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Commentary on: Understanding Breast Implant Illness
Jill M Newby1, Samantha Tang2, Kate Faasse3
1MRFF Career Development Fellow, Black Dog Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Aesthetic Surgery Journal
|November 28, 2020
Summary
Women with breast implant illness (BII) experience more severe physical and psychological symptoms, regardless of explant status. Further research is needed to understand BII causes and treatments.
Area of Science:
- Plastic Surgery
- Women's Health
- Psychosomatic Medicine
Background:
- Breast implant surgery is a common global procedure.
- A subset of women report disabling symptoms attributed to breast implants, termed "breast implant illness" (BII).
- Limited scientific research exists on BII.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the experiences of women with BII.
- To compare women with BII (with and without explanted implants) to a control group of women with implants but no BII.
Main Methods:
- Online self-report questionnaires were completed by 51 women with BII and implants, 60 women with BII who had explanted, and 58 women with implants without BII.
- Data collected included symptoms, physical and mental health, health service use, and lifestyle factors.
Main Results:
- Women with BII reported more severe somatic symptoms compared to controls.
- Higher rates of depression, anxiety, and health anxiety were observed in women with BII.
- Poorer overall physical health was reported by women experiencing BII.
Conclusions:
- Women with BII experience significant physical and psychological distress, irrespective of explant status.
- These findings underscore the necessity for further research into BII's etiology, risk factors, and potential interventions.
