Could my tiredness and joint pains be caused by my leaking implants?

If you have an MRI which shows ruptured silicone implants they need to be removed.  I have seen patients with fatigue and joint pain who had relief when switching their silicone ruptures out for saline implants.

The causal relation between leaking/ruptured implants and fatigue and joint pain is mixed, with no firm link having been established.  However, if an MRI shows you have leaking or ruptured implants, the recommendation is to remove them.  Your symptoms may or may not improve but you may get some piece of mind.

If your implants are ruptured, I do recommend having them removed. Most studies have should that removing ruptured gel implants had no significant change with joint pain and tiredness. However, mentally you will feel relieved that your ruptured implants are gone, and that may affect how you perceive your pain and fatigue.

There have been a number of studies regarding ruptured silicone implants and whether the implants can cause or be associated with auto-immune diseases such as fibromyalgia.  The results of these studies have been mixed, some showing no association and some indicating a possible causative relationship.  There has been one study, involving a small group of patients who had fibromyalgia symptoms, who had ruptured silicone implants removed.  Of the 43 patients in the series, 42 patients (97%), reported their symptoms to be improved after implant removal.  In most cases, plastic surgeons will recommend implant removal, with or without replacement, if a ruptured silicone implant is detected.  Best wishes, Dr. Lepore.