Why Don't Doctors Listen to Women Who Say Their Breast Implants Made Them Sick?

Speaking for myself and for most board certified plastic surgeons, we absolutely listen to every complaint from our patients.  If you develop an unexplained illness, a thorough history, physical examination, and appropriate laboratory and/or radiologic investigation to develop a differential diagnosis is indicated.  Because there is no scientifically proven relationship between currently available breast implants and known illnesses, attribution of the etiology of any illness to breast implants would be based not on science, but perhaps only after every other known cause were eliminated, a difficult task.  We (science) don't know everything, and it is true that implants may be related to illness(es)  in some as yet undiscovered way(s).  Our understanding of biofilms around breast implants and the recent discovery that a rare cancer (anaplastic large cell lymphoma) MAY (or may not) occur more frequently among women with implants are examples of emerging science.

If somebody develops a problem after having breast implants, they will assume it is due to the breast implants; that is human nature.  But what about women who got the same condition who never had breast implants?  Junk science fueled the breast implant controversy and caused 3 Billion dollars to change hands.  Now even most desparate lawyers won't take a breast implant - autoimmune case.

Therefore it is up to scientists to see the statistical analyses on the different groups to see if there is a difference.

If patients are convinced their breast implants are causing them difficulties to the point their quality of life starts to suffer, it is reasonable to remove the implants.  Good doctors do listen to their patients.  They do not listen to junk science.

 Every doctor is committed to the health and well-being of their patients, first and foremost.

Before 4 years of medical school, 5 years of surgery residency, 2 more years of plastic surgical fellowship, and then beginning either academic or private practice, each plastic surgeon graduated from college or university with a degree, usually in the sciences. Many possess dual degrees, advanced degrees, and all of us learned proper scientific methods, including testing hypotheses, cause and effect, and higher mathematics, including statistics. This doesn't make us so smart we never make a mistake, or never have an opposing point of view. BUT, what it does provide is some degree of assurance that given proper data, and sound scientific analysis, and mathematically correct statistical probability computation, we can separate the "junk science" and the unsupported hypotheses from the data-supported, statistically significant facts!

So when a patient who has heard on a talk show, or read in a fashion magazine, about the "perils" of silicone implants, and comes to truly believe that whatever disease, condition, or complaint they have is caused  by her breast implants, we have to rely on science and properly-run studies to fuel our advice. It's not that we don't believe that women really have whatever ailment or complaint they tell us about, or even that it "seemed" to be diagnosed shortly after placement of implants, it's that there are numerous good scientific studies that do not support a cause-and-effect relationship between silicone gel implants and any sort of auto-immune or "human adjuvant" disease such as arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, and many other ailments. Posing a question is excellent, but if numerous, well-run, non-implant-company-funded, scientific studies by reputable non-biased researchers find no relationship, I am duty bound to tell my patients the truth, not what they want to hear.

I absolutely believe these women to be reliable in describing their medical condition; what they are NOT QUALIFIED to do is to claim their implants "caused" their problem! Remember that even so reputable a source as the Pope once proclaimed that the Sun revolved around the Earth. It only "makes sense" now that we all know He was wrong!