When Archana Singh decided to get breast implants at age 30, she envisioned a confidence boost that would transform her professional and personal life. Sixteen years later, the Delhi marketing professional found herself in a surgeon's office again - this time to remove the very implants she believed would solve her body image issues.
The Promise That Turned Painful
Archana Singh, a media marketing professional based in Delhi, underwent breast implant surgery in her thirties hoping it would ease her insecurities and boost confidence during business pitches. What began as a solution to body image concerns following childbirth soon transformed into a source of constant discomfort and health anxiety.
The initial excitement faded quickly as the implants took longer than expected to settle into a natural shape. She found herself hiding behind loose clothing and avoiding situations that might draw attention to her chest. The real problems, however, emerged years later.
When Symptoms Became Impossible to Ignore
Around 2012, strange physical changes began appearing. Unexplained rashes, bruises, and cuts surfaced overnight on her breasts. Multiple doctors dismissed her concerns, attributing the skin changes to pre-existing benign fibroids or side effects from hormone medications she was taking for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
By 2021, the discomfort had become physical and constant. Simple activities like intimacy, massages, or lying on her stomach became painful experiences. Chronic back and shoulder pain became part of her daily reality. Then came the turning point: a mild COVID-19 infection that triggered excruciating breast pain ten days later.
The pain was so severe it felt like being pierced from inside, she recalls. While doctors initially thought it was post-COVID muscle pain, the persistence of symptoms finally pushed her to make the decision she'd been contemplating for years: removal.
Understanding Breast Implant Illness
Dr. Rakesh Kumar Khazanchi, Chairman of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery at Medanta, Gurugram, explains that many women report clusters of symptoms after getting breast implants. These typically include fatigue, brain fog, joint and muscle pain, rashes, hair loss, anxiety, headaches, sleep problems, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Current medical science hasn't established a definitive causal link between implants and these symptoms, but the pattern is undeniable. Many women report feeling significantly better after explant surgery. Recent research suggests bacterial biofilms forming around implants might trigger immune and inflammatory responses in some women.
Dr. Anup Dhir, a Delhi-based cosmetic surgeon, notes that implants have a lifespan of 10 to 20 years. Wear and tear can lead to rupture or leakage - while saline implant deflation is visible, silicone ruptures can be silent and detectable only through MRI or ultrasound. Scar tissue hardening around implants can also cause pain and changes in breast appearance.
The Growing Trend of Explant Surgery
Both surgeons report seeing increasing numbers of women seeking implant removal procedures. High-profile cases like Pamela Anderson and Victoria Beckham discussing their explant decisions have brought more attention to this trend. Common reasons include malpositioning, deformities, inflamed lymph nodes, extreme fatigue, and implant rupture.
For Archana, the decision came with significant financial considerations. Her original implant surgery cost Rs 2.5 lakh, while the removal procedure cost over one lakh rupees and took more than an hour. Dr. Khazanchi explains that explant surgery is more complex than insertion, requiring careful separation of implants from tissues they've adhered to over time.
The procedure involves making an incision in the breast, removing the implant along with surrounding scar tissue (capsule), and closing the cut. Surgeons may simultaneously perform additional procedures like breast lifts or implant replacements.
Life After Implants: Relief and Reflection
For Archana Singh, now 46, the relief was immediate and profound. Her back and shoulder pain eased dramatically, she could comfortably lie on her stomach, and the constant fear of developing cancer subsided. Most importantly, she found peace with her natural body.
Breast implants can complicate cancer screening procedures like mammography because they can obscure breast tissue visibility. Technicians must push implants aside to properly examine breast tissue, making regular check-ups more challenging.
Archana's experience reflects a broader pattern among women who initially sought implants for confidence but found themselves trading temporary satisfaction for long-term health concerns. Her final reflection captures what many women discover through similar journeys: The gap she was trying to fill was in her mind, not her body.
Nothing, she concludes, is worth more than health and wellbeing. Two years after her explant surgery, she breathes easier - both physically and mentally - free from the constant anxiety that shadowed her for nearly sixteen years.
