“I’m am doing immensely better after my explant. I feel like I gained my life back and I am a brand new person. I found a deeper relationship with God going through all of this and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Everyone’s journey is different and even thought I regret the choice I made to get the implants, my journey has taught me so much and mended me into a stronger women and the person I am today so I am thankful even for the darkest deepest moments I had to go through.”

Tell us about your explant journey.

Long story short although it was a crazy scary experience, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I gained my life back after explanting and removing those toxic bags. My symptoms started disappearing right away I noticed color and oils back in my skin immediately. My skin has never produced so much oil and it’s because I was slowly starting to heal again and my body was getting rid of all the toxicity that was built up over the course of 3 years. If I hadn’t explanted I would have lost my life. Even though the chance of that happening was still there during my explant, I took the risk and trusted God to carry me through and bring me out to the other side. 

What type of implants did you have?

I had the ideal implants 

What surgeon did you explant with?

I explanted with Dr. Samuel Salcedo at precision plastic surgery in Riverside, CA

When did you begin to experience symptoms?

I first noticed some stomache pain a few days after getting my implants but never thought it could be from my implants.

What symptoms did you have?

At the beginning I only had stomach pain but after the course of 3 years I developed a number of symptoms from Depression to hair loss, dry skin, no color in my skin, dark and puffy eyes, blurred vision, confusion in my mind, my body stopped absorbing nutrients from my immune system attacking itself in hopes of getting rid of the toxic bags. I experienced significant weight loss and could not gain weight whatsoever no matter what I did or how much I ate I just kept losing. I had a loss of energy completely even thought I was eating extremely healthy and working out everyday, I was slowly deteriorating from the inside out. 

How did breast implants impact your life?

Breast implants ruined my life. Nothing good came from them, a lot of suffering, depression, and many thoughts of suicide. I regret ever getting them but it was a lesson and Ive learned to love myself without them. 

What was surgery like for you?

Surgery was okay until I developed a serious hematoma in my right breast and had to go under again for the second time in the same day one hour after my explant. I had a 50/50 chance of making it out the second time when I went to have my hematoma drained and removed. Only With God’s Grace did I make it out alive and am still here today. It was for sure a scary experience but I was either going to die from having my implants in or during explant so I took the risk. 

How are you doing now, after explant?

I’m am doing immensely better after my explant. I feel like I gained my life back and I am a brand new person. I found a deeper relationship with God going through all of this and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Everyone’s journey is different and even thought I regret the choice I made to get the implants, my journey has taught me so much and mended me into a stronger women and the person I am today so I am thankful even for the darkest deepest moments I had to go through. 

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

If I could say anything to anyone wanting to Explant I would say go for it. I think it will be one of the best decisions for you especially if you are suffering with BII. Although I had a scary experience explanting, that doesn’t mean it will happen to everyone. I was the first patient it happened to, to my knowledge with the surgeon I had explanted with. I also didn’t have the money to choose whatever doctor I wanted so I picked whatever doctor I was offered through my medical at the time. I highly recommend researching and finding a doctor who has the knowledge in en bloc total capsulectomy and what that means is that they will remove everything including the capsule formed around the implant and not just the implant itself. If you don’t remove the entire capsule there are still chances of having symptoms in the future and you don’t want that. Be smart about doing your research and pick a doctor who is willing to do it instead it instead of telling you that it’s not necessary because a lot of doctors will say is not necessary but it’s important if you want everything cleaned out. 

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

After my surgery removing the hematoma it left me with nothing in my right breast because some tissue was also removed so I pretty much only had one breast. (My left one) After 6 months I got approved by my medical to go in again and have a reconstructive surgery done called fat transfer where they went in and took fat from my belly and put it in my right breast. It definitely helped improve the appearance but I still notice a noticeable difference between both of them and I was told I had to go in twice to improve it completely but I just haven’t gone in for the second time yet. At the moment I have learned to love myself with what I have and I do plan to do another fat transfer in the future but I don’t have an idea yet of when. Either way, I am happier with the results now than if I hadn’t got the fat transfer done. It’s been almost 2 years since my explant (may 14, 2019) and almost a year since my fat transfer (February 28, 2020). The results have improved, my skin has tightened up more (although I do workout) and my overall health is super. I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life and to me that’s what matters the most.