“I started breaking out in hives 3 months after implanted. The rest of the symptoms were gradual. So sneaky that I just accepted that this was how I always felt and this was my life. It never dawned on me that it was all related to my implants.”

Ashley dealt with breast implant illness symptoms for 12 years, but when she began experiencing shooting pain in her chest she realized that something was up.

Tell us about your explant journey.

After 12 years of chronic hives and other symptoms I realized that my implants were making me super sick. Honestly, for years I just thought that the anxiety, mood swings, brain fog was all just me aging and that I was a sickly person. It wasn't until the shooting chest pain started that I really dug deep to figure out what was wrong with me.

I found Dr. Rankin online once I knew I was suffering from BII. I had to wait nearly a year for my explant surgery. I am normally a super impatient person but something in my heart told me to wait for him. I can't rave about him enough. He worked wonders on me and has been a constant support even now that I am 14 weeks post-op.

I live outside the USA, on a tiny island in the Caribbean. Due to covid, our borders are still shut. In order to fly for my surgery I had to do so much work. We are talking doctors notes, government approval and very strict rules all followed by the government here in order for this surgery to happen. Thankfully it all worked out, however, I had to fly alone. My family couldn't come with me.

I had to fly a friend from California to Florida to take care of me the day of surgery, but after day 2 post-op I was completely alone in a hotel room for the first two weeks of my recovery. It was hard doing this all alone but it really made me focus on myself and my personal journey.  

After two weeks I had government approval to fly back to our island where I was then put in a 16 day quarantine (complete with a GPS tracking device attached to my arm so the government would be certain I never left my home). To be honest, quarantine was a blessing, as was the two weeks it took for the government to approve me to fly back to island. It allowed me to properly heal, slow down and literally do nothing but focus on myself. I am usually so busy and I also have a 2 year old, slowing down, taking naps and doing nothing is not how I live. However, it was so necessary in my journey and I am so thankful it all worked out the way it did.

What type of implants did you have?

Mentor smooth silicone, under the muscle

What surgeon did you explant with?

Dr. Rankin at Aqua Surgery

When did you begin to experience symptoms?

I started breaking out in hives 3 months after implanted. The rest of the symptoms were gradual. So sneaky that I just accepted that this was how I always felt and this was my life. It never dawned on me that it was all related to my implants.

What symptoms did you have?

Chronic hives

My eyes turned yellow

Brain fog

Fatigue

Anxiety

Sharp chest pain

Depression

Hair loss

Inflammation

Hormone imbalance

Night sweats

Gastrointestinal issues

Low libido

Capsular contraction

Mood swings

How did breast implants impact your life?

They made me think for years that I was sick or allergic to everything. However, when the doctors would run tests, I was allergic to nothing. At one point a doctor told me I might have cancer. I was tired, moody, in pain and sick. I suffered from serious depressive episodes and constant anxiety. I never wanted to be intimate with my husband and struggled to keep up with my busy toddler.

I won't lie that I did enjoy how they looked for the first few years but once I got a capsular contraction I was so self conscious. My breasts looked deformed. My implants were close to my neck and my natural breasts were super saggy. I looked worse than I did before I got implants. I was just a big mess and assumed that it was just me and that was the way my life was going to be.

What was surgery like for you?

It was much more painful than when I implanted. However, I was totally fine taking care of myself from day 2 onwards. Most of my pain was from having to have my bones scraped where the capsules attached to my ribs and sternum. If I didn't need to have that done I think recovery would have been a lot easier. I also needed a full anchor lift which required more cutting, however, so worth it as I LOVE how my breasts look now.

How are you doing now, after explant?

It was much more painful than when I implanted. However, I was totally fine taking care of myself from day 2 onwards. Most of my pain was from having to have my bones scraped where the capsules attached to my ribs and sternum. If I didn't need to have that done I think recovery would have been a lot easier. I also needed a full anchor lift which required more cutting, however, so worth it as I LOVE how my breasts look now.

What would you like women who are considering explant to know?

It is 100% worth it. Find a great doctor that will make you feel confident with your new look and that supports and believes in BII. My life has completely changed. I am glowing, I am healthy, confident and I am so happy. I haven't felt this good in 12 years.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Thank you for sharing our stories. xx