Empowered Explant

My Unexpected Standoff with a Plastic Surgeon at a Weekend BBQ: Breast Implant Risk vs Reward

• Darnah Mercieca • Season 3 • Episode 61

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Who needs a shrink when you could have a boob job? Join me in this conversation as I decompress after an unexpected encounter with a plastic surgeon at a weekend BBQ that unfolded into a spirited discussion about breast implants, explant surgery, and breast implant illness (BII). This episode explores the psychological motivations behind seeking plastic surgery and highlights the importance of awareness and transparency in surgical consultations.

Our dialogue peels back the layers of the emotional and physical journey many women face when deciding on breast implants. We confront the initial allure and confidence boost these procedures offer, juxtaposed with the troubling long-term health concerns that can arise. Despite differing views on risk vs reward, the conversation with the surgeon serves as a reminder of the importance of informed decision-making.

What do you think? I invite you to share your thoughts on this episode and your experiences speaking with surgeons about BII and implant risks. Shoot me a DM on IG or come chat in the Empowered Explant facebook group.

I also appreciate your advocacy! Share this episode so this message can reach more women who need to hear it!

Resources and Links

BII Information, FDA Recommendations + tons more, visit: https://www.empoweredexplant.com/resources

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Join the Empowered Explant Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredexplant

Connect with Darnah on Instagram: @darnahmercieca

Interviews and sponsorships email: podcast@empoweredexplant.com

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/ilya-kuznetsov/anticipation

Disclaimer: This podcast does not constitute medical or mental health advice. Darnah is not a medical practitioner. She shares from personal experience, research, and conversations with other people. If you are experiencing symptoms, pain, post-surgery complications, or mental health concerns, please seek care from your medical provider or surgeon.


Darnah Mercieca:

and when this surgeon was sitting there telling me that he considers himself and plastic surgeons psychologists with a scalpel. This is empowered explant, the podcast helping women ditch their breast implants with confidence. I'm Darnah Mercieca board certified health and wellness coach and explant warrior. Oh, oh, oh. My friends, I literally had to throw out what I had planned for this week on the podcast to just tell you about something that happened on the weekend. I knew as soon as this happened, I'm like, oh my gosh, I have to share this on the podcast on Tuesday because, wow, I went to a barbecue with my boyfriend. We arrived early, we arrived before everyone else and I was talking to the host about what I do and the podcast came up. Empowered Explant came up. He was mentioning that his mother had breast cancer, so naturally, this came up and he was like, wow, he's like okay, I'm going to have to introduce you to my friend. That's coming, you are going to have a very interesting conversation. He's a plastic surgeon. Like oh, okay, this will be interesting.

Darnah Mercieca:

So I'm sitting at this barbecue just chit-chatting with everyone. I'm actually talking to other people about the podcast. Now there was another podcaster there, so we start talking about podcasts and book publishing and book publishing because, in case you don't know, I own a publishing agency and so we're talking about publishing books and podcasts. And I'm talking about empowered explant. And they're all just kind of shocked that I am at now 61 episodes of a podcast about breast implant removal specifically, and they're like how can you, how are there so many things to talk about? I'm like, trust me, I haven't even scratched the surface. There are so many more topics that I'm so excited to talk about on this podcast. So we're chatting about that, and then, a little bit later, the plastic surgeon started asking me about my publishing agency. Actually, oh my gosh, this is just so good, because, before I get into all the details in this conversation, let me tell you like I, this is like tea, this is like the ultimate tea. Do you see, it got me so worked up. I, I was sweating. I was sitting at the barbecue sweating as I was going into this conversation with this plastic surgeon. Because, well, the why will become very obvious to you when I share our conversation with you, and I, I and I've got a cup of tea here. I encourage you to get a cup of tea, settle in.

Darnah Mercieca:

I want to hear your thoughts and comments. When you hear what I have to say today, when you hear about this conversation that I had with this plastic surgeon at this barbecue completely unexpected I want to hear what you think about this conversation. I want to hear what you think specifically about what he had to say. I want to hear what you think about my thoughts and opinions on this. I want to hear your own. I think that this is a really important conversation that needs to be had, and so, yeah, I just I want to hear about your experiences. Maybe you've had a similar experience talking with your own surgeon or other surgeons in consultation. So, yeah, please let me know. I've got a little thumbs up on my screen, I think. I think even my video, my camera, is excited about this conversation.

Darnah Mercieca:

So, okay, sitting at this barbecue, this surgeon starts chatting with me to kind of paint a picture for you where, in this outdoor area, there's a bunch of people sitting around, they're all kind of having their own conversation at this point, and then it's me, and then my boyfriend, and then the surgeon on the other side of him, and so my boyfriend's in the middle of us, and he knows how strongly I feel about the topic of breast implants and their risks and explant surgery and explant surgery. So I think he was kind of anticipating what was going to come next and and uh and was kind of feeling the the tension in the air a little bit. But you know, I was going into this conversation with an open mind because I didn't know what this surgeon's stance was on breast implants or explant or breast implant illness. So I was going in open-minded and I like to just have conversations because at the end of the day, when we're talking to plastic surgeons, it's important for me to remember and for us to remember in this community that that anyone we speak to, we have the opportunity to plant a seed. So even if somebody doesn't have an awareness around breast implant illness or someone doesn't believe in it, or they still believe in breast implants or, as women, want breast implants, you know it's just up to us to kind of share what we know or what we've experienced and plant a seed. So I was there ready to plant seeds.

Darnah Mercieca:

I suppose you could say Okay, so this surgeon asks me about my publishing business. So I start talking to him about that and then I'm like so what would your book be about? And he said well, likely about plastic surgery because I've been doing it for so many years and I think that one of my first books I'd be really interested in writing about the psychology of plastic surgery. And I won't get into the detail behind his book idea because I think that that's personal to him and I don't want to overshare here. And so he mentioned that his book would be about the psychology behind plastic surgery and I thought that that was quite fascinating because at the end of the day, there's a huge psychological component to getting plastic surgery which I think we all know right, and it's a big emotional journey, psychological journey, the reasons behind it. And so we talk about that a little bit more more about the book side of things, and I'm quite fascinated.

Darnah Mercieca:

And then I say to him did you happen to overhear what my podcast was about? He said no, I didn't. And I said I actually have a podcast all about explant surgery and removing breast implants, and I could kind of see this look on his face. He was like wow, okay, he's like, well, I'm performing an explant next week. I'm like this is great, like wow, I think we're about to have a really cool conversation about this. That is until he went on to say he actually focuses more so on putting breast implants in. And then I was like this conversation is about to get, is about to be a little different than I thought it was going to be, and so we start talking about BII. And he agreed that BII is real.

Darnah Mercieca:

He did say that, which I respect and appreciate, of course, and then continued to say but there are no solid studies to prove why it happened and the why behind it is very much unknown, which, if you've been here with me for a while, if you've listened to some of my other podcasts, I disagree with that. I think that's BS. I think that the reasons behind breast implant illness are actually very obvious and I think that people saying it's not obvious is just a way of them kind of justifying continuing to produce implants, continuing to allow them to put them in our bodies, continuing to make money off of putting them in our bodies. So I think it's actually very clear why breast implants make us sick. And then we got into all the details talking about, you know, breast implants being foreign objects and there's a foreign body reaction anytime that there's an implant put in someone's body which causes inflammation, causes an immune response in your body. And then I was explaining to him why I believe this happens. And there's the inflammatory response, there's an immune response and then your body's genetics kind of determines how your body outwardly responds, what symptoms look like, how your body reacts to the implants, whether your body is fine for a number of years and then later on responds, or whether you get your implants in and your body instantly disagrees with them. So there's so many factors that come back to somebody's genetics as to why it doesn't look the same in everybody. But I was explaining that. You know that to me seems very obvious. And then he went on to say sure, but I have placed so many implants at this point and most of the women that I see in my clinic report feeling better and live better lives after getting implants. They self report to me he's like this is just the feedback I get Women feel better after getting implants. This is why surgeons are considered psychologists with a scalpel with a scalpel because they are improving someone's quality of life through these implants. And he is a strong believer that he's making a positive difference in the lives of these women by placing implants. And that's what he's hearing, that's the feedback he's getting from these women and he said that he doesn't see many women come back with issues and so he just feels that there is not enough data, there's not enough proof, there is not enough women that report being ill and because of that he chooses to continue to place implants and focus on that. And at this point I had so many feelings inside me because, first of all, let me just say this Women go to their plastic surgeon and we get our implants put in.

Darnah Mercieca:

And then I'm curious to know, for anyone listening or watching here, how long did you stay in communication with your original plastic surgeon who placed your implants? Because I know for me I might've stayed in contact with my surgeon for, I think, the first 12 months. I remember getting my implants, you know, going through, getting having a post-op checkup, and then I actually remember, within the first year, going back and being like, hey, I've lost nipple sensitivity in my right breast, and him kind of brushing that off Like it was nothing, just saying it was normal, that's going to improve with time, which it didn't and I just remember him like squeezing on my nipples so hard, like that it hurt, and he's like, well, see, you have feeling there. Anyway, I digress, my point being how often did you hear from your surgeon after your implants went in? Did you talk to your surgeon three years later, five years later, 10 years later? I know I didn't, and most of the women that I've spoken to don't stay in contact with their original plastic surgeon for very long after their initial implants go in. So it's like, yeah, duh. Of course I'm stoked and excited and thrilled.

Darnah Mercieca:

After my initial surgery. I got these big boobs I'm walking around in like cute bikinis and different clothes and I'm showing them off and I'm feeling sexy and like I'm getting all of this attention from men and I have this confidence about me and so, yeah, I feel good and that's the report that you're getting. Typically after women get their breast implants, you're hearing from them. In that first year, my sex life has improved. My husband loves my new toys on my chest, like whatever it is. It's usually an exciting time after a woman gets her breast implants, except for those who immediately don't have a good experience. And I think my concerns were oh my God, they're way bigger than I expected and I lost nipple sensation. So even I actually had some negatives in that first year, but for the most part. I was pretty excited and I think it's really effed up that a surgeon can say well, women self-reportedly feel better, I'm changing lives for the better after women get breast implants, when you actually aren't continuing to study your patients and know your patients. Five years later, 10 years later, 15 years later, 20 years later, you're only hearing the immediate response, not the long term.

Darnah Mercieca:

And let's face it, ladies, how many of us went back to our original plastic surgeon to have our breast implants removed? I didn't. I know a ton of women. I think majority of women do not go back to their original plastic surgeon to get their breast implants removed because they put them in us to begin with and didn't give us all of the information that we should have had to make an informed decision about putting these things in our bodies to begin with, informed decision about putting these things in our bodies to begin with. So why would we go back to the same surgeon who put them in? We want surgeons who are experienced in taking them out and who believe us when we tell them they're making us unwell. So, once again, you may not be hearing your patients aren't happy with their implants, but that's probably because they are going to a new surgeon who specializes in removal.

Darnah Mercieca:

Those women who do go back to their original surgeons for for explant surgery often have really negative experiences, and I'm not saying this is all the time. Okay, I have spoken to some women who have gone back to their original surgeon for their explant and they've had them removed and it's been a perfectly fine experience. But for the most part, women who go back to their original surgeons have a horrible experience because their original surgeon doesn't want to talk about the fact that they didn't tell them all the risks initially. More often than not, they don't believe in breast implant illness, which is just a huge problem, because you go to this surgeon and they don't really believe you. And a lot of them try to sell you on a new set of implants, like, well, how about a replacement? And it's like, bro, these things are making me sick or these things are causing me pain, why would I want a new set? And you hear things like, yeah, but you're going to end up with pancakes or you're not going to be able to get the same good results with other methods like lift and fat transfer and stuff like that. So it's like it just becomes this kind of psychological if you will play for us to get implants again or just that whole feeling of you know they aren't supporting the cause of breast implant illness. They're still in this game to be placing implants. They truly believe that they are doing women a service by putting implants in our bodies and so, sitting here with him, it really became obvious to me that he felt like he was doing women a service to me, that he felt like he was doing women a service. He felt like he was addressing women's psychological needs by placing implants.

Darnah Mercieca:

Not against plastic surgery, let me just I want to say that as a disclaimer. I am not against plastic surgery as a whole. I think that plastic surgery absolutely has its place and can make a huge difference in someone's life. It truly can. My issue is that these objects that they're placing inside our bodies are making us sick and they're dangerous and they are major health risks, major health risks.

Darnah Mercieca:

And so knowing that there are other options out there available to women and still selling breast implants as the best option is a really frustrating thing for me, because that is not putting our health first and that is certainly not putting the health of our psychology first, because we go to a surgeon with these concerns that always stem from self-esteem. Okay, I don't care what it is, whether it's come from after children, after breastfeeding, there's sagginess. Maybe you've lost a lot of weight. That's what happened to me. I lost a lot of weight and all of a sudden, like I had a lot, a lot less volume on my chest, and so I wanted more volume.

Darnah Mercieca:

Whatever the concern is, even in the case of mastectomy, I mean, I don't know. Whatever the case is, it's a self-esteem matter, it's a body image matter, it's a self-worth matter, and these are all psychological issues that especially affect women, and especially around the topic of our breasts, because, let's face it, they are sexualized, they are thought of as adding to our beauty, adding to our femininity. So, yeah, we go to these surgeons to get answers of what we can do to make ourselves feel better, to make ourselves look better, to feel sexier, and then we're told yeah, your boobs are really saggy. The only way to really fix this and to get that youthful look is to put implants in, because, like this surgeon said at the barbecue, he said, getting a lift and fat transfer just does not restore the structure of breast tissue after things like breastfeeding, pregnancy, aging, all of that. He's like the only way to restore the structure of the breast is to place implant In my head. I'm like, okay, so we're being told this but we're not being told. Hey, you know what? So we're being told this but we're not being told. Hey, you know what?

Darnah Mercieca:

Breasts are supposed to change with age. Breasts are supposed to change after breastfeeding and after pregnancy and they fluctuate with weight gain and weight loss. Where are you at currently in your weight journey? Is this your standard weight? Because for me, for example, I was underweight because I was stressed, I was going through a breakup, I was going through a divorce, I had been cheated on, I was drinking a lot, I was living a really unhealthy lifestyle, I was partying a lot and I was really underweight.

Darnah Mercieca:

But my surgeon didn't take the approach of finding out what was going on in my life psychologically you know the real psychology to understand whether I needed therapy and a new diet and lifestyle change or whether breast implants were right for me. There was none of that. So if you really want to do us a psychological service, you could talk to us and educate us on the reality of women's breasts and what they are supposed to look like, not sell us on having these objects in our bodies that create this unnatural look. Anyway. That's not real. I'm sorry, but after breastfeeding and after pregnancy and after life, your boobs aren't supposed to be all up here and looking like that. That's just the facts. And look. Some of us want that look. This is not me throwing stones. I was there. I put implants in my body.

Darnah Mercieca:

There is no shame here, okay, what I'm saying is is that women's psychology around breasts is completely skewed because of society and what these surgeons are telling us. When we step into their office with our self-esteem issues and our concerns and whatever we're going, whatever's going on in our lives at the time, they aren't actually there to help us heal emotionally. They are there to sell us on band-aid confidence, and that's what this is. And when this surgeon was sitting there telling me that he considers himself and plastic surgeons psychologists with a scalpel, I was thinking no, because psychologists work to heal emotional wounds, to rewire self-belief, to improve what's going on on the inside of us, whereas what you are doing is selling band-aid confidence. You see us a couple times, you stick these things inside our bodies, you don't tell us the real risks and you assume. You assume that you are giving us a life of feeling better about ourselves. Yeah, I would say that that is true temporarily, and that's why I call it band-aid confidence. You're providing a temporary fix. What you're doing is like prescribing pills to people who are sick. You are prescribing pills to people who are sick instead of being a functional medicine practitioner who actually addresses the root cause. So all you are is a pill pusher. All you are is prescribing a quick fix.

Darnah Mercieca:

Because let me tell you what happens when women are now getting sick and are having to get their implants removed? All of those same issues are still there. You haven't fixed shit. We're still faced with the same self-esteem issues or the same self-worth issues, the same terrified fear of oh my gosh, what am I going to look like? Oh my gosh, now my boobs are saggy. We still have the same issues, in fact, worse in my case. I can't speak for everybody, but in my case I'm way worse off now as far as my boobs go than I was before I put my implants in.

Darnah Mercieca:

I wish more than anything I had found a way to be happy with my breasts the OG breasts Because now think about it I carried around 376 CC implants at a size double D breast for a decade of my life. I have stretching, I have asymmetry, I have a desensitized nipple actually desensitized nipples but one is just way worse than the other one. And what? You think that you did me a psychological service? Like no, you didn't, I'm sorry. And so I want to sit here and encourage any plastic surgeons that listen to this to actually ask yourself what do I know about my patient and is this the right decision for her in 10 years time, or is there a decision that might serve her better? That wasn't even the icing on the cake for me. Okay, so so get this.

Darnah Mercieca:

The surgeon says to me that when women come to him for breast implants, he sits down with them and explains the risks of breast implants and the risks of surgery as a whole. He said there are fatalities associated with having surgery, so you know there are risks. And he says I say to women it's like driving a car yeah, wait, it gets better. He said you choose to drive a car even though there's a risk of accident and fatality, but you still drive and most people are okay, most people choose to get behind the wheel and they're completely fine. He said getting breast implants is the same thing really. You know there's a risk, but most women are okay.

Darnah Mercieca:

And I was sitting there like did he just say that? Yeah, I think I just heard him correctly. He just said the risk of getting breast implants is like the same thing as the risk of driving a car. And he's telling women this. And then I thought back to my own experience getting my breast implants and I thought, yeah, my surgeon had a similar line. It wasn't the same, it wasn't the car thing, but he also had a line that minimized risk, that minimized the gravity of what I was doing, made it seem that risk was very low and that this was just like any other risk that you kind of take every day and that there are other things that we do in our lives, like driving a car, that are actually put us at a higher risk of dying than getting surgery for breast implant. I just realized in that moment that, like it was a lost cause and, like I said in the beginning, I am here to plant seeds and I hope that our conversation planted a seed with him to think about the seriousness of breast implant illness and to maybe look into it more.

Darnah Mercieca:

But when somebody likens getting the risk of having cosmetic surgery and getting breast implants, to driving a car. You know that there's only so much that you can say before. It's basically just going in one ear and out the other. So you know, I'm at this barbecue, there's people around my boyfriends, right in between us, listening to all of this, and there was so much I wanted to say inside, like I was boiling inside boiling, and I also recognize that I had a lot of anger inside me towards my surgeon. That wasn't appropriate for me to take out on this guy who I had just met and didn't know much about. But also I wanted to be respectful to my boyfriend, to the lovely hosts of the barbecue and to everyone else, and to the surgeon as well. I didn't want it to turn into a debate and nor did I want to waste my energy, but that is why I had to sit here and get this off my chest now with you all, because I know that so many of you would understand my frustration and I just wish I wish so much that I had a whole group of you with me at this barbecue.

Darnah Mercieca:

The numbers don't lie, the fact that there are thousands of women in this community, in the Empowered Explant community and in other communities, in Facebook groups and everything, who have been made completely ill, severely ill, by their implants, who have suffered from symptoms, who have had ruptures and their lives turned upside down because of implants, who have had cancer diagnosis because of their implants, who have had autoimmune conditions triggered and diagnosed because of their implants. I was just sitting there like sad, just feeling sad and feeling angry that this is what we're up against. This is what young women, all women, are up against when we walk into a surgeon's office. And so, going back to talking about breast implant illness with him, the topic of heavy metals came up as well. I was talking about there are other risks associated with breast implants. It's not only foreign body reaction, it's not only capsular contracture, it's not only rupture, there are also things like heavy metals associated pressure. There are also things like heavy metals associated.

Darnah Mercieca:

And then he said there's only one or two heavy metals that I know of. I know they're dipped in platinum, but there's only one or two heavy metals for starters, only one or two heavy metals. That in itself annoyed me. But I said metals. That in itself annoyed me, but I said there's a whole list published in the FDA recommendations, a whole list of heavy metals. I've got it open right here in front of me Heavy metals found in breast implants. There are 20 on this list Antimony I'm going to butcher some of these words, but antimony arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, magnesium, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, platinum, selenium, silver, tin, titanium, vanadium and zinc there are 20 metals heavy metals found in breast implants.

Darnah Mercieca:

And so when I told him about this list that the FDA has here on this document which, by the way, you can access this on the empowered explantcom resources page, there's a link to it and there's a list of the heavy metals down here at the bottom and he said I would have to see that and I'm like you haven't seen this document from the FDA, because the whole list is there, along with some real serious risks associated with breast implants that you should be making your patients aware of before they get implants. In fact, this is a recommendation to surgeons, that this is what surgeons should be sharing with their patients. There's a whole patient decision checklist on this document that runs through the risks. It also runs through the percentages of women who have reported these issues and the percentages are actually quite high. These risks are not so small that they barely exist and that you know there are some. If I had seen this, let me tell you, if I had seen this before getting my breast implants, I wouldn't have gotten them, and I was 23 years old and maybe making some really dumb decisions. But I think even I would have been smart enough to have not gone through with this surgery if I had read this patient decision checklist and really understood the true risks involved associated with breast implants.

Darnah Mercieca:

So this conversation was really eye-opening to me. It showed me that a lot of surgeons out there still don't really believe in breast implant illness. They don't really believe in the risks associated with breast implants when it comes to women's health and they don't take that seriously. They don't really take the time to address the psychology behind the decision that women are making to get breast implants. They don't promote the other options available to women, the other surgical options available to women, like lift and fat transfer. They do promote that implants are the best way forward.

Darnah Mercieca:

And it especially shows me that there is a lot more work to be done here. There is a lot more advocacy that needs to happen, and it lit a fire in me to keep going. It lit a fire in me to keep spreading this message and this awareness, and it let me know that, while it may be extremely difficult to change the minds of these surgeons because, let's face it, they're making money. This is their business. They've built a business around us wanting to look different. They've built a business around us not being happy with our breasts, built a business around us not being happy with our breasts. So it's going to be really difficult to change the minds of a lot of surgeons. So advocacy is important. Spreading the word, spreading this message is important. It's important to reach women with this message. It's important to reach women with it before they even get implants.

Darnah Mercieca:

To begin with, I think that what we're doing here is fantastic. We are putting out the word and helping educate women, once they've got their implants, as to what their options are to remove them and the fact that their breast implants could be the cause behind their illness and that that's a very real thing that they should look into. And this platform Empowered Explant and my mission is to help women on the journey of removing their breast implants because of all of those psychological components that are there right, all of that, those fears and concerns and self-esteem and body image issues that are still there once we have to face removing our implants and because of all of the physical effects now that have happened because of the implants if they've caused us breast implant illness symptoms, the detoxing that occurs, the fact that we've had to go through another surgery, all of the physical implications on our bodies, just all of those pieces. And I think it's wonderful that Empowered Explant exists, that I'm doing this work, that other women are out there doing this work, that, oh my gosh, there are surgeons out there. Thank you so much. It makes me emotional how much gratitude and respect I have for the surgeons out there who have chosen to not put breast implants in women's bodies anymore and to solely support women in the removal of breast implants. Thank you, thank you for believing in this and for making a choice to support our health.

Darnah Mercieca:

And while all of this is so important in supporting women who have breast implants and need to get them removed, this really just makes me realize how important it is to also reach the women who don't yet have breast implants in their bodies, their bodies, the women who are going into these surgeons offices with these concerns and are being sold on breast implants being the best option for them and are not being informed of the risks, of the true risks, because the surgeons don't believe in the risks. It also reminds me of how important it is to address the psychology of little girls, of young women, and helping them understand self-acceptance and self-love and understand the reality of our bodies, the beauty of our bodies and what our breasts do and what they're capable of, and how amazing and beautiful they are through pregnancy, through childbirth, what breasts can look like after that process and how to look after our bodies naturally, how to support our bodies, how to care for our breasts, what to look out for as far as breast cancer goes, how to really care for our breast health and our skin health and nourish our bodies. And then the options later on, the options that are available to us other than breast implants. If we choose to get surgery to make a change, to make improvements to our, to our body, to our aesthetic image, to make ourselves feel better, then can we at least know the options that are available to us that don't have ongoing risks to our health, like this surgeon said? He said that the other options, like fat transfer, for example, having a lift and a fat transfer, they're never going to give you back that same youthful structure that you once had, and only breast implants can do that. Well, you know what? My boobs aren't supposed to look the same at 36 or 40 or 50 as they did when I was 20. That's the fact, and so maybe maybe a lift and a fat transfer for a woman after three children is adequate. Maybe that woman, having just that little bit of help to bring her boobs up a bit, to tighten up that skin, is enough. If she understood all of the risks associated with breast implants, if she understood what that could do to her health and that she essentially has a ticking time bomb in her body that she has to worry about that's going to potentially cost her another $10,000 every 10 or so years to get replaced, maybe she would agree that just having a perkier set, just lifting up, tightening that skin, would be enough. Maybe she would agree that just having a tiny bit of fat transferred to her breasts just to give them a touch more volume, just to fill them out a little bit more, would be enough.

Darnah Mercieca:

And there are women out there that won't be okay with that, that do want more, that do want implants and and you know once again, no judgment, no judgment at all. If that is you, if you are a woman that wants more, I am not judging you, but I do encourage you to know the risks and know what to look for. That is what I'm all about. I am here about empowered decisions, empowering women to make the best decisions for themselves and their health. And if you're choosing breast implants, whether just because that's what you want or whether you've had a mastectomy and you are faced with this really difficult decision, then at least be informed of the risks so that you know what to look for later on, so that you know truly how you have to monitor your breast implants as well as your breast health, for ruptures, for leakages.

Darnah Mercieca:

Ladies like I, yes, keep going. Yes, keep this podcast going. Yes, there will be so many more than 60 episodes here. Yes, I will challenge any plastic surgeon who doesn't think there's enough evidence that BII exists, or they don't really understand how that could be a thing, or says that it's not a thing until they see more data or more evidence or more research or more studies. There are enough of us women who have been through this to prove that this is a thing, a very, very serious thing that more surgeons and more people need to know about and pay attention to and to prioritize. So, with that said, I'm going to keep being a voice, and I hope you do too. I hope you share this episode. I hope you share any episode on this podcast that resonates that you feel like would be of value to other people.

Darnah Mercieca:

Join the Empowered Explore Facebook group. Get involved with me. Help me spread this message. Help me defend what we are here for. Help me defend what we have been through. None of us should be made to sit there and feel crazy or like we are some anomaly because we're not.

Darnah Mercieca:

Breast implants affect every woman. Breast implants cause foreign body reaction and immune response and inflammation in every woman. Like I I mentioned earlier, it's just our genetics that really determines how the effects of that shows up in our bodies sooner or later. So, breasties, thank you for joining me today for this little bit of tea, this little goss session that I had to share with you after being at this barbecue, because, after leaving and I just had so much spinning around on my mind and so much weighing on my heart and so much that I wish I could have said on the day, but I bit my tongue and now I just had to get it off my chest. And if the surgeon that I spoke to at the barbecue on Saturday happens to listen to this podcast episode because maybe I did plant a seed then I hope you listen to other episodes. I hope you start doing research into breast implant illness and see how prevalent this actually is. I hope you change your mind one day. I hope you come to the other side and start specializing in explant surgery. I hope you get a new analogy, because choosing to get breast implants is not the same as choosing to drive a car. And I extra hope you listened to the interview that I had with my ex-plant surgeon, dr Dev, who I have so much love and admiration for as a surgeon. He helped me. He helped restore me. He helped me get my health back. He helped restore me. He helped me get my health back.

Darnah Mercieca:

If you're researching breast implant illness, the risks of breast implants, or deciding if explant surgery is right for you, then go to the resources page on the Empowered Explant website. That's empoweredexplantcom. Forward slash resources. There is so much good information there. Seriously, start there. Start diving into all the links I've provided. The FDA documentation is there.

Darnah Mercieca:

And then there are some podcast episodes that you must listen to if you haven't already, and that is what is breast implant illness? What are the risks of breast implants, the history of breast implants. I mean, there are some really good episodes on this podcast that dive into the science behind breast implants and the reported risks, the data associated with them. So go get informed, get empowered, because this is how we make the best decisions for our bodies and for our health.

Darnah Mercieca:

Okay, my love, thank you for letting me get that off my chest. It was so needed. I feel lighter, like I did the day I got my implants out. Don't forget. I want to hear what you have to think about today's episode so badly. So DM me, leave a review, leave a comment anywhere you can. If you're watching on YouTube, leave me a comment on this episode. If you are listening to the podcast, shoot me a DM on Instagram at Dana Merzica. Come into the Empowered Explant Facebook group. Come and talk to me in there. My goodness, I want to hear your thoughts on this conversation. I want to hear what you would have said to this surgeon if you were sitting there at this barbecue. What would you have said to him in this same situation Okay, I will see you here next week, breasty.