fact impact each person differently. Not everyone has the exact same symptoms. Maybe this is due to the fact that our genetics are individual, and our bodies react differently to foreign objects and substances.
According to Oncotarget Journal of Medicine, some genes were identified as "most likely related to the silicone-induced immune response, and autoimmunity disease markers."(1)
Ref 1:. Oncotarget. Identification of hub genes related to silicone-induced immune response in rats. 2017 Nov 21; 8(59): 99772–99783. Published online 2017 Oct 6. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.21546
You can get a genetic health test through 23 and me to find out if you have gene mutations. There are certain gene mutations that may predict if you will have an autoimmune response to a foreign body (Breast Implants) and chemicals such as silicone.
Please visit my website for more information: https://biihopeforhealing.com
What are the Symptoms of BII?
Most Common Symptoms are:
Joint and muscle pain
Chronic fatigue
Memory and concentration problems
Breathing problems
Sleep disturbance
Rashes and skin problems
Dry mouth and dry eyes
Anxiety depression
Headaches
Hair loss
Gut problems
Auto Immune illnesses
Vision problems
Neurological issues
Hormone imbalances
Allergies to foods
Malaise
Inflammation
Not everyone with Breast Implants has symptoms of BII, there are some people that seem to have no issues with Breast Implants. However, the risks affect each individual differently and over time, complications may arise. We will discuss the possibilities and potential reasons why.
Why do Some People have Symptoms and
Others Don't?
Possible reasons to why some people get sick and others don't are:
an inflammatory reaction to a foreign object
a reaction to specific components of breast implants, such as silicone
a response to the insertion of breast implants and surgical techniques
family history of allergies
family history of auto immune illnesses
family history of neurological disorders
biofilms that present on the implant
SNP mutations in the methylation cycle
genetic mutations
slower break-down of silicone
toxicology testing on implants before implantation surgery
Ref: Valentina Gonzalez-Jaramillo, Eliana Portilla-Fernandez, Marija Glisic, Trudy Voortman, Mohsen Ghanbari, Wichor Bramer, Rajiv Chowdhury, Tamar Nijsten, Abbas Dehghan, Oscar H. Franco, Jana Nano, "Epigenetics and Inflammatory Markers: A Systematic Review of the Current Evidence", International Journal of Inflammation, vol. 2019, Article ID 6273680, 14 pages, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6273680
How Will I Know if I get BII?
The symptoms can appear any time after implant surgery — some people develop symptoms immediately, while some develop them years later. A lot of the symptoms of BII are associated with autoimmune and connective tissue disorders, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma.
Some people who have BII get diagnosed with a specific disorder, but many do not. Most of the time, but not all cases, surgery to remove the breast implants improves or completely resolves BII symptoms. There is no ICD-11 diagnosis code for BII and it is not currently recognized as an official medical diagnosis.
There are currently 431 Facebook Groups dedicated to helping those with Breast Implant Illness and Cancer. Please visit our Facebook group Breast Implant Illness Hope for Healing to find support and information about this research.
Please email us if you have any questions: biihopeforhealing@gmail.com
Visit our non-profit website: www.integrativehopeforhealing.org
Practitioner website: https://biihopeforhealing.com
-Breast implant illness: scientific evidence of its existence
-Breast Implant Illness: A Cohort Study
-A population-based study of breast implant illness
-Medical Device Reports for Systemic Symptoms in Women with Breast Implants
