Hey girl, I don’t think you should get breast implants.

I never in a million years imagined sharing the details of my boobs with thousands of strangers on the internet, but here we are! On November 5, 2019, after 5 years of having 250cc silicone implants under my chest muscles, I had breast explant surgery and had my fake boobs removed with Dr. Jae Chun in Newport Beach, California.

It’s been 5 months and I am SO HAPPY! Yes, my breasts are teeny tiny and yes, they have scars, but I feel amazing in my natural skin.

I’ve learned so much going through this traumatic (and expensive) experience. To help arm with you with the information you need to make an informed decision, here’s what I wish I knew BEFORE going under the knife.

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5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Getting Breast Implants

Bigger boobs make you look…bigger.

This is a superficial thing to start with, but let’s be honest, most women get implants because they want to look differently. I was pretty flat-chested and I subconsciously believed that since I didn’t have cleavage, I was somehow incomplete as a person. I totally was motivated by insecurity and a lack of self-love.

I never wanted big boobs, I just wanted boobs. But most plastic surgeons have the mentality “go big or go home.” Even though I went to a conservative surgeon and wanted no bigger than a C-cup, I ended up being a full D-cup.

At first it was fun– I had cleavage! I could wear bikinis and look sexy! But then I started seeing myself in photos and realized that I looked HUGE. Big boobs made me look like I had gained weight. If I wore a loose-fitting top, I looked at least 10 pounds heavier. White tops made my breasts look ridiculously huge, so I spent the next five years wearing black tops that minimized my breasts and body.

The health risks are real.

Breast implants are making thousands of women very sick. I’m a huge advocate of non-toxic health and beauty products, which didn’t mesh with having fake boobs. When I got implants, I was told the only health risk was “capsular contracture.” After implanting a foreign entity into your body, your body reacts by creating a “capsule” of tissues around the foreign object separating it from the rest of your body. This is your body’s way of protecting itself from the implants. If the capsule is made too tight or tightens over time, this will cause your implant to become hard. If this happens, you’ll need another surgery to remove the implant and capsule.

But capsular contracture is no longer the only openly admitted risk to getting implants. You can add cancer to that list. In 2019, the FDA came out with a suggested black box warning for all implants. Black box warnings are the highest degree of warnings and are reserved only for devices or medications that can cause serious illness or death. Here’s the proposed language directly from the FDA’s website:

We now know that breast implants are linked to several types of autoimmune disorders including BIA-ALCL, which is a cancer of the immune system.

NOTE: If you’re someone with implants currently, please note that I’m not trying to scare you into getting your implants removed. If you haven’t had any complications, that’s great! BUT, if you have any weird health issues and haven’t been able to figure out the source, you may want to seriously consider that it could be related to your implants.

You will need more surgeries in the future.

When I got implants, the surgeon’s nurse said I could probably keep my implants in my body forever. She made it seem like a “one and done” surgery, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

As the FDA states, breast implants are not lifetime devices. The companies “warranty” the implants for 10 years.

According to the FDA, the longer implants are in your body, the more likely you’ll have complications. It’s really just a matter of time…

Personally, I had to have an emergency surgery the day after my implant surgery because I had a hematoma and was bleeding internally. That doubled the cost of my implant surgery. I know so many people who have had issues with their bodies rejected implants and needed additional surgeries.

According to the FDA, one in five women with breast implants will get them removed within 10 years. The FDA has also posted an unusually blunt warning on its website. It advises patients that the risk of complications is high and says flatly:  “You should assume that you will need to have additional surgeries.”

Fake boobs feel weird, both inside and out.

To be very open and honest with you: I had really nice fake boobs.  There was nothing wrong with them and the surgeon did a really good job from a cosmetic perspective. That said, they were still fake boobs and fake boobs feel…well, different. They don’t move like natural breasts and I could always feel them move around whenever I used my chest muscles throughout the day.

Most implants are placed under the muscle, which means your chest muscles are stretched over these big silicone bags. When you exercise, you can feel your fake boobs move underneath your chest muscles. This happened in yoga classes doing sun salutations, in body pump classes lifting weights, and when doing push-ups. Using my chest muscles in work-outs and yoga felt uncomfortable, almost like it could cause my implant to rupture. 

I felt physically inhibited with implants in my body, and as someone who’s physically active, this was a real bummer. I eventually stopped using my chest muscles in fear that strengthening those muscles could make my implants look even more fake (which is common among very fit women with implants).

There’s a line between self-improvement and self-acceptance and it’s NOT on the other end of the scalpel.

I’ve always been obsessed with self-improvement and learning how to become my “best self.” But there’s a thin line between self-improvement and self-acceptance. I thought the line was on the other side of getting breast implants, but I now know I was wrong.

I got implants for the wrong reasons and that’s why I ultimately wasn’t happy with my decision. I was trying to make myself more “complete.” It wasn’t done out of love for my body, it was done out of fear that I wasn’t good enough the way I was naturally.

Look, some people get implants and absolutely love them. They do it for different reasons and they have different emotional results. But if you’re obsessing about implants because you “hate” your breasts and want to “fix” something about yourself, I guarantee this will not bring you the long-lasting happiness you are seeking.

This is your body and your life. You get to decide what’s right for you. But if you were my sister or best friend, this is what I would tell you: Don’t get breast implants.

Want to learn more about breast explant surgery?

Here’s my list of essential items you’ll need for breast explant surgery.

Here are some great resources for learning more, including women who shared their experiences and helped me make my decision:

• Karissa Pukas
• Breast Implant Illness by Nicole
• Healing Breast Implant Illness
• Diary of a Fit Mommy
• Fitnessista