When it comes to breast implant illness and enbloc explant, experience matters most. On average, I perform 3-5 enbloc explants per week. It is not unusual for me to perform 8 or more explants in a busy week. When I saw my first breast implant illness patient almost 10 years ago, there was very little information available about BII. I now perform over 200 enbloc explants per year with over 95% of patients reporting signficant reduction in BII symptoms.
When performing an enbloc explant, I consistently and safely remove the implant capsule and repair the muscles while preserving breast tissue. Many explants are performed with a breast lift, and many are not. In either case my priority is for the patients to feel significantly better and to love how they look after explant. Postoperative care then focuses on healing, scar treatment and reduction, detoxification, and reduction of inflammation.
Long before I learned about breast implant illness and explant surgery I was a medical student at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, MS (not Oxford, but I’m technically an Ole Miss alumni! Hotty Toddy!). I was completing my general surgery residency at the University of Mississippi when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I knew a fair amount about breast cancer from the young doctor/resident standpoint but it had never affected me personally in such a way. As medical students and residents will do with a sick family member, I researched breast cancer treatments vigorously, and through her treatment I was introduced to the concept of post-mastectomy breast reconstruction. I began working closely with the plastic surgery division at my hospital, learning more about reconstructive surgery, and participating in research projects and papers. As I completed my 5 year residency in general surgery, I was accepted into the prestigious residency in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. I had the most comprehensive and intensive training in plastic surgery that was offered at that time. I trained and worked under some of the great innovators in our field. My practice initially focused on cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the body and breast. I have evolved into concentrations on breast implant illness and the enbloc explant procedure, as well as restorative liposuction for a debilitating fatty disorder of the arms and legs known as lipedema.
Treating explant patients has been such a fulfilling and educational journey. I am constantly working to improve the surgical technique of enbloc explant, to improve the recovery process, and to assist patients with detoxification and reduction of inflammation after explant.