Dr. Phil aired an episode on July 14th in which a panel of doctors answered medical questions. While there was interesting information given, the plastic surgeon (Dr. Andrew Ordon) they used didn’t quite get his facts right (shocking, right?). A woman went on the show that had over 16 operations on her breasts which included having 4 different sets of implants put in. The result was one breast that looked like a shriveled up mess in which the doctor stated that everything that could go wrong went wrong (contracture, infection, etc.). That much I partially agree with, partially because the women did not mention any weird symptoms…so she still had room to deteriorate according to what I’ve learned about breast implants. The plastic surgeon, Dr. Ordon then went on to say that “When you remove implants, and there’s nothing left in an area that’s been stretched, (the breast) shrinks down and shrivels down like the woman’s picture we just saw”. The picture he was referring to is one of the woman who’s had 16 operations and that some say looks equivalent to a mastectomy patient (on the right breast).

The problem here is that Dr. Ordon overgeneralized his statement and basically said that when women have their implants removed, they are going to be left horribly disfigured (and women are believing it as evident in this post). This is absolutely not true and I hate that this misinformation keeps getting promoted by the very people women are looking to for advice. So let’s get it straight, women that get their implants removed ARE NOT doomed to being disfigured! My breast implants were removed and I can’t believe how wonderful my natural breasts look. If you choose a doctor that is experienced in breast implant removal without shoving in replacement implants, then you can have great results. If you don’t believe me, take a peak around Yahoo’s Saline Support Group and www.explantation.com, where you can view true before and after photos.

On a different note, there was a different woman on the show with a mysterious illness (Morgellons) in which she said silicone (yes silicone!) fibers come out of her skin via lesions. That could have definitely used more air time and more explanation…none of the doctors were experienced in anything remotely close to this arena. Just to clarify, this woman did not mention having breast implants.

Oh, and this just in….beginning September 8th, we will be getting to hear more from Dr. Ordon as Dr. Phil brings us a new talk show called, “The Doctors“.  So get ready to clarify more breast implant misinformation fellow BBers; this surgeon will represent all plastic surgeons and we all know how closely they stick together. 

~Kacey