Report:

If you have symptoms of breast implant illness please report all adverse reactions to your country’s health government agency.

US –

1. Breast implant illness can be reported by anyone (patients, health care professionals, manufacturers, etc.) to the FDA through the MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form. Medical device reports submitted to the FDA can be found in the Manufacturer and User Device Experience (MAUDE) database. If you are interested in requesting specific documents from the FDA, please see FOIA. As of March 2019, due to all the reports submitted, the FDA officially listed Systemic Symptoms (Breast Implant Illness (BII)) as a risk of implants.

2. In September 2018, the FDA launched the National Breast Implant Registry (NBIR), where data is entered by plastic surgeons.

3. BIA-ALCL cases can be reported by patients to MedWatch and by physicians to PROFILE (BIA-ALCL Registry).

For more information on US reporting, see FDA Executive Summary, page 12, Table 3: Existing Data Collection Methods Related to Breast Implants in the US.

Canada – Breast implants can be reported to Health Canada through the Health Product Complaint Form.

UK – Breast implants can be reported to the MHRA through the Yellow Card Scheme.

Australia – Breast implants can be reported to the TGA through the Users Medical Device Incident Report. Medical device reports submitted to the TGA can be found in the Database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN). The TGA does recognize the condition. A spokesman for the Therapeutic Goods Administration said Breast Implant Related Illness (BIRI) is a known condition associated with implants (from 9News).

Insurance: 

Please refer to the insurance page for information on insurance codes, which insurance companies have covered women, and contacts for assistance.

Science and Medical: 

Please see the Scientific Articles page for over 200+ references to breast implant related scientific articles. They are organized into eight categories: 1. General, 2. Researchers, 3. Saline Implants & Mold, 4. Ruptured Silicone Implants, 5. Biofilm & Infections, 6. Breast Feeding with Implants and Effects on Children, 7. Biomaterials, and 8. ALCL (cancer).

Current Experts:

Dr. Pierre Blais (chemist and biocompatibility expert – Canada), Dr. Arthur Brawer (rheumatologist and silicone toxicity expert – Long Branch, NJ), Dr. Yehuda Shoenfeld (physician and autoimmunity researcher – Israel), Dr. Cohen Tervaert (rheumatologist – Edmonton, Canada), Dr. Henry Dijkman (pathologist – Netherlands), Dr. Diana Zuckerman (President of National Center of Health Research), Dr. Lu-Jean Feng (plastic surgeon – Cleveland, OH), Dr. H. Jae Chun (plastic surgeon – Newport Beach, CA), Dr. Matthew G. Stanwix (plastic surgeon – Henrico, VA), Dr. Marguerite Barnett (plastic surgeon – Sarasota, FL), Dr. Susan Kolb (plastic surgeon – Atlanta, GA), Dr. David Rankin (plastic surgeon – Florida), Dr. Victor Urzola (plastic surgeon – Costa Rica), Dr. Edward Melmed (plastic surgeon – Dallas, TX), Dr. Rita Kappel (plastic surgeon – Netherlands), Dr. Stephen Nicolaidis (plastic surgeon-  Canada), Dr. Michael Harbut (environmental medicine specialist – Detroit, MI), Dr. Sarah Myhill (UK), Dr. S V Maharaj (silicone breast implants and platinum expert), Madris Tomes (medical device data expert, former FDA manager and consultant – Pennsylvania), Dr. Eduardo Fleury (radiologist – Brazil). See Expert Researchers for some of their publications.

Educational Links:

What You Need to Know About Breast Implants (National Center For Health Research)

Breast Implant Illnesses: What’s the Evidence? (National Center For Health Research)

Safety – Junk Science, ‘New’ Cohesive Gel, and Toxicity for Silicone and Saline Implants

Breast Implants and Cancer (BIA-ALCL) and BIAALCL.com

Dr. Myhill –

Silicone Breast Implants and Injections

Chemical Poisoning – Diagnosis

Detoxification

Dr. Feng –

Understanding Breast Implant Illness, Before and After Explantation (2020)

Breast Implant Removal: Basics I

Topic: Linda L. Haas, Feng Clinic CEO, answers basic scheduling questions from patients who have just started researching breast implant removal. Videos: Part I and Part II.

Breast Implant Removal: Basics II

Topics: pathology, mold/microorganisms, detoxification, coinfections/diseases, selecting a surgeon, silicone vs. saline, capsule removal, lymph node removal, hormones and symptoms of BII. Video and Transcript.

Breast Implant Removal: Basics III

Topics: the aesthetics of the breast, muscle repair, mastopexies or breast lifts, fat transfer and who is a candidate. Video and Transcript.

Breast Implant Removal IV: Detoxification

Topic: An in-depth discussion of detoxification before and after breast implant removal. Video.

Will I recover from breast implant illness without lymph node removal? (Video)

Is There A Connection Between Lyme Disease and Breast Implant Illness? (Video)

MTHFR and breast implants (Video)

Dr. Feng Webinars I-IV and YouTube Channel

Research articles and studies

Dr. Chun –

“Many patients suffer from BII (Breast Implant Illness) from their saline or silicone breast implants.” – Dr. Chun Breast Implant Removal

YouTube Channel – with videos on explantation, ruptured implants, difficulty associated with detecting ruptured silicone, and an en bloc capsulectomy explant (graphic).

Instagram where you can see Dr. Chun’s meticulous skill and expertise in doing perfect en bloc explants.

Dr. Jae Chun FDA Testimony (2018): “In my mind there is no doubt that the implants are causing these problems.”

Dr. Jae Chun Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (2020). It discusses definitions of En-Bloc vs Total capsulectomy, indications for performing these surgeries and complications associated with them.

Dr. Barnett –

Dr. Marguerite Barnett FDA Testimony (2019)

Dr. Urzola –

Breast Implant Illness

“Over the past year and 8 months I have learned and researched a lot about this condition. After explanting over 100 patients and seeing the extraordinary post operative reports with over 85% of patients reporting complete remission of their symptoms or at least an important improvement, we are committed to starting a scientific investigation with the purpose of validating BII as a syndrome and getting the medical community to recognize it as a problem affecting thousands of women around the world.” (2017)

Dr. Urzola FDA Testimony (2019)

Dr. Kolb –

If something is of use to women affected by breast implant illness, it will be provided on this website regardless of politics.

Silicone and Saline Implants Q&A

Doctors, are you listening?

Immune Protocol

Silicone Immune Treatment Protocol

Inositol for Silicone Detoxification Provided by Dr. Douglas Shanklin

Dr. Kolb BII Summary

Videos: Dr. Susan Kolb discusses silicone breast implants and saline breast implants

Book: The Naked Truth About Breast Implants: From Harm to Healing

Dr. Blais –

Dr. Pierre Blais is a chemist and expert in the biocompatibility of implant materials. He analyzed breast implants and conducted breast implant failure analyses for over 40+ years. Dr. Blais is a significant resource, he is a wealth of information on most breast implant matters. He retired in December 2019.

Breast Feeding

Truth on ‘Cohesive’ Gel Implant

Technology and composition of silicone breast implants

How do implants rupture and cause injury

Testimony to the FDA (2000) 

All articles on breast implants by Dr. Pierre Blais, click here. Topics include: rupture, cancer, breast feeding, polyurethane, saline implants, cohesive gel, explant problems etc.

Dr. Brawer –

See Dr. Arthur Brawer page.

The Clever Deception by Silicone Gel-filled Breast Implant Manufacturers Regarding the Phenomenon of Gel Bleed (2019)

Case Report: Silicone is not fun in the sun (2018)

ASIA vs. the mechanisms of silicone toxicity (2017)

Vague Syndromes (2017)

Mechanisms of Breast Implant Toxicity (2017)

Autoinflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA) Syndrome is Misguided (2017)

Destiny rides again: the reappearance of silicone gel-filled breast implant toxicity (2017)

Breast Implant Toxicity (2016)

Bones, Groans, and Silicone (2012)

Amelioration of Systemic Disease after Removal of Silicone Gel-filled Breast Implants (2000)

Silicon and matrix macromolecules: new research opportunities for old diseases from analysis of potential mechanisms of breast implant toxicity (1998)

Chronology of systemic disease development in 300 symptomatic recipients of silicone gel-filled breast implants (1996)

Clinical features of local breast phenomena in 300 symptomatic recipients of silicone gel-filled breast implants (1996)

Dr. Shoenfeld –

Silicone breast implants and the risk of autoimmune/rheumatic disorders: a real-world analysis (2018)

The ASIA syndrome: basic concepts (2017)

Autoimmune/Inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) and thyroid autoimmunity (2017)

Sjörgen’s Syndrome and Environmental Factors (2016)

Silicone and Autoimmune/Inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA). (2015)

Silicone implant incompatibility syndrome (SIIS). A frequent cause of ASIA (Schoenfeld’s syndrome). (2013)

Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (Shoenfeld’s syndrome): clinical and immunological spectrum (2013)

The spectrum of ASIA: ‘Autoimmune (Auto-inflammatory) Syndrome induced by Adjuvants’ (2012)

’ASIA’ – Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (2010)

Fibrosarcoma after silicone breast augmentation: is there a connection? (1998)

Light and electron microscopic study of an invasive cribriform carcinoma with extensive microcalcification developing in a breast with silicone augmentation (1994)

Breast carcinoma occurring in association with silicone augmentation (1993)

Dr. Tervaert –

Dr. Jan Willem Cohen Tervaert is director of rheumatology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He moved from the Netherlands where he was a professor of medicine and immunology at Maastricht University. In Edmonton, he has a clinic for breast implant related illnesses:

Rheumatology Clinic
3A Kaye Edmonton Clinic
11300 University Ave NW
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 1Z1
Tel 780-492-4883

Autoinflammatory/autoimmunity syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA; Shoenfeld’s syndrome): A new flame (2018)

Silicone breast implants and autoimmune rheumatic diseases: myth or reality (2017)

Autoimmune/in ammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) due to silicone implant incompatibility syndrome in three sisters (2014)

Silicone implant incompatibility syndrome (SIIS): A frequent cause of ASIA (Shoenfeld’s syndrome) (2013)

Dr. Dijkman –

Gel bleed and rupture of silicone breast implants investigated by light-, electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis of internal organs and nervous tissue (2016)

Dr. Fleury –

Dr. Eduardo Fleury is a radiologist, MD, phD, Postdoctorate and Professor of Medicine with 20 years of experience. Since 2016 he has been studying breast implants and their complications. He has created a website regarding silicone gel bleeds sigbic.org and has written a book on his five years of research related to silicone disease, ‘The voice of silence: when science is the enemy: The Breast Implant Illness Journey‘. He is in the Facebook group Breast Implant Illness Patient-Clinican Discussion and sometimes reviews women’s MRI, PET, and CT scans. See his research articles under Expert Researchers.

Doctors Speak Out –

Recent FDA Testimonies:

Dr. Jae Chun FDA Testimony (2018)

Dr. Urzola FDA Testimony (2019)

Dr. Marguerite Barnett FDA Testimony (2019)

1990’s:

Dr. Bernard Patten  |  Dr. Al Levin  |  Dr. Robert Goldwyn

Dr. Frank Vasey (the “Dark” side of silicone breast implants)

Dr. Stephen Edelson (goes into symptom mechanisms)

Dr. Britta Ostermeyer (on dangers of silicone implants)

Source: Image is from BIVA

Other links:

1. Petitions –

FDA & CDC – Develop a medical code for sick women suffering from breast implants

FDA Call to Action

FDA: Warn women about cancer risk from Breast Implants. Tell the FDA to put a black box warning on textured implants and require mandatory patient-doctor checklist about BIA-ALCL & implant health risks so breast cancer and augmentation patients can make informed decisions about their bodies

Medical Device Safety Act 2019 H.R. 2669. Change preemption laws to restore a patient’s right to litigation should he/she be harmed by a Class III medical device.

Breast Implant Petition

2. Surveys –

BII Survey by Dr. Eduardo Fleury (2022)

Risiken von Brustimplantaten / Risks of breast implants

PIP Implants Survey – if you have or had PIP, please fill out this survey

Dr. Victor Urzola’s Breast Implant Illness Data Collection Database

Dr. Nicolaidis BII Questionnaire, he is a surgeon in Montreal, Canada who is doing a study on breast implant illness and systemic symptoms in women. Anyone who is more than 6 months post explant can contribute anonymously, by completing the form and sending it to [email protected] or fax to 450-326-0860.

3. Breast Implants & Children –

National Birth Defect Registry

• Did you have breast implants while pregnant?
• Did you breastfeed with breast implants?
• Was your child born with a birth defect? Was your child born with a birth defect?

The National Birth Defect Registry might be able to help us research any possible link between breast implants and birth defects. If you’d like to help, please go to their website and register. Click here for more info.

Breast Feeding with Implants and Effects on Children

Immune Response to Silicone (skip to 5:38 for the effects on children)

4. Manufacturer Payments to Surgeons –

Search openpaymentsdata.cms.gov to see if a doctor is receiving payments from a manufacturer and ProPublica for fees in research, consulting, speaker, sponsor, etc.

6. Other –

Kim Hoffman Testimony (2002), faulty manufacturer studies

Concerns for estrogenicy of silicone breast implants

Allergan manufacturing patent

Method of making textured surface implants patent (Mentor)

UK MHRA PIP Implant Ingredient Analyses

Dr. Harbut response to FDA on platinum toxicity

Dr. Maharaj and Dr. Lykissa responses to FDA on platinum toxicity

Dr. Jennings: Silicone Toxicity and Detoxification

Dr. Faria: Breast Implant Illness

See blog written by the consumer representative on the FDA Advisory Panel at the March 25-26, 2019 FDA meeting.

Husbands’ Perspectives on BII: Alex Charfen, Alma Merrill, Adam Phillipe

Facebook Support Groups:

Canada: Breast Implant Failure and Illness – Canada

Australia: Breast Implant Illness – (Australia & New Zealand) Healing and Support

UK: UK Breast Implant Illness and Healing Support Group

ALCL: ALCL in Women with Breast Implants (BIA-ALCL)

For all medical devices: Medical Device Problems

Mothers: Breast Implants and Children

Clinicians & BII Women: Breast Implant Illness Patient-Clinican Discussion

There are over 250+ breast implant illness support groups and awareness pages on Facebook where women share their experiences.

Beware of Censorship in Facebook Groups:

Facebook groups are helpful for hearing feedback from other women, seeing pictures of capsules and breasts, and to provide support with explant. However, it is good to be aware that there is always some level of censorship and undercurrent of politics that vary in severity within each group. Certain posts or comments are swiftly deleted if they collide with admins’ politics in the groups. This is unfortunate and usually happens below the radar which is why it is important for it to be mentioned. In surgeon specific support groups negative experiences, posts/comments are at times deleted and members removed. This occurs in the larger BII groups as well. The Facebook groups listed here have relatively less drama than others hence why they are posted. This website is not affiliated with any Facebook support group and writes this information only to help women be aware.

Group for those blocked from a BII group: Breast Implant Illness & Healing by Nicole Deleted/Blocked

Advocacy Groups:

US:

• FB: Breast Implant Illness Research and Recovery (public group)
• BIVA | FB: Breast Implant Victim Advocacy (BIVA)
• BISA | FB: Breast Implant Safety Alliance (BISA)  | Website: breastimplantsafetyalliance.org  | IG: @BISAnonprofit (Non-Profit)
  • Call to Action Campaign & Events – Steps you can take for BII Advocacy.
  • Breast Implant Health Summit
  • FDA & CDC petition to develop a medical code for BII
• GPAC United | FB: GPAC United | Website: gpacunited.org | Youtube: The GPAC United Channel | IG: GPACUnited | Founded by two US advocates, “Global Patient Advocacy Coalition is committed to working collaboratively to support our global breast implant illness advocates and implement positive changes in each country, utilizing the skills and network of our amazing colleagues.”
• FB: Medical Device Problems
• ABIE | FB: Alliance for Breast Implant Education (ABIE) | FB Group: Northern California Breast Implant Illness Support and Advocacy | Website: abie.life
• TITS | FB: The Implant Truth Survivors Committee (TITS) | Website titscommittee.org (Non-Profit)
• Breast Implant Info (Non-Profit)

BIA-ALCL Advocacy:

• FB: ALCL In Women With Breast Implants BIA-ALCL | Website:  BIAALCL.com
• FB: Just Call Me Ray Foundation | Website: justcallmeray.org  (Non-Profit)

Canada:

• FB: Breast Implant Failure and Illness – Canada
• FB: Groupe privé d’information franco-Canadien Maladie des implants mammaires & cancers associés (French-Canadian Private information group-Breast implant illness and associated cancers)
• Breast Implant Failure
• Healing Breast Implant Illness Society
• Implant Awareness Society (owner passed away)

Australia:

• FB: Breast Implant Illness – (Australia & New Zealand) Healing and Support

UK:

• PIP Action Campaign
• FB: UK Breast Implant Illness and Healing Support Group

Spain:

• Admins of the Spain BII FB Support Group, Implantes mamarios y enfermedades-España, formed an organization called LA ASOCIACIÓN DE MUJERES AFECTADAS POR LA ENFERMEDAD DEL IMPLANTE MAMARIO DE ESPAÑA ES YA UNA REALIDAD (EIME)

See Explant Surgeons list for additional BII advocacy Facebook groups and websites by country/region (Nordic/Scandinavia, South America, etc.)

Other BII websites and non-profits:

Reversing Breast Implant Illness

Discover Breast Implant Illness

Breast Implant Illness The Heal Is Real

Dangerous Implants

BII Aware

Miss Diagnosed

Fake Breasts Real Women

The Heal is Real (Non-Profit)

No Grit No Pearls.org (Non-Profit)

Toxic Discovery (Non-Profit)

Breast implant illness websites and forums have been around since the late 90s and early 2000s:

Implant Awareness Society (Notforprofit – Adella passed away 12/27/18)

Silicone Poison Report

Silicone Holocaust

Implant Information Network (founded in 2004)

Breast Implant Awareness – Humantics Foundation (founded in 2001)

Silicone Implants Survivors (forum since around 1999) and PS List

Silicone Hypersensitivity (owner passed away)

In addition, there were Yahoo support groups and breastimplantsupport.org was another popular forum but now is no longer running.

Breast Implant Manufacturer FDA Information:

FDA has issued warning letters to all four breast implant manufacturers:

• May 2020 – FDA issued warning letters to two breast implant manufacturers (Allergan & Ideal).
• March 2019 – FDA issues warning letters to two breast implant manufacturers [Mentor and Sientra] for failure to comply with post-approval study requirements

Recalls

Allergan Natrelle Silicone & Allergan Silicone Timeline 

Allergan Natrelle 410 Cohesive Anatomical Silicone & Allergan Silicone Timeline

Mentor MemoryGel Silicone & Mentor Silicone Timeline

Mentor MemoryShape Silicone & Mentor Silicone Timeline

Sientra Silicone & FDA Timeline

Allergan Natrelle Saline & Saline Timeline

Mentor Saline & Saline Timeline

Ideal Saline & Saline Timeline

For more information on breast implant FDA links and how to do more FDA research, click here.

Books & Movies:

The Naked Truth About Breast Implants: From Harm to Healing by Dr. Susan Kolb

The D.I.R.T. Committee by Gail Hamilton

• Must read, especially if you had Dow
• D.I.R.T = Document Investigation & Review Team

The Boobie Trap: Silicone, Scandals, and Survival by Barbara Stanistreet

Let Me Get This Off My Chest by Tara Hopko

Breast implant illness was first publicized in 1990, when journalist Connie Chung interviewed women with breast implants sharing their experiences. Watch ‘Exposing Breast Implant Illness‘.

Informed Consent by John A. Byrne

• John Swanson was a former executive of Dow Corning, he managed the internal communications and had been part of the ethics committee for 15 years. His wife, Colleen, got sick from Dow silicone implants. John Swanson told his story to John Bryne, a writer for Business Week, who is the author of Informed Consent.  In the NY Times: Ex-Dow Corning Executive Faults Company’s Ethics on Implants
• Oprah on breast implant dangers (October 14th, 1995). Oprah talks with Colleen and John Swanson on the devastating effects of the breast implants she had implanted in 1974. Oprah also talks with Richard Hazleton who was at that time, the Chairman and CEO of Dow Corning, and Stephanie Burns, Dow Cornings Manager of Women’s Health and FDA Issues. Lies, deception, and cover ups.

Dr. Andrew Hall Cutler:

• Hair Test Interpretation: Finding Hidden Toxicities
• FB: Andy Cutler Chelation Think Tank

Dr. Cutler has a PhD in chemistry from Princeton University and has extensive study in biochemistry and medicine. He himself got mercury poisoning from amalgam fillings and created these books to provide guidance for detoxification.

Movies: Two Small Voices, Breast Men, Absolutely Safe

Documentaries:

BUSTED Documentary | FB: BUSTED | Website: busteddoc.com | IG: @busteddoc

Bleeding Edge Documentary (Netflix): Examines the $400 billion medical device industry and the profit-driven mind-set that rushes implanted devices into the marketplace. Watch Bleeding Edge Trailer.

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ):

Implant Files:  Breast Implant Injuries Kept Hidden As New Health Threats Surface

The Implant Files Sparked Reform Around the World

A global investigation into medical device harm | Implant Files (ICIJ YouTube)

See More Stories from ICIJ on Breast Implants

Press Articles & News:

Breast implant illness has gone mainstream and due to the large volume of news stories being published regularly, it is no longer feasible to keep posting them here. To follow news updates, please refer to the Breast Implant Victim Advocacy (BIVA) and Breast Implant Safety Alliance (BISA) Facebook pages. Click here to see a list of some news stories.

Billboards:

In March 2020, three Breast Implant Illness billboards were organized by a woman who explanted. Location: Ardmore, Oklahoma.